Get Serious About Organizing Your Workspace! How to Organize your Home Office...What You Need...What You Don't Need.

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How to Make Your Mac Workspace More Productive

New Years resolutions like losing weight and quitting an addictive activity are the normal resolutions we are always expected to make, however, these quintessential resolutions are the most prone to fail. One resolution that can come with the most benefits is living more productively, as it can give you more time with family, work, and free time. One great place to start is the place you spend the most time at: your Mac. Here are a couple of tips on how to make your workspace a more productive one.

As a blogger, I find myself loading my Mac with tons of photos, videos, and documents involving articles I have to write and meet deadlines for. After a couple of months of doing this, I end up with a Mac that is sluggish, filled with junk, and just in need of a good cleaning. To ensure that your Mac works to the best of its ability, you must ensure that the useless files are cleared out periodically.

If you find this task a bit daunting, like I do, then seek refuge in an application whose job is to clean out your Mac. One application that I always recommend is Magican: this application goes through your Mac and presents you with a list of files that may not be necessary for the way you use it. Along with all of your applications, you are able to look through and choose what you want to remove, which is a quick and easy way to delete more than you probably would have been able to do without pulling your hair out. Plus, since it’s free, there’s no reason not to at least try out the application.

Download Magican: How to use Magican File for find any files on Mac

One easy way to add a bit of productivity to your Mac is to add a couple of applications that you can incorporate into your work day, or even when you are simply getting errands out of the way. One key to productively incorporating any application into your Mac is to ask yourself a couple of questions first: Will this application be one that will solve a problem or make something easier for you? Does it seem like an application that is complicated to get started? Are you willing to pay this price in the possibility that it wouldn’t be an app that works well for you? Going through this checklist will allow you to pick an application that isn’t a waste of megabytes and allows you to just jump in and get started. Below, we have a couple of suggestions to get you started:Evernote: Keep notes, documents, and more in one area. Clean up your workspace and transfer receipts and important papers into EvernoteDropbox: Save files and easily transfer them in one applicationTaskMate: Your task/to-do list readily at handiClockr: Time keeping for freelancers and workers alikeDeadline: View iCal events in your menu bar

Switching from your Mac to your iPad and then to your iPhone to get things done can be a bit time consuming. You may feel that it’s necessary when you have your email in one place, a document in another, and a spreadsheet on a third device, but this doesn’t need to happen with Mac.

If you have iOS, Mac has provided a perfect way for you to connect your life on your various gadgets easily: this is done through iCloud, a cloud service that allows you to easily have certain productive aspects of your mobile life automatically added to connected devices instantly. No shared WIFI network or extra connection needed.

SEE ALSO: How to set up iCloud on all your devices

Currently, this is widely implemented in Calendars, Contacts, iWork documents, and more. Also, various applications like Smartr for example, are hooked up with iCloud. This prevents you from having to put in the added effort of creating multiple calendar events or contacts, and also allows you to work on documents when away from home.

SEE MORE: 5 Third-Party Apps That Work With iCloud

One nuisance that comes with working hard on your computer is that you must remember to have a charging cable nearby for when the battery starts to run low. When typing or working at your computer for a long period of time, doing power-intensive activities, this can feel more frequent than you may have thought. It’s also more noticeable when you find yourself with an un-calibrated battery.Don’t be surprised if you don’t know what this means—you’re not alone.

Battery calibration means that you are setting your battery status to become more aligned with its actual capacity, which can sometimes become offset with active use. Calibration is very easy to do, and you may have found yourself accidentally doing this from time to time. Simply use your Mac’s battery until it gets to the point of shutting down on it’s own. When this occurs, connect to the charger and allow it to charge fully without powering on. You’ll know when the charger light turns green.

Go to System Preferences -> Display -> Calibrate

SEE MORE: How To Calibrate a Mac Display

So you’re typing away at a report or article and then you’re interrupted by something that makes you leave your work station. It can be anything from having to drop the kids off at practice to even a road trip, but it means time away from your desk. How do you extend your office, outside of the actual office space? You can make sure that all of the email addresses that you actively use are connected to your mobile device.

You may have shied away from this out of fear that the frequent emails would run up your phone bill, but you can simply switch “Push”, where an email is brought in each time a new message comes in, or “Fetch”, where your email is checked at a certain interval set by yourself. Simply go to

“Settings” > “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” > “Fetch New Data” > Turn off “Push”

and set the fetching interval. If you have certain email addresses that don’t normally have a lot of emails, then simply go to the “Advanced” page of “Fetch New Data” and set according to the address. By doing this, you never have to worry about missing a vital email when you’re away from your desk.

SEE ALSO: Give Your Mac A Productivity Power-Up With LaunchBar

Emmanuel Banks is an editorial director for the Mountain View based startup, Teens in Tech, where he covers news in the startup world and tips for teen entrepreneurs. When Emmanuel isn't writing, he enjoys traveling and trying out new gadgets.

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7 Ways to Create a More Tranquil Workspace

While many people claim that they thrive in high-stress environments, others work best in some place that is relaxing and tranquil.  Changing your job might not be an option if it is a high-stress position by nature, but you can still optimize your workspace to make it a more relaxing place to spend your time and do your work, in turn reducing your stress levels and increasing your productivity.  The biggest key to creating a relaxing workspace is styling it in a way that makes you happy.  If it feels right to you, then you’re on the right path.  Keeping that in mind, here are my seven tips for creating a more relaxing workspace:

Get rid of the clutter. All those stacks of paper strewn about your desk make you look not only disorganized, but also stressed out and perhaps even overwhlemed.  While they don’t have to go into the trash can, but they should be sorted and organized into file folders inside your desk, or somewhere else hidden from view.  The only papers on your desk should really just be those that are directly related to your current task. If you do nothing else, do this.  Many people will notice a dramatic improvement in their productivity once the clutter is gone.Invest in a quality, comfortable chair. If you are going to be chained to your desk, you’ll want to be comfortable.  If you’re constantly fidgeting because you can’t get comfortable in your seat, you’re going to be distracted and less attentive.  Try petitioning to your supervisor to get you a good once, but if you can’t pull that off you might want to consider getting one yourself.  Head out to an office supply store and actually try out all the chairs to find one that you like.  Don’t just pick whatever’s on sale or what looks like it might be comfortable. Try it before you buy it!Get a small fan. Office buildings with recirculated air can get stuffy and stale.  Combat that with a small fan on your desk that will help keep air circulating in your workspace.  It’ll also come in handy when things get warm and the air temperature isn’t quite to your liking.  I know I have a hard time concentrating when I’m breathing in stale or warm air and it affects my work. A fan really helps!Go green. By this I don’t mean you need to invest in biodegradable or recycled materials.  I mean add a little green to your workspace in the form of plants.  Fake plants will not fit the bill, so don’t even bother with them.  Instead, pick up only real, live, oxygen-generating plants.  It’ll help with the stale air issue, but will also help liven things up and make it a more inviting space.Tweak your lighting. Is it too bright or not bright enough?  Adding more light to your work area is easily accomplished by adding a desk lamp.  Making it darker can be trickier if you don’t have your own office or aren’t working from home, but if either of these situations apply to you, if you feel more comfortable in the dark, by all means, go for it and turn out the lights.  If you work in a cubicle, you’ll likely have to suck it up and deal with the lighting you’ve got.Add some noise. Working in a completely silent area can be quite distracting for some people, so adding in a little noise can help.  The kind of “noise” you will want to add depends entirely on your tastes.  Some people could benefit from music, while others might enjoy the simplicity of a desktop water fountain and the relaxing sound of flowing water.  You may need to experiment with the type of music you listen to before you find one that fits.  Some music might be too distracting, so keep trying until you find something that helps relax you without distracting you.Personalize your space. Looking at your work area, would a stranger be able to learn anything about you?  Is it devoid of a personality?  If  so, you might need to spruce it up a bit to make you feel more at home.  Family photos are a big personal item you’ll find on a lot of people’s desktops, but there are many other ways you can make your space your own.  Trade that boring desk calendar for one with a little more flair, get yourself some colorful paperclips and a fun mousepad, or tack up your favorite comic strip on the wall.7

Considerations for those who work from home:

Creating a more relaxing work environment can be a little bit different if you work from home.  In this case, you’ll want to make sure your work area is relaxing, but not too relaxing, and located somewhere you won’t be constantly interrupted.  You might not need the family photos since they’re just down the hall, but they’re still a nice touch. Otherwise, the tips above can be applied to your home office as well.

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