Have you ever seen this lovely little smart phone dock from Jonathan Adler? I believe I first spotted it on the desk of Graphic Designer & Blogger, Danielle Moss from The Everygirl and since then I have just been noticing it everywhere from gift guides to Pinterest boards to Polyvore collages! So, a few weeks ago in August I finally broke down and bought it! I purchased the white version, but it also comes in black, and both colors retail for about $48!
The dock is essentially a ceramic shell in the shape of a miniature rotary telephone with a seat for your phone and a cut out where you can insert your charging cable so that it is hidden by the dock. I have seen them on plenty of desks, but I preferred to keep mine on my bedside table where I do the most charging of my phone! It is just absolutely darling in my option and really brings a little something extra to whatever space it occupies. Of course the analog geek in me loves the concept of using such a low tech, vintage inspired dock to charge my hi-tech modern iPhone! Oh and in case you were wondering, the dock can accommodate most cell phone cases, so no need to remove your phone’s protection when it charges!
So what do you think of this smartphone dock? Is it a clever multi purpose desk accessory or do you prefer something a bit more digital? Let us know in the comments!
I am a firm believer that you do not need a gym membership to get yourself a good workout. Not only are there plenty of outdoor physical activities you can partake in, like running, biking, walking, etc, but technology makes it super easy and incredibly cheap to workout from the comfort of your own home and really break a sweat. How cheap you may be asking? Try Free! Here are some of my favorite apps and websites for getting a good workout. Give it a try, and you may even find that you can cancel your rarely used gym membership and have a little fun working out in the process!
I’ll be honest, I have a few Yoga apps that guide you through pre structured and/or self-made yoga routines, however, this App which is currently free as a Starbucks Pick of the Week, takes the cake! Not only are the routines easy to follow with clear images and directions, but I love the DIY routines. Unlike my other apps, Yoga Studio gives the user the ability to choose individual poses and blocks of poses that go together in a series. So, you can add downward facing dog to your routine, or the entire Sun Salutation. This makes creating your own yoga routines a breeze, and when something it easy to use and customizable, it means you are more likely to stick to it!
In case you are not aware, Blogilates is one of the web’s most popular health and fitness websites. Created by Cassey Ho, professional fitness instructor, this website is a mecca of free fitness advice and videos. Cassey covers a variety of workouts and topics on her blog, that include easy to follow videos, meal plans, and recipes to help keep you on track with your fitness goals. If you are someone interested in beginning an entry-level fitness plan, Cassey even includes workout calendars with suggested workout programs that basically make it like you have your own personal trainer! It doesn’t get much easier than that, so check out the site if you are serious about getting in shape!
As most of already know, dieting is really hard, but studies have shown that people who keep track of their diet and physical activity each day have a higher rate of success than those who do not. This is why programs like Weight Watchers are so popular, they give users the tools to track their food intake, weight and exercise to give them an overall picture of how they are progressing, and when users stick to this model, it does work! But Weight Watchers can be expensive with sign on and monthly fees, it can cost you hundreds of dollars a year. Enter My Fitness Pal, a free app that basically does the same thing, but without the Weight Watchers Points System! So, if you are looking for a reliable method to track your weight loss progress, give this app a go and you will find that you won’t need an expensive alternative just to drop some lbs!
Do you use any apps to help you stay on track with your health and fitness goals? Do you workout with the guidance of an app or do you prefer to hit the gym with a real trainer? Let us know in the comments!
Let’s get really honest now, ladies! Eating out is a major source of unnecessary expense in our modern lives. As a whole, American’s eat out waaaay too much and its a stress on our wallets as much as our waistbands! I mean, as much as we all like to ignore the facts, it’s not just fast food restaurants that are bad for our health. Chain restaurants and even your local diner rely on heavily proceeded foods that are packed with extra fat, sugar and sodium so that the food stays good for them and still tastes good to you, which means your burger, steak, and salad are packed some extra unnecessary calories! It may be easier to eat out, but you’re paying the price in a big way!
I am very guilty of this one, and I suspect if you’re reading this, you may want to cut back on the meals out as well. But, how do we cut back on eating out without feeling deprived? After all, not all of us can be Martha Stewart and effortlessly cook gourmet meals for ourselves and our families while keeping the dining room and kitchen in tip-top shape! Well, I am here to tell you that you can cook, you really can! Maybe not exactly like Martha, but with some simple and easy recipes and a set of reliable directions, you can achieve culinary success. So, I have a few apps that can help you hone your cooking skills and help you make use of the food in your cupboards instead of taking a trip to the drive thru! How does that sound? You still with me? Okay, great!
All Recipes (Free)
You may already be familiar with All Recipes and their awesome website with thousands of tried and true user submitted and home tested recipes! Now, it comes in a very convenient iOS App for both iPhone and iPad so you have a wealth of recipe information at your fingertips! I truly consider this app the only cookbook you ever need because the archives over at All Recipes cover every single recipe known to man I am pretty sure and since these recipes have been tried and tested by users in real homes and kitchens around the world, you know you’re getting the best advice possible, not from gourmet chefs, but from regular folks just like you!
Epicurious (Free)
Epicurious gained a lot of popularity upon its release for its awesome name, but it also is an amazing app for finding and planning meals. Now, I wouldn’t say the database of meals even comes close to that of All Recipes, however, this app has some great features. One of my favorites is that you can search recipes by their ingredients, so lets say you are looking at your pantry and you have a lot of rice that you want to use up! You can search by the ingredient “rice” and find a plethora of meal ideas. Yo can even search by multiple ingredients to make your search even more specific! This tool alone is a great time and money saver because you can focus on what you have right now in your kitchen and make a meal out of it! It also includes a nice shopping list feature, so if your browsing and you find a recipe you want to try, you can keep track of the ingredients you will need to pick up on your next trip to the grocery store!
The Photo Cookbook ($3.99)
The Photo Cookbook is a pretty amazing app, which is why its the only paid app I have chosen to include in this series! What set’s it apart from other apps are the high quality photos that go along with their step by step directions. If you are someone who can’t tell a carrot from a parsnip, or doesn’t know what term julienne refers to, this app is a godsend because it lays out all the ingredients in high quality images and takes each recipe slow and simple so that you never have a chance to get lost while preparing a meal! Again, doesn’t have the biggest database of meals, but all the meals are simple and straight forward, which is perfect for a beginner chef!
So, have these apps inspired you to take charge of your kitchen and your wallet with some simple and delicious home cooked meals? Do you already love to cook? Are you a newbie cook and need a little confidence boost in the kitchen? Do you have a favorite cooking app that you use to help you learn and perfect new recipes? Let us know in the comments!
I love iOS apps and I don’t mind paying for a good one, but whenever possible I try to get them for free! The app store is a tricky place though and although apps frequently go on sale, with price reductions or temporary promotional free price tags, it’s still hard to find those awesome apps on discount. So, let me tell you about the best two ways to find apps for free or at a discounted price!
AppShopper
The first way to find great apps for free is by downloading and skimming through AppShopper. App Shopper is a free iOS app that shows you all the app sales and discounts. Since apps go on sale everyday and can be on sale anywhere from a single day to an entire month, App Shopper keeps track of these sales histories to make sure you are seeing everything on sale! You can use the app to search for a specific app or search through categories to find a certain type of app you are looking for like a game or a utility. You can even use the app to create an App Wish List where you can list out apps you want to purchase and if they go on sale AppShopper will notify you!
Starbucks Pick of the Week
If you are not familiar, the Starbucks Pick of the Week is a promotional program hosted through Starbucks that highlights great music, movies, apps and more! Basically, when an App is chosen as part of Starbucks Pick of the Week program, free download codes are distributed by Starbucks in their stores and through their iOS app. You may have seen these little credit card sized cards sitting by the pickup station of your Starbucks, and when you take one, they have a code that you can use to download the chosen app for free. You can also use the Starbucks App to get instant notification of new Starbucks Picks that are available through their app as a digital download. The Starbucks Pick of the Week cards and downloads are always free, but you need to use the app or visit your local Starbucks in order to get them.
Are you an app junkie? Do you pay for apps or do you strictly download the free apps! Have you seen the Starbucks Pick of the Week program? Do you pick up those free cards or prefer to use the Starbucks App for free downloads? Let us know in the comments!
Late summer is one of my favorite times of year. For a long time it meant back to school for me, which I loved, but now it means back to work after a summer filled with vacation days and long lunches outside in the sunny weather. This is also the time of year when I feel a burst of energy to get myself reorganized, and I don’t know if its because academic planners are just everywhere this time of year, but its the perfect time to check up on your planner and calendar system that you may have set in place at the start of the new year or to implement one if you are not currently using a reliable system!
When it comes to using a calendar and planner system, the biggest choice you have these days is to choose digital or paper. Each system has their own benefits and drawbacks, but your habits and needs will ultimately affect how useful one type of system is over the other.
iPad or other Digital Calendar System
Pro’s: iPads really excel as personal planner and calendar systems because of the variety of applications you can use to get yourself organized. While there are plenty of apps for individual note taking and calendar optimization, there are also plenty of all in one apps that can keep you organized throughout your day. IPad’s are also great because normally within the apps you can choose to view your information in a variety of ways, like in daily, weekly or monthly formats. If you need flexibility in your daily life in order to get things done, an iPad may give you everything you need.
Con’s: While iPad’s make great planners because of their array of apps, they are still sometimes cumbersome to use. Many people find input via iPad difficult and slow. Since the iPad also needs to be charged in order to function, your planner system is completely dependent on your ability to keep it charged or have access to an electrical socket. Now, of course there are many portable charging systems you can purchase for your iPad if you work in the field or out of an office, it is still more cumbersome than a traditional paper planner.
Pro’s: One of the best things about a Filofax organizer is that they are nearly infinitely customizable. There are a multitude of planner pages, calendar views and notepads you can use with a Filofax that it makes finding your ideal system a breeze. You can also use a Filofax to store additional papers, sticky notes, and business cards so that you can keep important information close by. Since your dealing with paper and pen/pencil, you never have to worry about being without your notes or calendar, no matter how long you are away from your office. As long as your Filofax is by your side, you can keep yourself organized and on task!
Con’s: Although Filofax organizers have a variety of formats for calendars, notes and to-dos, once you have written in a to do item or scheduled a meeting its permanently there and if you need to change or update information, you often need to erase and rewrite it over again. The flexibility of editing information is much more difficult with paper planners and once you are set with your “view” (daily, weekly, monthly, etc) you cannot easily convert to a new one without purchasing more inserts and rewriting all your information over again.
So, what sort of calendar system do you use? What apps do you keep on your iPad or iPhone to keep you organized? Are you a paper planner person? Which planner system do you use?
Everyone knows someone who misuses social media. Maybe you do it without even realizing it, or maybe you get annoyed when your friends use their social media feeds for purposes that clearly go beyond the intended scope of socializing and sharing information. You may think that when it comes to social media, there are no rules, but with everything social, there are of course unspoken rules and mores that dictate proper usage and behavior. Some of it is common sense, and some of it is common courtesy, but either way you need to know the rules to play the game!
Be Polite, Please!
Although our Twitter and Facebook interactions seem very informal, they still deserve a certain level of respect. Whenever you are conversing with others, no matter what the medium, be polite and use appropriate language. Now, I do understand fully and am also completely guilty of using fowl language on social media, but just remember to do it when the moment is right and not just for the heck of it. I say this because communicating with others through the internet is hard (heck, its hard in real life too!) and words are often misconstrued even when you have the best intentions. So, just try to keep it clean and as polite as possible. Remember, everything on the internet is basically public, even if you think your Facebook profile is private, your words can still get out!
Don’t Argue Online
It has taken me a long time to understand that arguing with others is a futile effort, that applies to real life scenarios and virtual interactions as well! No matter how right you think you are, everyone has a valid opinion or at least thinks they have a valid opinion, so calling people out online for their mistakes, judgements, opinions, etc is a bad idea. This even goes as far as negative comments made on websites and YouTube. Let your commentors have their opinion and respect their right to it, don’t try to pick a fight or engage others trying to pick a fight with you, it’s a lose-lose situation!
Stay Positive
One of my biggest social media pet peeves is internet complainers (yep, that is ironic)! When it comes down to it, most people do not care that your foot hurts, or your cat threw up, or you’re having a bad hair day. Its one thing to mention something negative that has happened in your life, but don’t be that person who is always using social media to complain or make negative remarks. Not only does it turn most people off, but it puts others in an uncomfortable situation. Being positive 100% of the time is probably impossible, but remember, positivity does spread and you want people on social media to associate you with positive things so they keep coming back to see what you’re up to!
Keep your Pictures PG
Unless you are running an internet porn business or are a lingerie model, there is no reason why you should be posting pictures of yourself or others that are risqué. First of all, you never know who is going to see those pictures, like employers, future customers, or your grandmother. Second, you should have enough respect for your own image online that you don’t make yourself a target for negativity or sexual provocation.
Stick to the Intended Use
With so many different social media sites popping up everyday, its easy to confuse how you should be using each different one! If you don’t happen to understand the proper use of a social media site, you should probably do a little bit of googling to figure it out. For example, Twitter is used for short, quick to the point messages and sharing information, articles, and photos with a large group of people. Most interactions on Twitter are completely public or can easily be made public, so it’s not the place to post private photos or have a lengthy or private discussion with a friend. Pinterest is a place to share ideas and inspiration in visual form, like a virtual pin board! You want to post and share information like DIY ideas or recipes, not photos of your daughters high school graduation or your family vacation. I think you understand what I am getting at here, use each social media site the way it was intended to be used and if you aren’t sure, google it!
Now that iPhones have become an acceptable mobile device within a majority of companies, many working professionals are able to use all the benefits that the app store has to offer to help them with their daily productivity goals. From getting hard business deals signed, sealed and delivered, to making new connections and reaching out to new customers or clients, there is an app for just about any business scenario. Here is a list of some of the best apps that all professionals should have on their iPhone!
Documents to Go {$9.99}
It’s true that for most of us our professional lives revolve around the Microsoft Office Suite of Applications. Even if your company is up to speed on integrating iOS into the day-to-day workflow, you still lack the ability to view, create, and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on your iPhone or iPad. For this, Documents to Go is a must have app. It’s a bit pricey, but then again all of the MS Office integrated apps are and this one is reasonably priced without loosing any key features. Remember, you won’t have the full functionality of your desktop version of MS Office, but this is a pretty good substitute for your on the go needs!
DocScan {Free for basic use and $1.99 for Pro}
Since we still do not live in a completely electronic world, we need to find ways to deal with paper on a day to day basis. Wouldn’t it be great if you had a little, easy to use and reliable scanner you could carry around in your pocket for those times when you need to share printed documents or forms with others? Guess what, you do! Its called your iPhone and with DocScan you can turn it into that portable scanner of your dreams! I cannot tell you how many times this app has saved my butt, it is awesome for quickly snapping a scanner quality (or better) picture of a document and then sending it off via email, text, etc! It even works well with multi-page documents. Give the free version a try, and if you find you get a lot of use out of it, I recommend upgrading to the Pro version, if only to thank the developers for creating an immensely useful application!
Hootsuite {Free}
If you are a professional who needs to keep up with their social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, Hootsuite is a great free app that puts all your social networks into one place. If you are constantly connecting to colleagues, potential business partners or other organizations you will certainly find Hootsuite’s scheduling feature for tweets and posts to be a major time saver! You even have access to Facebook Pages so you can manage your online business or identity from the convenience of your iPhone!
Feedly {Free}
If the death of Google Reader turned your world upside down, may I suggest another rss reader for you called Feedly. It has a nice simple interface and works the way you’d expect. Since Google Reader was shut down, Feedly has been the most popular free option to replace the service. It looks like in the last few weeks with the migration of users from Google Reader to Feedly, things have started to go a little wonky with their servers, but I expect that this will all be rectified soon. It works on iOS and also has a web app that is very handy so that you have access to your feeds on the go or in the office!
HelloFax {Free or Tiered Subscription Plan}
Okay, so this may not be an iOS app per se, but HelloFax is an online service that you can subscribe to that essentially turns your iPhone into a fax machine. Depending on your needs you can subscribe to a free or paid membership plan that gives you access to your own unique “fax number”for your phone and then you simply create emails with PDF attachments and email them to the recipient fax number with the addition of @hellofax.com in the send to field. That’s it! Your email becomes a fax machine and likewise, receives faxes as well. Its a major game changer for working professionals who hate having to track down a fax machine or pay per page to send a fax at an office supply store!
Everest {Free}
Lets say you are the type of person who sets goals for themselves but has a hard time achieving them. That sounds like most of us doesn’t it? Well, Everest is an app that addresses that issue within each of us to help us work towards achieving established goals. Whether you are trying to achieve personal or professional goals (or both!) this app can be a working gals BFF. If you have lots of priorities to juggle but find that you have a hard time seeing things through to the end, give this app a try!
Evernote {Free or Unlimited Paid Subscription}
Keeping track of notes and ideas is a major part of professional life. No matter what your career path, company or cause you are bombarded by information all day long, but you may or may not have a current method of capturing all that information so that you don’t misplace it. Evernote is one of the most popular all in one note taking apps that gives you multiple means of capture. Make lists, take a photo or snap a webpage to import information into Evernote. Once its been input, you can add tags that will help you find your information in the future and even arrange information in notebooks within the app. Pretty nifty!
I often find myself wide awake at 3 o’clock in the morning wondering what in the world is so important inside my own brain that I cannot enjoy the benefits of sleep! Although I try desperately to try to calm myself down, going through the motions of my night time rituals hoping to get my brain on the same page with my body, the affect is often lost and I find myself more awake then I was before. So, what do I turn to? Well, my iPhone! Although professionals say that it is best to avoid gadgets within an hour of bedtime, I find that when I cannot fall asleep no matter how hard I try, the quickest way to get myself asleep is by playing on my iPhone! Now, when it comes to trying to get myself to sleep, I won’t start doing anything major with my phone, but I have found that there are a few apps and games that actually help put me to sleep on those nights when I can’t stop tossing and turning.
Sky Guide: Sky Guide is a wonderful app with an intensely peaceful atmosphere! It uses your phone’s GPS to create a map of the night’s sky above you, whether you are indoors or outdoors. With a delicate soundtrack that sounds like a gentle lullaby, the app allows you to explore the sky around you, selecting stars, constellations and galaxies and providing you with histories and explanations for each and every celestial body. It’s almost like counting sheep, but your interacting with objects light years away.
Splodes: One of my favorite and most relaxing games is Splodes. Again, there is something about its gentle soundtrack that puts you into a state of easiness and comfort. The game itself is very slow paced, and all you need to do is “pop” a few splodes causing a chain reaction that may or may not release you into the next level. The game isn’t so much about winning as it is developing a simple strategy and I think one of the reasons it helps to put me to sleep is because it focuses my brain on the gameplay so that I am not lost in thought in my own mind. Definitely a game you will want to try if you have not already!
Osmos: Another super slow paced but very popular game that I suggest for late night decompression is Osmos. This game launched to much acclaim as one of the earliest iPad arcade style games, but it translates nicely to the small screen of the iPhone. Again, a new-agey but very calming soundtrack paired with simple gameplay mechanics soothes you to a zen like state that is very conducive for falling asleep!
Zen Brainwave Meditation: Speaking of Zen, one of my favorite on the go relaxation apps is Zen Brainwave Meditation, an app that is a portable sound machine for your iPhone. Simply choose your favorite ambient noise like the sound of rain or thunder and then select the evening brainwave program and the duration of your session and you are lulled to sleep by the science of brainwave stimulation. Its really something out of Star Trek but it helps to put me to sleep so I can’t complain! Also great for morning and afternoon meditations as well!
iBooks: When all else fails to put you to sleep there is nothing like spending some quiet time reading. Now, one of the benefits to night time reading on the iPhone is that the brightness of the screen as you read creates a heaviness on your eyes that almost immediately forces you to sleep. So, have a few good books downloaded on your iPhone just in case you have trouble falling asleep. And make sure the books are easy bed time reads and nothing to heavy and complicated for a midnight reading session. The goal is for you to fall asleep, not stay awake anxiously reading a best-seller!
In todays world, our smartphones are the single most important day to day solution we have on hand. With everyone relying on them everyday to connect, they are really one of the few things that people have in common. Think about it. The next person you meet is bound to have a smartphone and I have found that people have taken to noticing and commenting on iPhone cases specifically as a segway for conversation. I am frequently being complimented on my iPhone cases and since I have quite a collection of them, it lead me to thinking that your iPhone case can really speak volumes about who you are even before you meet someone. So, what does your iPhone case say about you? Let’s find out below!
Minimal or no case: Obviously, there are many people out there who do not use a protective case on their iPhone, or use one of those minimal cases like a bumper. If you fall into this category, I can surmise that you are a very confident person! You are clearly not worried that you are going to drop or damage that very expensive device, or else you would have invested in a more substantial case!
Basic plastic “plain jane” case: If you are someone who uses a simple case to secure their iPhone, I would think that you are the type of person who like to just float on by through life. You are not interested in bells and whistles, you just like to put in the minimum effort and hope that its enough. Its not necessarily a bad thing, but in a world full of flavor and variety, you are clearly a vanilla type of person, or else you would have found yourself a slightly more interesting iPhone case.
Quotation or meme case: If you carry around your iPhone in a case that has a clever quote or popular meme printed on the back of it, I would have to say that you are someone who wants to be seen as intelligent. Now, whether or not you are as intelligent as you are trying to come off is besides the point. The point is, you are trying, perhaps a little two hard, to make a statement to the world. I would not be surprised to find out that you are also the type of person who adorns their car with bumper stickers. Just sayin’.
Animal shaped or character case: If your iPhone is covered in a case that was made to look like a cute little teddy bear, a Disney character or anything in between, I would venture to guess that you are pretty immature yourself or at least want to be seen as such. Now, if you are under the age of 18, thats fine, but if you are a twenty or thirty something with cat shaped case, you may want to think about how that case is affecting your career potential!
Ultra protective case: If you are someone who uses one of those ultra protective cases like an Otterbox you fall into one of two categories. First, the athletic on the go type. If you are this type of person and you have an Otterbox case, the world sees you as a no frills, logical type of person. Obviously, you are prepared to protect your investment while you are white water rafting and we solute you. Alternately, you could perhaps be a parent. Obviously, you would need a defender type case if you have a child because kids are not so good at keeping delicate objects whole and again, if this is you, no judgement, you are making the logical choice to secure your phone from your toddler. Now, if you do not fall into one of those two categories, you are either a klutz or a drunk. Nuff said!
Retro style case: There are a variety of retro style cases out on the market ranging from ones that look like cassettes to rangefinder cameras to gameboys. If you use one of these cases you clearly have an appreciation for classic style and a penchant for irony. Perhaps you are the too cool for school type but I doubt you care, your iPhone looks like an analog camera and that makes you the cat’s pajamas!
Intensely sparkly, highly ornamented or otherwise standout case: If you have a case that is a real eye catcher than congratulations! You probably have the most interesting iPhone case that anyone has ever seen! You most certainly get compliments or comments on the daily in regards to your case and perhaps have used your case to get a date! You are obviously an interesting and outgoing person or you have learned to fake it till you make it. Your case gives you oodles of imaginary confidence and makes you the center of attention, which is exactly why you bought it!
If you have noticed that your Mac isn’t running as quickly as it once did, don’t panic! It is completely normal for your computer to begin to slow down within a few years of purchase, mostly due to normal day to day build up. There are many things that can cause system lag and likewise, many ways to remedy the situation. Although there are software applications you can buy to help you speed up your Mac, I suggest trying some free options before jumping to software support and spending money. So, I have compiled a list of 10 things you can do to speed up your Mac. I suggest trying all of these for the best results, and since these are all free options, you have nothing to loose!
1. Keep your computer clean. It may not seem like an important step in speeding up your computer, but a tidy computer is a faster computer! This is especially crucial if you are using a mac laptop because dirt and dust can make their way into your computer through your keyboard and build up over time, dampening critical air circulation. Make it a regular habit to clean your computer from time to time with dedicated screen and case cleaners. Also, using products like condensed air to force out excess dust from under your keyboard may help to release any particles that may be building up under there. Also, make it a rule not to eat by your computer. I know so many of us are used to eating and working, but its just not good for your machine to be so close to crumbs, especially food crumbs! So, make sure to keep your laptop clean, and try to prevent crumbs from sneaking in through your keys to keep your machine running at top speed!
2. Keep your computer elevated. Again, if you are using a laptop this is another critical factor in the performance of your machine. Airflow is such a determining factor in the performance of your laptop and can be a major reason your laptop isn’t as snappy as it once was. Now, this doesn’t mean you necessarily need to run out and buy one of those stands for your laptop and an external keyboard, but it means you should always use your laptop on a clean hard surface, minimizing the time it spends sitting on fabric like sofa’s, beds or carpeting. Fabric can be a problem because it usually contains a good amount of dust particles and the fan on your laptop will end up sucking that in like a vacuum and inhibiting the flow of air in your laptop. You can help to increase air flow to your laptop, not only by sitting it on a hard surface, but also by propping up the back of the machine with objects like erasers or books. The goal is to give air the space to move around your computer which will keep your device cool and free of dirt and dust.
3. Keep a clean desktop. You may not know it, but the number of icons you have sitting on your computers desktop actually contributes to the speed of your computer. I try to only have my “Macintosh HD” startup disk on my desktop so that I have as few items as possible for my machine to render upon startup. So, go through any items you have on your desktop, file them away properly and see the speed of your machine increase.
4. Clean up your hard drive. Make sure to keep an eye on your hard drive space by right clicking your “Macintosh HD” icon and selecting “Get Info.” From this menu you can see how much space you have available on your machine. If you are running low on space (less than a quarter of your original drive space remaining) I suggest you go through your computer and remove excess files. You can move anything you don’t need to the trash (make sure to empty the trash when your done!) or you can move files off your computer and onto an external hard drive. If you are not sure what is taking up space on your mac you can always download the free application Disk Inventory X. This simple to use software can help you identify what applications and files are taking up the most space on your computer and you may be surprised that your precious hard drive space is being eaten up in the most unusual ways! If applications are your culprit, you will need download the free application, AppCleaner that helps you safely remove unused or unneeded applications and there associated files.
5. Reset Safari. If you are having an issue with the speed of Safari especially, you may need to Reset Safari to clean out its cache. From the Safari Menu, select “Reset Safari” and a box should appear with checked boxes asking which items to reset. I suggest resetting everything, but check the list and make sure there isn’t anything you don’t want reset because the reset will basically wipe all stored information (but not your bookmarks). Things like your downloads file, the autofill forms for websites, and stored passwords for sites will all be wiped. You may be a little nervous to do this, so before you take this action, I suggest visiting any important websites to figure out what your usernames and passwords are for each (because after the reset they won’t autofill again until after you have revisited and reentered your information). If you have a computer that is a few years old, you would be surprised to see how many websites Safari has been storing information for, even ones you haven’t visited in years! This action can take a few minutes, depending on the amount of information you have stored, so don’t worry if you see the beach ball pop up, or if Safari has a little lag once it reboots! That will go away momentarily.
6. Make sure your software is up to date. Apple is frequently sending our Mac’s software updates for everything from iTunes, to Safari to Mail! If you don’t have your Mac set to automatically check for updates, you may need to go in and manually check every once in a while to make sure your computer is running on the most up to date software! From your Apple menu, select “Check for Software Updates” and let your computer scan for any new updates. You will need to be connected to the internet to do this, so make sure you are connected via Wifi or cable.
7. Close out of applications. This may seem like a simple solution, but you would be surprised at the amount of people who do not realize that they have not properly closed out of applications. With a Mac, you can “X” out of an application, but the application may still be running in the background. To check this, take a look at your dock and see if any applications have a little glowing light under neath them. If they do, that means they are still running. To close any applications you don’t need running at the time, right click the icon and select “Quit”. If the application doesn’t quit within a minute or so, you may need to try again and select “Force Quit” as sometimes applications time out while they are running and stop responding to normal commands. Don’t worry if you have to use “Force Quit,” it will not damage your computer or the application.
8. Unplug any peripheral devices you aren’t using. This is a common problem with desktop Mac’s that are stationary. Often times, because we don’t move our computer around, it tends to have lot of extras plugged into it, even when those extras are not in use. Things like printers, external hard drives, card readers and usb thumb drives can all slow down your Mac’s performance. So, unless you are using the peripheral device, unplug it so it doesn’t weigh down the performance of your computer.
9. Restart your Mac. Sometimes temporary lags in performance can be stopped with a simple restart. It is recommended that you first close out of all your applications before attempting the restart. Once you have quit out of everything, you can proceed to “Restart” from the “Apple” menu. If you get an option in the dialog box to “Open Windows upon restart” make sure that box is unchecked so that you get a clean reboot.
10. Shut down your computer. Although Macs do not need to be Restarted or Shut down in between uses, if it has been a while since you last shut down your computer, you may want to give your Mac a rest with a Shut Down. From the “Apple” menu, select the “Shut Down” option and once your computer has shut down completely, give it some time to rest before starting it back up. I recommend running the shut down sequence in the evening before you go to bed, and then giving your computer a quick cleaning while its off. Make sure to leave it on a hard, dry surface, and keep it unplugged if it is a laptop.
If you have trouble or are unable to complete any of these tips, I suggest reaching out to Apple directly for assistance. If you do complete these tips and still see a good deal of system slowdowns and lag, reach out to Apple via the AppleCare hotline or your local Apple retailer to get further information on diagnostics that can check to see if you are having a major system issue that is causing the lag. Lag can sometimes be a warning sign of disk failure, so always keep your files backed up just to be on the safe side!
