Wise Startup Blog

So if you’re as lucky as me, and just bought a new Macbook 13″ aluminum, you are probably wanting to keep the machine running as smoothly as possible, while at the same time indulging in all of the great Mac app-goodies. Being the optimization expert, I’ve detailed my workflow and how I keep my Mac clean, fresh, and GTD-ed to the kilt.

The biggest gripe I always had with owning a Windows machine is that I had to reformat every 3 months just to keep the machine running at optimum speed. With a Mac, you shouldn’t have to reformat to wipe spyware and viruses off the machine, but if you’re not careful, your new Mac may befall the same reformat fate, and that’s what I’ve put together this how-to.

How To Keep Your Mac Clean & Fresh

Keep Your Desktop Clean
Treat your computer’s desktop the same way you would your desk. You don’t have tons of papers piling up all over your desk, so why are you treating your Mac so poorly? Always wipe all files off your desktop, either put them in the trash or store them on your hard drive.

TextEdit Is Your New Best Friend
Don’t bog down your Mac with clunky Microsoft software. TextEdit, which is pre-installed on your Mac is the best utility to use for a GTD-routine. You can easily launch it by pressing “CMD+space bar” then typing in “textedit”. It loads quickly, closes quickly, and never needs a “force quit”. I use this as my to-do list, note taking mechanism, and when I need to “write down a quick phone number etc.” as requested by anyone around me.

Mail Act On Is Mail GTD Goodness
Mail is by far the best emailing application for the Mac. Don’t mess around with Thunderbird or anything else, it’s trash. They crash and can’t handle big mailboxes, which are pre-requisites for GTD. Mail Act On lets you move and rearrange emails all from your keyboard, which is like 500x more effective than the trackpad. Download Mail Act On, and you can thank me later.

Things Is For Tasks That You Need To Remember
So we have TextEdit for making small to-do lists, but what about tasks that extend past the workday, like picking up eggs before you go home? Things is a cross-platform todo list that works on your iPhone and your Mac. Things, like Mail Act On, can be controlled via your keyboard, making adding tasks a breeze — you can even add tasks without launching the program directly via a keyboard shortcut.

So if you just bought your Mac and are looking for the best software solutions to keep your Mac efficient, don’t hit the download button so quickly. A lot of great functionality is built into the core of OSX, so take a look at what Apple gives you out of the box, and partake in the Things and Mail Act-On, the only aftermarket apps I use on my Mac.