10 Ways To Work Smarter On Linux - For Beginners And Pros

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• With a spot of effort, you tin elevate Linux's desktop efficiency.
• These tips won't costs you a penny and nan results tin beryllium game-changing.
• You won't person to beryllium a Linux master to usage these tips.

I've worked pinch astir each operating strategy presently connected nan marketplace (and immoderate nary longer pinch us). Of each those operating systems, 1 stands measurement supra nan others successful nan class of efficiency. 

Don't get maine wrong, each OS excels successful something, but pinch Linux, you tin make it excel astatine conscionable astir everything. When I deliberation astir each OS I've used, I tin honestly opportunity that nan only 1 I would ever take erstwhile ratio was a apical privilege is Linux.

Also: Super Productivity is nan eventual task head for your clip guidance goals

Hands down.

Some Linux distributions (and/or desktop environments) are beautiful businesslike retired of nan box, but location is ever room for improvement.

But what tin you do to make nan Linux desktop moreover much efficient? Plenty. Let's return a look astatine my 10 favourite changes/additions you tin make.

1. Keyboard shortcuts

To opportunity this is strictly a Linux point would beryllium wrong. Even so, you perceive of much Linux users moving pinch keyboard shortcuts than pinch astir different OSes. In fact, astir Linux desktop environments let you to easy create civilization keyboard shortcuts retired of nan box. And pinch Linux, you tin create immoderate businesslike keyboard shortcuts, specified arsenic those for managing windows, moving windows, model focus, launching apps, surface locking, logging out, taking a screenshot, opening nan terminal, moving a command, opening circumstantial apps, and truthful overmuch more. You tin besides create civilization shortcuts for moreover much efficiency.

2. Tiling model head aliases model snapping

One rumor that often gets successful nan measurement of being arsenic businesslike arsenic imaginable is managing your unfastened apps. Most desktop operating systems connection model snapping (for example, dragging an app model to nan near separator of nan desktop to threat it to nan near broadside of nan display). 

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Linux takes this 1 measurement further and offers tiling model managers that automatically spot windows for you. By employing a tiling model manager, you nary longer person to interest astir wherever to spot a model successful nan optimal location, because nan tiling model head does that for you. And because astir tiling model managers besides see keyboard shortcuts, you could create a desktop wherever you seldom person to touch nan rodent aliases trackpad.

3. Use Workspaces

Workspaces person been disposable to Linux since I started utilizing it successful nan precocious '90s. Workspaces make it easy to shape your desktop (and an organized desktop is an businesslike one). For example, you could person 1 Workspace dedicated to writing, 1 for wide web browsing, 1 for productivity, and 1 for multimedia. With nan thief of a useful keyboard shortcut, you tin move betwixt those desktops pinch ease. Which distribution you usage will find really you usage workspaces.

4. Automate bash scripts

At immoderate point, you'll get funny astir nan bid line, which mightiness lead you to constitute your first bash script. Once you've created your first bash script, you'll past want to automate it. For example, you mightiness constitute a bash book that handles backups of definite directories to an outer drive. Why not usage cron to automate that script, truthful you don't person to retrieve to tally nan book daily, weekly, aliases monthly? Cron is simply a very easy-to-use instrumentality for automation connected Linux. 

Also: How I automate basal tasks connected Linux pinch bash scripts - and why you should effort it

5. Customize your desktop

Nearly each Linux desktop situation is customizable. Some of those customizations are aesthetic, while others attraction connected efficiency. For example, successful Xfce, you could create a sheet connected nan top, bottom, left, and right. Dedicate 1 sheet to app launchers, 1 to information, 1 to files shortcuts, and 1 to interacting pinch nan main menu. You tin do this pinch respective desktop environments, but fixed that Xfce is nan reigning champ of customization, it was nan evident choice. You tin besides customize nan right-click discourse paper of your record head to make it easier to do things for illustration stock folders, compress files, and more.

6. Learn nan bid line

People who are caller to Linux will astir apt clasp disconnected connected learning nan bid line. Eventually, however, you mightiness find that utilizing nan CLI is overmuch much businesslike than utilizing nan GUI. For example, I could create a keyboard shortcut to motorboat my terminal app, and past rumor nan bid mkdir ~/ZDNET to create a files named ZDNET, and past tally nan bid exit to adjacent nan terminal. That is overmuch much businesslike than opening your record manager, navigating to nan location that will location nan caller folder, right-clicking immoderate space, naming nan caller folder, and past closing nan record manager. Work smarter, not harder.

Also: 7 Linux terminal basics each beginner should study first - and why

7. Install nan correct software

This 1 should beryllium beautiful easy, but it's important to instal nan correct package for nan job. On apical of that, make judge to instal package that makes nan occupation easier. Here's a elemental example: You instal nan AbiWord connection processor, hoping that it includes AI assist, only to recognize it does not. You past instal LibreOffice and find that adding AI is simply a spot excessively complicated. You yet observe that ONLYOFFICE Document Editors has built-in AI, truthful you spell pinch that. Instead of spending each that time, do a spot of up-front research, truthful you cognize what apps will suit your needs.

8. Better negociate files and folders

I spot this 1 each nan time. Open someone's record manager, and you'll find their directories are thing but chaos. There's nary rhyme aliases logic why files are wherever they are. Instead, make judge to shape your folders carefully. For example, wrong nan ~/Documents folder, you mightiness create sub-folders for School, Work, Home, and Creativity. Within those folders, you mightiness create a files for nan twelvemonth (2025). Inside nan 2025 folder, create folders for each period and prevention nan files accordingly. This type of record strategy layout has saved maine much clip than I could person imagined.

9. Make usage of LAN-based record sync

Instead of going pinch Google Drive aliases OneDrive, you mightiness deliberation astir deploying a file-sync work connected your LAN. You mightiness deploy Nextcloud and usage it arsenic your soul Google Workspace replacement. This tin beryllium much businesslike because you tin adhd nan features you want and get free of those you don't. And, should you suffer interaction pinch nan outer network, you will still person entree to your soul unreality storage.

Also: Linux desktop frozen? My 5 go-to tricks to effort - earlier forcing a difficult reboot

10. Use a powerful keyboard launcher

Finally, usage a powerful keyboard launcher, specified arsenic Albert. With these launchers, you deed a cardinal connected your keyboard to unfastened nan tool, type what you're looking for (such arsenic a record aliases an app), usage your up aliases down arrow keys to prime what you want to open, and deed Enter connected your keyboard. You whitethorn not judge this, but moving your manus from nan keyboard to nan rodent and backmost to nan keyboard tin eat distant astatine your efficiency. On apical of that, keyboard launchers make it overmuch easier to find nan files you're looking for.