Advertisement

How To

Mac resolution of the year: staying organized

Cyril Roger

Cyril Roger

  • Updated:

stay on top of things for the new year“One of these days I’m gonna get organizized”. Like Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, you’ve promised it to yourself, this year you’re going to stay on top of things and stay productive, whether at work or at home. You want to make a good impression and prove to yourself that you can be organized, manage your time well and try to keep stress off at bay.

You’ve probably decided to learn the Getting Things Done (GTD) technique to keep your inbox uncluttered. If this method works for you, then I’d recommend using OmniFocus for your everyday projects. You’ll be able to manage your notes and projects in a GTD way in a flexible and lightweight interface. Not looking for something that advanced but just want a simple and sleek note taker? Then you should go instead for Anxiety, with its dark transparent interface and smooth animations.

Starting the new year on the right foot not only means having your battle plan ready, but also staying on top of deadlines and upcoming projects. Use Pester to get alarms and reminders right on your desktop. If you’re a frequent flyer and find yourself in different time zones often, then Meridian is a good clock to have. Not only can it show multiple time zones but you can also set alarms, whether you have to wake early in Bangkok, New York or anywhere else in the world.

In your quest to stay organized this year you’ve also promised yourself you’re going to keep good track of all your contacts. With tools like Plaxo, Facebook or LinkedIn on the web this is easier than ever. If you’re looking for a Mac desktop solution though, I’d recommend going for Contactizer, which keeps your contacts in smart lists and allows you to quickly edit details like phone numbers or addresses.

But yes, staying organized means decluttering, and that often sounds more scary than anything. Luckily, with Spotlight on Mac, you don’t really have to worry anymore about where your files are stored. You can find any of them in seconds. Still, it’s a good idea to have an information organizer like Together or Yojimbo around. These applications will put any one of your files within reach and keep them tidy and sorted by type or collections. You can also flag and label those urgent new year matters. If reorganizing your music, movies and books is what your looking at, then Delicious Library is your weapon of choice.

Last but not least, have something like MenuStrip installed, so all your files and applications are accessible from your menu bar.

Cyril Roger

Cyril Roger

Latest from Cyril Roger

Editorial Guidelines