Macs already have the settings and features to streamline workflow and boost productivity. You just need to explore and tinker with them to accelerate your workflow. macOS allows users to personalize the system’s behavior to become more efficient and organized.
Use a Photo as Your Wallpaper
You’ll never get tired of looking at your Mac if you keep the wallpaper fresh and vibrant.
Pre-installed Apple backgrounds are in System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop tab > Desktop Pictures.
But if you want more options, you can learn how to make a photo your wallpaper on Mac. To do this, go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > click on the plus sign in the bottom-left corner or select Photos > use your album from Photos or add your own folder.
When the wallpaper looks refreshing, you will feel excited to switch on your Mac and start working.
Reshuffle The Control Center
Mac’s Control Center can be easily customized according to your preference – from deciding the widgets that will appear in the menu bar to the ones that will be hidden in the Control Center and everything in between.
Navigate to the System Preferences app to customize the Control Center > click Dock & Menu Bar > go to the Control Center tab and choose the widget you wish to personalize > check or uncheck the box next to Show in Menu Bar to remove or add the setting. Also, you can set the widgets to be visible when they are active and automatically disappear when inactive.
This will keep the Control Center distraction-free and only show you the essential items during a specific task.
Do you want more customization? Then, you can head to the Sound Control Center page. For example, select When Active in the dropdown to access the sound settings in the menu bar when your device is playing audio.
Customize Safari’s Homepage
If you have upgraded your Mac computer to macOS Monterey or Ventura, you will get loads of customization tools for Safari. The homepage editor is the most notable among them.
You can personalize Safari’s homepage to make those items appear you need for your tasks. The homepage can even have a fresh background specifying quick sections like Reading List and Privacy Report.
Open Safari > go to the homepage > click Settings > choose a background from Apple’s collection or upload your photo by clicking the plus icon > uncheck or check the box next to each section and organize the homepage according to your browsing preferences.
Automate Tasks By Enabling Hot Corners
Hot Corners is a Mac system feature enabling you to utilize the display’s four corners to invoke specific actions. For example, you can automate actions like opening the LaunchPad, launching a screen saver, opening the Notification Center, or something else. Once this feature is activated, you can simply move the mouse to a specific screen’s corner, and the defined action will be performed.
Activate Hot Corners at the Desktop & Screen Saver preferences pane > click the Screen Saver tab > find the Hot Corners option at the bottom right.
Thanks to this feature, you don’t have to waste precious time and effort to perform menial tasks while you’re trying to nail down your day’s to-do list.
Hide The Dock To Expand Screen Space
If you need more screen real estate for your tasks, you can hide the Dock in macOS.
To do this, click the Apple menu > System Preferences > Docks & Menu Bar > tick the checkbox next to Automatically Hide and Show the Dock.
This will also personalize the way your Dock appears and make the display distraction-free.
Use Custom Sounds
Take your personalization efforts to the next level by tinkering with the system sounds. Pick a different computer voice by navigating to System Preferences > Accessibility > Spoken Content > System Voice.
Moreover, the macOS alert sounds can be customized in System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects. This will ensure there’s a different alert sound for your notifications, and you can differentiate which is important and which is not.
You can even make your Mac system announce the time at specific intervals. Head to System Preferences > Control Center > choose the Clock Options button in the Menu Bar Only section.
If you are working a tight schedule, knowing the time will help speed up things.
Activate Night Shift To Change Mac’s Display
Working long hours on your Mac means staring at the blue light-emitting screen. In the long run, this can impact your eyesight and cause headaches.
Filter out the blue light by turning on the Night Shift mode. Click on the Apple menu > System Preferences > Displays > Night Shift. You can create a custom schedule for Night Shift as per your preference.
The Bottom Line
These are some quick ways to personalize your Mac to work more efficiently and faster. Try them out and see the difference.