I’ve been working on the Macbook Air for about a week now and I must say, besides a few speed issues (which I’m pretty sure is due to a faulty Time Capsule), I’m really loving the swap. I’ve got an external monitor set up as the main monitor and I use the 13″ Air monitor as my secondary.

I’m constantly changing the way I work and trying to make my workflow as smooth and quick as possible. I’m always interested in how others work, so I thought I’d share what works for me. Feel free to share yours in the comments!

I make use of OSX’s spaces feature, so I have three different “desktops”. One for development, one for surfing/email and one for client/task management.

Desktop 1

My space for development work, I like to keep Coda open on the main window, and Photoshop open on the secondary menu so I can what I’m coding. I also like to keep the entire week’s worth of PSDs that need coding open at once, so I can see how much longer I have to go.

Desktop 2

Used for the browser and email, it allows me to check sites quickly, while clicking on links in the email and RSS without swapping desktops. I now prefer to use Chrome for all browsing and development. The built-in web tools are fantastic, and a lot faster loading than Firefox. When in testing mode, I’ll also have VMWare Fusion open here.

Desktop 3

Used for all the boring business stuff. I’ve got iCal open on the right for my client and personal schedules. I also keep Wunderlist open behind it for personal to-do items. On the right, I keep Billings open to track time, estimates and invoices.

 

What about you guys? Have you found something that works quickly for you?

Amber Weinberg

Amber is a freelance front-end developer specializing in semantic and accessible custom WordPress themes. She works with agencies and other freelancers to bring their designs to life using custom ACF flexible layout builds - making them more performant and less buggy while allowing the client easy customization without breaking the design system.