As a full-time student who juggles a ton of work, I rely on my MacBook for nearly everything. This includes researching and writing articles, studying for exams, coding my next project, and even just binge-watching Netflix after a tiring week.

While I owe part of my productivity to third-party Mac apps and websites like Google NotebookLM and Reclaim, most of it comes down to macOS’s built-in features. These features have completely transformed my workflow, helping me get twice as much done in the same amount of time. Surprisingly, they don’t get talked about enough, so here they are for you to explore.

4 Sidecar

Turns out, I already have an external monitor!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm an Apple fangirl all the way. I own nearly the entire ecosystem, including an iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and, of course, a MacBook. In my opinion, what makes the Apple experience so great is how seamlessly all Apple devices work together. Apple has many Continuity features designed to achieve that, including AirDrop and Universal Clipboard. Out of all of them, Sidecar is my absolute favorite. This feature allows you to use your iPad as a second monitor for your Mac.

As long as both your Mac and iPad are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, and you're signed in to the same Apple Account, you're good to go. What makes Sidecar so great is that you don’t need to fiddle with tons of cables to use your iPad as an external monitor.

To use it, unlock both devices and position them within 30 feet of each other. Then, make sure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on both, and head to System Settings > Displays on your Mac. Click on your iPad in the Displays section and expand the menu next to Use as.

You'll see two options: Linked keyboard and mouse and Extended or mirrored display. Pick the latter, then expand the Use as menu again. Now, choose whether you'd like your iPad to act as the Main display, Extended display, or Mirror for Built-in Display.

I typically pick either Main display or Extended display since it lets me use my iPad just like any second monitor. I can move windows from my Mac to my iPad and use my Mac’s keyboard and trackpad to control my iPad.

While you may need to spend a bit of time setting up Sidecar for the first time, it takes less than a few seconds to reconnect your iPad as a second display after that. It's perfect for those days when I need extra screen real estate but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on an external monitor.

3 Focus modes

Eliminate the distractions entirely

The key to being more productive is never dedicating more time to checking off every task on your overwhelming to-do list. Instead, you should focus on maximizing the time you already have to get things done. The easiest way to do this is by spending less time watching cat videos on YouTube and avoiding distractions from every notification you receive. While no native macOS feature can entirely fix the former just yet, Apple's Focus modes are key to helping you stay on track and minimize distractions. It’s essentially what Do Not Disturb (DND) has been, but better and more customizable.

With Focus, you can silence notifications from specific apps and contacts and even customize these modes based on Time, Location, and App. To set up a Focus mode, head to System Settings -> Focus. Here, you can either choose one of the preset Focus modes, like Work, Sleep, or Driving. There's also a Reduced Interruptions mode, which uses Apple Intelligence to determine which notifications are important and which aren't.

Otherwise, you can create your own custom Focus mode by hitting Add Focus. Follow the on-screen instructions to select which contact and app notifications you'd like to allow while you're focusing.

On the same page, you can set a designated schedule for your Focus mode or have it activate automatically at a specific location, like the café you work from every day. If you don’t set a schedule, you can manually toggle Focus mode on and off by clicking the Control Center icon in the menu bar and selecting Focus.

2 Quick file conversion

No more jumping between multiple third-party apps

Before I switched from Windows to macOS, I always used third-party image converter websites to convert images and files from one format to another. While this wasn’t an issue when I needed to convert a file type occasionally, it got frustrating when I had to convert multiple files at once, since free tools almost always have a limit on how many files you can convert simultaneously.

That changed when I got a Mac, thanks to the Quick Actions menu, which includes an option to convert images within seconds. To do so, locate the file(s) you want to convert in the Finder app and select them. If you have multiple files, press and hold the Command key while clicking each one. Then, Control-click and select Quick Actions -> Convert Image from the context menu.

Once the Convert Image window appears, expand the dropdown next to Format and choose between JPEG, PNG, or HEIF. If you want to resize the images, use the Image Size dropdown menu. When you’re ready, hit the Convert to [File Type] button.

I find this feature especially useful when I AirDrop images from my iPhone to Mac since images are usually sent as HEIF files, which aren't compatible with most platforms.

1 Stage Manager

macOS takes multitasking to the next level

If you're anything like me and have a ton of tabs and different applications open simultaneously, you likely use Split View (Apple's fancy term for Split Screen) all day, every day. While Apple introduced Window Tiling with macOS Sequoia, which lets you snap multiple windows on the sides, corners, or the bottom of your Mac, I'm not sold on it just yet. I find it underwhelming and would rather stick to third-party apps like Rectangle instead.

One macOS feature that I've found indispensable in my workflow is Stage Manager. Instead of having all your app windows cluttering your Mac's desktop, Stage Manager arranges all of them along the left side of your screen. The window you're currently using is positioned right in the middle of the screen, and you can easily switch to another app by clicking it on the left side of the screen. To enable Stage Manager, you only need to click the Control Center icon in the menu bar and select Stage Manager.

I can't imagine living without these features

Sure, the features I mentioned above aren't particularly groundbreaking. Yet, they've made a massive difference in my workflow and helped me optimize my Mac for productivity, especially on those long workdays. Whether cramming for exams or tackling another article, I rely on them constantly. I can’t imagine returning to the days when I didn’t even know these features existed.