Does a mess in your office distract you from your work? Is the lightning in the room just perfect to keep you focused? For most people, organizing their work surroundings can have an impact on their focus, productivity, and even quality of work. The same applies to the tools they use. The computer screen is one of the environments you enter to work. This is where this article comes in handy. We’ll teach you how to turn your Mac into an office tool that keeps you productive.
Clean the Cache
Cache is the memory bank that helps you collect or retrieve temporary data to help your apps, site, and device load faster. However, as you work on your Mac, this can accumulate tons of unnecessary cache. If you want to optimize the productivity of your computer, you should know about the various cache types and how to clean the unnecessary data.
The main cache types you should try to optimize are:
- System cache. This is the memory bank that connects the processor and the main memory. It allows the central processing unit to retrieve the data you use on your device to execute instructions faster.
- Browser cache. All browsers have caches that store files and elements like cookies, images, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, etc.
- User/ app cache. Chances are, you are using tons of apps to work. The cache helps you search history, get information to speed up the app usage, etc.
Yes, the cache is created to help optimize the Mac. However, if you don’t clean it occasionally, the files will just keep piling up, and this will have the opposite effect. Over time, this can lead to app crashes and errors. The idea is to remove unused, outdated files that you don’t need but they take up space on your laptop.
You can also use different programs to help your Mac work faster. One of them is CleanMyMac. Finding the finest Mac cleanup app and keeping your computer secure and ready to use is also necessary for productivity.
Use the Focus Feature
Have you heard of the ‘Focus’ feature? This is a rather new feature by macOS Mojave and a great way to filter the notifications on your Mac. For example, you can set up a work Focus that will only show you notifications from contacts you selected, such as your close family and your colleagues. You can set up different Focuses for different purposes, therefore keeping the notifications in check and eliminating some of the biggest distractions.
Clean Up the Desktop
Do you really need to use the desktop? A clean desktop environment is much nicer on the eye. Even so, many pile up shortcuts on their desktop and this frustrates them as soon as they turn on their laptop. Why would you do this when you can have a clean screen and use the search button to find everything instantly?
Once you clean up your desktop, try a cleaner, plainer background. Desktop wallpapers are often too colorful, and this doesn’t make them any less distracting.
Remove the Toolbar and Menu Bar Icons
The majority of MacOS native apps come with toolbars with icons that can be customized. If you use Apple Mail and Finder, these icons will just pile up and take up a tremendous amount of space. You can drag them all out of the toolbar and disable them altogether, or switch from icons to clickable text.
This can be done in minutes and will reduce the visual clutter.
Remove Apps from the Dock
When you look at your screen and are given endless options, your mind bothers to choose the one it needs. That being said, you might want to remove apps from the dock that you rarely use and keep only the ones that you use most often.
To remove apps from the dock, follow this order:
- Right-click on the app you want to remove by tapping the trackpad with 2 fingers
- Click on Options and uncheck the “Keep in Dock”
Once you do this, the app will be removed from the dock. You can retrieve it at any time.
Hide the Dock Altogether
Once you optimize the dock and remove the apps you rarely use, you should consider hiding them. There is a no dock option on Mac, which will make your desktop even cleaner. The best part is, you’ll hide it until you need it. To do this, use the steps below:
- Find the blank space on the dock and right-click on it
- Click on “Turn Hiding On”
Whenever you need it, the dock will automatically show when you move your cursor to the spot where it was located.
Wrapping Up
These things might seem small or irrelevant, but seeing how they all take minutes of your time, it’s worth a try, right? Once you remove the extras and distractions from your Mac device, you’ll find that you are more productive – not to mention your computer is faster and easier to look at.