How to Get Things Done on Your Mac

“To be productive, we must be able to focus all of our energies on the task before us.” - Leo’s Mac Format productivity article

I’ve long been a fan of the Macintosh (since my first Mac Plus in the 1980s), and while the OS has changed drastically over the years, if anything its appeal to aesthetic people like myself has grown.

However, creative types aren’t known for their organization and productivity. While they’d like to have these qualities, there’s no doubt that it doesn’t come naturally.

I recently wrote an article for Mac Format, the UK’s leading Mac magazine, called “Get things done on your Mac”. Mac Format has graciously allowed me to offer it to you all for free as a PDF download: download it here (4 MB pdf - hosted on Scribd– you can read it there, or click on the PDF download link when you get there).

Some of the top tips in the article (regular Zen Habits readers will be familiar with most of these):

How to clear your Mac desktop.
How to create a minimalist working environment.
Why Spotlight makes filing unnecessary.
How to use utilities such as Quicksilver, Mail Act-on, and others to be productive.
How to make quick decisions.
How to clear your mind so you can focus on the task at hand.
Why single-tasking is better than multi-tasking.

To be honest, some of the tips are pretty basic for experienced Mac users, but from beginners to power users, there should be something for everyone. With such a nice layout, it’s worth a look, even if you’re not a Mac user.

Download it here (4 MB pdf - hosted on Scribd– you can read it there, or click on the PDF download link when you get there).

Update: Because the file is so large, and so many people were downloading it, I have moved it to ~~Mediafire~~ Scribd. I should have thought of that from the start!

“By making decisions now instead of later, you get them off your mind and allow yourself to focus.”

Posted on 11 November 2007 in Productivity & Organization, Technology |
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Comments (36)

Brian Says:

November 11th, 2007, 22:12 pm

Thanks for making this available! I tried to download it, though, and Acrobat told me that the file was damaged and could not be repaired. Preview told me the same thing, so it’s not just Acrobat.

valletta Says:

November 11th, 2007, 22:13 pm

I just got a blank grey .pdf page…

MIke Pedersen Says:

November 11th, 2007, 22:16 pm

Thanks Leo! I’ve been considering getting a MAC, but don’t know much about them, but I love the IPOD and dream of getting an IPHONE (I’m T-Mobile though :().

Leo Says:

November 11th, 2007, 22:33 pm

Hi guys … sorry, the original upload was broken … I’ve re-uploaded it and it should work now. Let me know!

Graham Lutz, The Young Capitalist Says:

November 11th, 2007, 23:13 pm

I’ve always been a fan of single-tasking! I’ve rarely been able to accomplish it, though…

Hasan Says:

November 11th, 2007, 23:20 pm

I searched for a similar article for Windows users. Do you have one? If yes, can you point me to it? Thanks a mil!

Leo Says:

November 11th, 2007, 23:41 pm

@Hasan: I don’t have an article specifically for PC users, but most of the concepts the Mac article actually apply to anyone … only the tools are Mac-specific. I’ve written about most of them on Zen Habits too, including single-tasking, clearing your email, clearing your desk, clearing distractions, etc … just do a search for these terms. :)

Gerry Power Says:

November 12th, 2007, 0:35 am

Hey Leo - having tags would be a great addition to the new site. Sometimes, it is nice to find all articles that the *author* considers related (via the categorization expressed in tags), as opposed to the reader trying to find like articles with an open search.

Cheers - Gerry

Leo Says:

November 12th, 2007, 1:54 am

@Gerry … there are tags in Zen Habits … you can see the tags for each article in the bar under the post … “Post on ___, 2007 in (tags)” … for a complete list, you can see the right of the bottom nav bar. Hope this helps!

Adria Says:

November 12th, 2007, 2:56 am

Perfect timing, thank you!

Rahul Says:

November 12th, 2007, 10:25 am

Hi,

Great blog! Definitely motivates me to revisit my ways of getting the best out of my mac. Just a general comment on the new design: I am having a hard time reading some of the text on the right pane. Since the text and graphics are light, maybe a slightly darker shade for the background would help. Just my humble opinion.

Klingon Country Says:

November 12th, 2007, 10:57 am

“Why single-tasking is better than multi-tasking.”
Simple, because single-tasking means concentrating on one-job and not stopping till you get it done. While multi-task is a bit of each at a time. Unless you’re the super-organized kind (less then 1% are I’d say), you’re more likely to get a little bit done in a lot of wasted time.

Jesse Says:

November 12th, 2007, 11:25 am

I’ve tried your links, and my computer still says that it’s either not working or not pdf format. I’ll check back later to see, as it was interesting to me.

Mark Litke Says:

November 12th, 2007, 11:51 am

I’m a Mac user and would love to read your article, tho the link is still not working here. 10:50 est 11/12/07

Michael Says:

November 12th, 2007, 13:35 pm

Perfect! (Link worked, but was a bit slow.)

I printed out multiple copies and gave it to the VPs at my office as well as some others. The really hard case will be when I give it to my wife. Hope I didn’t break too many international copyright laws by printing so many copies.

Leo Says:

November 12th, 2007, 14:42 pm

Hi guys … the download is 4MB … I think with the influx of visitors from Digg over the last 6 hours or so, there have been too many downloads of the large file for my server to handle. I apologize for any frustrations. The file should be working (I’ll test it again myself), but even a good server such as mine has its limits. :)

Manuel Says:

November 12th, 2007, 15:14 pm

I temporarily uploaded the file to mediafire since it was painfully slow to download and didn’t work at all with Safari.

http://www.mediafire.com/?b43drtm19gn

Leo Says:

November 12th, 2007, 15:28 pm

I just uploaded it to Mediafire as well. Coincidentally, a friend suggested I do so. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that originally … if I had, my site wouldn’t have crashed or slowed down! :)

Think, Leo, think!

Ustun Says:

November 12th, 2007, 17:23 pm

There is a great app called “Think”. I suggest that as well.

Rahim Virani Says:

November 13th, 2007, 1:28 am

Hi Leo,

Great Article, I have been reading some of the organizational and minimalistic tips on your site for a while.

I did have one concern about the article. Relying on things like Spotlight (and google desktop) if you are on a PC, makes backing up your data quite difficult. For example if a user gains habit of not ‘caring’ where there files are because they are always available via their search tool. Then when it comes time to back their files up, they are one big huge mess.

Just thought I would feed back. Thanks for the article. BTW I guess you did end up getting a mac, there was an interview with you posted the last little bit stating that you only had an old PC (or am I mistaken?)

Blessings,

Mrs S Says:

November 13th, 2007, 6:04 am

My imac is scheduled for delivery and as it’s my first step into the realms of apple (I haven’t bought an ipod on principle ;0) ) then this article will be great as I’ll be starting form a clean slate without the nasty habits or baggage that I have with windows. Thanks Leo!

Evelyn Vincent Says:

November 13th, 2007, 6:19 am

I got my first computer, a PC in ‘98 and taught myself how to use it (I ditched the manual and just clicked on things to see what happened). I have since gotten a boyfriend who is a Mac geek, since the days when Mac first came out. In 2005 I got my first Mac - WOW!!!

For all of you who are still using a PC and are thinking of switching - I highly recommend doing so!

Mac’s are a little different and once you learn your way around EVERYTHING is a SNAP! Much faster and easier than a PC.

The BIG difference is you can find things so easily on a Mac. The other thing I love is that to complete the same task, doing it on a Mac requires so many fewer clicks - which is a plus if you do a lot on computers.

If you want to do anything artistic - don’t think, just get a Mac!

There are two smart purchases I’ve made within the past few years:

1. I got a Mac
2. I got a Prius

I will never go back to a PC, nor will I purchase a regular car again, ever!

Richard Rinyai Says:

November 13th, 2007, 11:51 am

Hi Leo,

I actually don’t use a MAC, but am fascinated with how the graphics look. It’s amazing of what you can do with it.

I recently wanted a movie about how Bill Gates “copied” what MAC has already created. I guess that’s where intellectual property and anti-trust laws came about.

I don’t know that much about MAC’s, but if anyone needs info on PC’s and organization, check out my blog.

Thanks,

Richard Rinyai
http://www.theprofessionalassistant.net

Ali Says:

November 13th, 2007, 12:50 pm

thanks for this one - spurred me to action on my desktop

Mark Says:

November 13th, 2007, 17:29 pm

Great article, good basic knowledge. I would agree with Rahim above, that it is still a good practice to organize files for backup purposes.

I’ve used Macs almost daily since ‘92. They’ve always been a solid platform for design work. However, I’ve recently started using Ubuntu Linux at home…and it rocks.

Tina Su - Think Simple. Be Decisive. Says:

November 13th, 2007, 18:25 pm

A follow up article/ebook on productivity in PC would be cool too. :) I love macs, but I’m also a PC user.

The productivity tips are great reminders and can be applicable to any activity.. Thanks!

Tina

James Says:

November 13th, 2007, 21:09 pm

Leo,
great article!
You’re the 100th source singing QuickSilver’s praises and you are the Tipping Point for me to actually give it a shot.
Thanks,

James

Peter Says:

November 14th, 2007, 13:36 pm

File is no longer available… =(

d.a. Says:

November 14th, 2007, 14:51 pm

Yeah, same error as @Peter reports. :-(

Leo Says:

November 14th, 2007, 15:07 pm

Sorry for the trouble, guys! Mediafire seems to be down right now. I’m transferring the file to Scribd and will change the link when I’m done.

Leo Says:

November 14th, 2007, 15:21 pm

OK, link should work now. It’s now hosted on Scribd, which means you can download it from there (click on the PDF icon) or even read it there in the Scribd inline viewer.

I tried to embed the file into this post, but it didn’t seem to work.

Bubba Says:

November 14th, 2007, 22:51 pm

Just curious …

In terms of getting things done & some of the comments above about the original PDF uploaded; why use PDFs on your site?

Why not a web-based version of the information? PDFs are searchable by spotlight; but blogs are searchable by sites like Google.

I am genuinely curious about why visitors have to download something …

Leo Says:

November 14th, 2007, 23:18 pm

@Bubba: Excellent question. I would honestly rather provide this article as a web-based post (just as I do with all the other posts on this blog), as this would be easier for all of you, but I wrote the article for a print magazine, and they own the copyright. They generously allowed me to publish it as a PDF on my site, but I don’t own the copyright and can’t just publish it in any form I like.

Hope this answers your question!

Dana Says:

November 16th, 2007, 11:27 am

Why is it that anytime anyone starts talking about a Mac or PC the usual mine is better than yours argument always comes up? I use both, they both work but neither is really better than the other. When I first got on AOL back in 1994 there were two or three chatrooms devoted to PC vs. Mac. Funny, you never see any Microsoft commercials on TV bashing Macs.

Archie Medes Says:

November 19th, 2007, 22:42 pm

Great article!

I have one suggestion; If the PDF is meant to be read on screen then change the layout to landscape instead of portrait. That way readers are not scrolling up and down to read the columns on a particular page.