Posts tagged as:

leopard

the distraction free mac

by John on November 7, 2008

Welcome to Creativityist -- a blog devoted to finetuning your Mac, your workflow, and your soul to develop your creativity. I hope you'll consider subscribing to the free RSS feed.

Mac users rave about the clean and streamlined user interface that a Mac offers compared to Windows; I am of the same mind. But, if you want a simple interface, why not go all the way? When I really need to engage on a project, I trim my screen down so that all I can see is that single app I am working on.

I’ve blogged quite a bit about how to simplify your screen, but I thought it might be helpful to offer a summary of all of those, along with a few extra tips. As I mentioned last week, Merlin Mann inspired my clean screen frenzy on this episode of MacBreak a few years ago. But some of his suggestions no longer work in Leopard, so here’s my take on the distraction free Mac:

  • Simple background
    You might choose to use an inspiring photo, but I like to keep it simple. I have a subtle pattern, and sometimes even black. Here’s a tile image you can use which is nothing but black.
  • No drive icons
    Get rid of those drive and disk image icons on the desktop. You don’t need them and they only clutter your view. You can remove them by opening the Preferences in the Finder.
  • No desktop files
    Don’t use your desktop to store files that build up there. I use Hazel to automatically sweep anything from my desktop into my Documents folder. (See this post for how I keep my Documents folder in order.) If only Hazel would take care of my real desktop too…
  • Current documents
    If you can’t imagine moving files off your desktop because it is so convenient, see this post about how to make a smart folder for the documents in your active projects.
  • Spaces is your friend
    You probably can’t just have one app running, but you can use Spaces to have at least one workspace to focus on a single app that youa re working in.
  • Experience dock freedom
    Clean out your dock so that it only shows the programs you are running. And while you are at it, hide it from view. It will always be there when you need it, so don’t panic.

  • No menubar!
    My menubar is full of handy little utilities I couldn’t live without, but they are also visual clutter. Not to mention the distraction from the clock taunting me. Unlike the Dock, it won’t hide itself, but you can with a little help.
  • A second computer
    If you have an old laptop available, turn it into a distraction free computer. Or, you could create a distraction free user account on your main machine.
  • Distraction stifling programs
    If all this seems like too much for you, some programs like Scrivener have built in features to let you work in full screen mode. Or, you can use a program like Think to isolate any program on your screen.

When all is said and done, you’ll have something that looks like the picture below….aaahhhhh:



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using spaces as blinders

by John on July 29, 2008

This is part of an ongoing series called Blinders where I explore some of the ways I streamline my computer workflows to minimize distractions.

I’m often surprised by how many Mac users I see that aren’t using Spaces. It does require a new way of thinking about the desktop, but once you have put it to work for you, you too will ache when you use a machine without it.

I use Spaces as a means of removing distractions. I am able to focus in on what I am working on, while still having other programs available for quick access if I need them. For example, I am writing this blog entry right now in Ecto, which is the only program visible on my screen. However, I have Leap, Yojimbo, Firefox, Mail, NetNewsWire, iChat, iTunes and OmniFocus all running close by, tucked away in other spaces.

I have found it works best to assign a general purpose to each space. I use the default set up of four spaces of two rows and two columns (pictured to the left). This allows me to switch between any two spaces with a single keystroke. Here’s how I put each space to use:

  • Production (Space 1) - I reserve this space as a main workspace. If I am doing any work in Scrivener, Pages, the Adobe suite, etc., it goes here. If I have more than one app open in this space (which is more often than I would like to admit to), then that tells me I’m not very focused and I need to hone in on a single project.
  • Reference (Space 2) - Space 2 is used for general reference of items I want to have close at hand, such as my notes, tasks or calendar. Yojimbo, OmniFocus, iCal, and iTunes are all assigned to open in this space.
  • Tinkering (Space 3) - This space kind of serves as an overflow space. Similar to the tinkering context, it is a space for things which don’t require as much focus as the Production space. This is where my web browser usually is found, and often Leap or Finder are open in this space as well. There are no apps assigned to this space, but I often drag an app down to it from Space 1 if I need to clear some things away.
  • Communications (Space 4) - Other than Firefox, just about any program that ties me in with others is contained in Space 4. Mail, iChat, NetNewsWire and Twitterific all have been assigned a home here. These are some of my most critical apps, but also some of the most distracting. It helps to cluster them all together.

A few weeks after I set up Spaces, I recognized that it would be more useful if I was intentional with it. That’s when I put this plan in place, expecting I might need to tweak it. For the most part, it’s been working. This system might not work for you, but it can give you an idea of how you can organize spaces for your own creative workflow.

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