![]() erasing files once a day from a folder where I stick stuff that I’m just temporarily editing or saving.batch renaming files uploaded to the camera uploads folder in dropbox.regularly clearing out the camera uploads folder in dropbox.regularly clearing out my downloads folder.Some of the things that Hazel does for me include: You can ask Hazel to automate a lot of tasks that are then just executed without you having to think about them. Hazel is a little app that works in the background with general housekeeping. It might be overkill for a lot of people – but if you’re looking for a maxed out Finder option which will never put you in a situation of ‘not finding that file’, it’s worth having a look at this app. It’s a swiss army knife for searching, retrieving and tagging your files. ![]() Leap is a little powerhouse for those who want to rely on tags rather than folders as a main principle for file management. Second, this app allows you to associate particular folders with particular apps, so that when you want to open a file within, for example, Pages, Scrivener or Circus Ponies Notebooks, Finder will automatically be directed to the folder of your choice. First, this app adds an additional part to you Finder window when you save files, where you can add open meta tags, labels and spotlight comments as you are saving the file. If you would like some free alternatives to Tags, Tagger is worth checking out, and can be used in conjunction with TagLists.Īnother app that helps with file management is Default Folder X. It’s a much more dynamic way of organising your stuff than static folders. One thing I like about working with tags is that you can assign more than one tag to a file, and you can subsequently use smart groups in Finder if you want additional folder organisation to supplement the use of tags. Tags is a nice and user friendly app that easily allows you to tag different file types across your mac, including emails stored in the native mail app and safari web pages. I’m not offering a full review of these apps, but rather pointing to some options designed to help you organise your files and work flows.Īs I’ve said before, I’m a great fan of tagging as a means of organisation. Instead, I’m going to briefly describe some apps that does useful ‘background work’, which in turn helps me spend less time on being organised and more time on doing my actual work. This post does not speak directly to academic tasks such as writing papers or reviewing literature. If you need to be online to write up your research, but you’re prone to being distracted by social media, the developers also have a companion app, Anti-Social, which allows you to block only selected sites, such as facebook and twitter. Once the Freedom app is on, they simply have to wait. There’s a psychological benefit where turning it on somehow clears out clutter from my mind – not just in terms of unproductive procrastination, but also with regard to emails I know are waiting for my response, or work related tasks I need to do online. Personally, I find myself turning to this app more often as I write. Distractions eliminated (unless, of course, you have an iPad lying on your desk…). You can disable your internet connection for up to eight hours. ![]() You start the app, and it asks you how long you want to stay offline. With the Freedom app, there’s no changing your mind – the only way to get back online is to reboot your computer, which raises the bar considerably for just ‘having a quick look at that twitter stream’. So why not just disable your wifi from the menu bar? Because it’s so easy to turn it back on. The principle behind the Freedom app is very simple: it shuts down your internet for however long you ask it to. I use that from time to time, but sometimes I need something a bit more interventionist, and then I turn to the Freedom app. A lot of people use the pomodoro technique to stay focussed, which I’ve written about here. ![]() My own greatest sins are twitter, photography blogging, and browsing various news providers and interesting blogs. Everone who spends a whole work day in front of a computer knows how irresistable internet distractions can be.
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