Using Spaces to Improve Productivity on the Mac

One of the most powerful tools on the Mac in terms of day to day productivity boost, has been Spaces. I have been using this feature in Linux for years, but never quite took advantage of it in Windows. Here is how I currently use it. I would love to here your tips and tricks regarding productivity on the Mac.

Currently I have 9 “spaces” set up with the following start up configuration:

The spaces correspond to a grid which is laid out as follows:

1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9

Space 1: I keep an open instance of Finder here.

Space 2: Timesheet, for which I currently use Numbers.

Space 3: A open instance of TextEdit where I keep ongoing notes.

Space 4: iTunes resides here, where I usually keep some classical music running when I need to be focused, and podcasts when I’m doing repetitive work.

Space 5: Here is where I spend most of my time with Safari, since I use many cloud based tools.

Space 6: Omnifocus resides here, which I use for personal, GTD based, task management.

Space 7: Empty. I usually use this space when I need to do screen sharing and need a clean workspace.

Space 8: Here is where I keep my IM clients open. Namely Skype and Tweetie.

Space 9: Empty. I use this space to work in applications like PhotoShop where I need to focus on one particular project/task.

I use command + arrows to navigate the spaces. I operate from space 5, so I put the most used items in spaces 2,4,6 and 8 for once click easy access.

Do you use Spaces? What other Mac tools do you use to stay productive?