Each day has 24 hours. This article has 40 ways to make each of those hours more pleasant and productive.

It's time to let your Mac into your life. We mean really let it in. After all, juggling email, working with digital photos, and managing your media are just a fraction of what your Mac can do for you.

 

Think we're exaggerating? We were afraid you might be skeptical. So we collected 40 things you can do today to integrate your Mac (and your iPod) more fully into your everyday routines.

 

Your Mac can become more than a computer. It'll be the best kind of assistant - no, wait, a life partner. (Just don't tell your spouse if you're still interested in activities that a computer can't engage in.) In addition to being able tackle more of the tedious chores that are part of life in the 21st century, you'll also find yourself enjoying life more. A lot more.

 

We've got hardware, software, shareware, and freeware that can help you squeeze every drop of power, pleasure, and productivity out of every hour of every day. Pick an hour, and enjoy:

 

6:00 a.m.: WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEAD

8:30 a.m.: PRECOMMUTE PREP TIME

11:00 a.m.: WHILE YOU'RE AT WORK

12:00 p.m.: WHEN THE NOON WHISTLE BLOWS

3:00 p.m.: AFTERNOON DELIGHTS

5:30 p.m.: LET THE FUN BEGIN

8:30 p.m.: ONE ENCHANTED EVENING

11:00 p.m.: LIGHTS OUT - ALMOST

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6:00 a.m.: WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEAD

Get up on the right side of the bed - and keep things headed that way - by waking up with your Mac and letting it help you ease into the day.

 

1. Have your Mac wake you up.

Don't rely on a rooster - or worse yet, your local radio station - to goose you out of slumber in the a.m. Instead, get Roger McGuinn and the boys to help you welcome the morning with the "Chimes of Freedom" (or whatever you like, of course). Alarm Clock 2 (free) sits in the Finder menu, where it's easy to locate and adjust. It appears like a widget on your desktop, and if you click the Easy Wake option under the Alarm tab, the volume will increase slowly.

 

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2. Know when your tea is ready.

If you need something slightly lower-octane than coffee to get started in the morning, try tea. (Hey - it contains healthy antioxidants that coffee doesn't.) Cuppa (free) tells you how long to steep your favorite tea so it has just the right flavor. Select your tea type (Earl Grey, for example) from the menu, steep, and (eventually) a message will appear to commence drinking.

 

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3. Turn on all the lights.

Forget the Clapper. Use your Mac to turn on the lights. Indigo 2 ($179.95) is a powerful Mac-only program that uses the PowerLinc V2 hardware interface. You connect your Mac to the INSTEON and X10 systems for home automation. (Find the necessary hardware at machomestore.com.) Indigo can automatically configure when to turn on lights in the morning based on your time zone. Here's how to get it working:

 

1. Install Indigo 2 on your Mac.

2. Connect the PowerLinc module to your Mac via a USB cable.

3. Plug the PowerLinc module into a wall outlet.

4. Use INSTEON lighting modules for lamps and wall switches.

5. Configure Indigo 2 to control the lights.

 

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4. Listen to the morning news.

As you get ready for work, your Mac can read you the top stories from your favorite news sites. Here's how:

 

1. To enable text-to-speech, go to System Preferences > Speech. On the Text to Speech tab, check the box next to "Speak selected text when the key is pressed," and in the next dialog box, press the key combination you want, such as Command-Control-S. Choose a voice, and exit System Preferences.

 

2. Go to a news site in Safari, such as CNN.com. Click on a story, then click the printer-friendly option and select the text. Press Command-Control-S.

 

3. Or use shareware to listen to an RSS feed. Noodle Reader ($20) has talking heads that read you the news, and iSpeak It ($19.95) records audio files for your iPod.

 

 

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5. Stay on track on a run, walk, or bike ride.

Knowing your course is half the battle when it comes to planning a morning workout. Before you lace up your sneakers and head out the door, consult TrailRunner. The software takes geological data about your area from a GPS watch, such as the Garmin ForeRunner or Garmin Edge ($115 and up, Garmin.com), and lets you use the data to map out a route. You tell it how far you want to go, and the software charts a course. TrailRunner needs a helper app to load GPS data, so first grab LoadMyTracks (free). You can then transfer the mapped route to your iPod.

 

No room for excuses not to run, bike, or hike.

 

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8:30 a.m.: PRECOMMUTE PREP TIME

Before you head out, let your Mac and iPod help you plan your day and shorten your commute - or just make it much more enjoyable.

 

6. Gas up the car - for less.

If you're stuck doing a daily car commute, you're no doubt feeling the pain at the pump as gas prices just keep heading north. Whether you drive a Tahoe or a Prius, there's no point in paying more for gas than you have to. Apple's gas widget (free) shows you the lowest prices in your area. Once you load it, click the information icon to add your zip code, and then click the tiny left-right arrow to find out how much it's going to hurt the next time you fill.

 

Always get the best price on gas.

 

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7. Take YouTube to go.

Make a long morning bus or train commute more bearable by loading up your iPod with a batch of the latest YouTube vids. TubeSock 2.0 also supports dailymotion.com and porkolt.com, and it can even perform batch conversions.

 

Make your fellow bus riders wonder what you're laughing at.

 

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8. Drive to work in a 2008 Toyota Scion with iPod support.

We coveted the Toyota Scion (price TBD) even before we found out the 2008 model will include an iPod connection as standard equipment. Unlike cars that just use a mini-stereo cable that connects to the iPod's headphone jack, the Scion has a legitimate iPod connector. Your tracks and song info show up on the stereo's digital display. Best of all, the steering wheel sports iPod controls.

 

The Scion comes with a 160-watt stereo and lets you control your iPod on the steering column.

 

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9. Shorten your commute.

Traffic got you in a jam? Before you leave, check the traffic widget on your Mac. To find one for your area, check out apple.com/downloads/dashboard/transportation. To find to your local traffic widget faster, press Command-F and type the name of your town in the resulting search field.

 

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10. Upload crucial files to your Mac.

Sending files to yourself via email is old school. (Although we hear Steve Jobs still does it.) There's a better way, and it's called iDisk. As long as you have a .Mac account ($99.95 a year) you can upload any files you might need before heading to work. Click the iDisk icon in the upper-left pane of a Finder window (if it's not there, log in at System Preferences > .Mac), navigate to the folder where you want to store your stuff, and drag in the files from your hard drive. Files stored on .Mac are always accessible and - unlike files you email to yourself - never get lost.

 

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11:00 a.m.: WHILE YOU'RE AT WORK

Your Mac is as proficient an office companion as it is a recreational aide-de-camp. Here's how to make sure your Mac helps you sail through the workday.

 

11. Tap into your home network for files you forgot to sync to .Mac.

Oops - you spent so much time transferring MP3s to .Mac this morning that you forgot your work files. Netopia's Timbukto Pro ($99.95 boxed, $94.95 download) can help. This remote-access app uses a console on your Mac to initiate remote desktop sharing. (LogMeIn Hamachi, a free app in its Basic version, does the same thing but is clunkier to use.) From a remote machine, Timbuktu Pro lets you grab files from, and even run apps on, your home Mac.

 

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12. Really watch what you eat.

As the day progresses, keep track of your calorie and nutrient intake with CalorieKing ($45), which gives you a constant readout of how your meals and snacks will affect your diet.

 

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13. Do all of your work in a freeware office app.

If you like to do what you can to avoid supporting that big tech company based up in Redmond, Washington, and you also like free stuff, you've gotta try NeoOffice. Unlike other free apps, NeoOffice is quite full-featured, offering many of the same options you're used to in Microsoft Office - without the ginormous price tag. It can read and write Office formats, too.

 

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14. Sync contacts between your Mac and your Bluetooth phone.

Apple's nifty little sync program, iSync, was a bright star in early OS X releases. Since then, it doesn't get much play. Part of the reason: Some popular phones are not supported. As usual, third-party Mac developers have solved this problem. For example, we got our Nokia N80 phone to sync with our Mac over Bluetooth using the DIY iSync Phone Plugin (free). Here's how you can do it too:

 

1. Enable Bluetooth on your MacBook (System Preferences > Bluetooth), or use a Bluetooth adapter. Make sure your phone is nearby. In the Bluetooth pane in System Preferences, click the Devices tab,then click Set Up New Device, and follow the prompts.

 

2. If you have the Nokia N80 (or another supported Nokia model), download the sync plug-in from en.isync-hilfe.de/phoneplugin-nokia.html and install it. If you have another phone model, search the Internet for that model and the term "iSync," and download and install the right plug-in.

 

3. Start Apple iSync (/Applications) and the plug-in will let you add the Nokia phone. Sync your contacts as you normally do.

 

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15. Track your investments.

Wait, you mean you've considered investing in a company other than Apple? Ha, well, your Mac can help you track those numbers as well - even the latest price for MSFT. PowerTicker ($49.95) is a widget that shows you just about every stock detail including volumes and yearly low, converts currency, and even has a tab for news on the selected company.

 

 

Track stocks and compare indexes in a widget that looks like a Wall Street trader's screen.

 

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12:00 p.m.: WHEN THE NOON WHISTLE BLOWS

Not only is it time to eat - it's time to take a break from work. Whether you're stuck at your desk or you have the freedom to head outside for a while, your Mac (or iPod) can help you make the most of your lunch hour.

 

16. Raise your heart rate.

If you're the type who likes to work out on your lunch hour, you can't find a better partner than PumpOne ($19 to $49 for various workouts). These unique workout apps let you load graphics onto your iPod that show you how to perform a variety of exercises, and how to turn them into a three-tiered fitness program. The visual approach works, especially since the photos show a trim body doing exactly what you need to do to get fit.

 

View PumpOne's visuals on your iPod while you listen to your own music.

 

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17. Train a virtual pet.

Sometimes it's nice to have a friend at work, even if he's imaginary. Flappie (free) is a virtual pet that responds to good weather conditions in your area (yes, really) and must be fed and patted occasionally. Here's a cool cheat: Enter a sunny California zip code even if you don't live there to help Flappie stay happier.

Reprimand Flappie and he acts hurt.

 

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18. Get your sudoku fix.

There are lots of useful widgets out there. Here's one that's purely for fun. Sudoku is a simple game where every row, column, and three-by-three box must contain the digits 1 through 9. The Sudoku Widget (free) helps you get your daily quotient of this addictive puzzle. A tip: Skip any puzzle that takes longer than 10 minutes. Who needs that kind of stress?

 

 

Exercise your mind while you feed your tummy.

 

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19. Swap files with another Mac user.

It's easy to share files with a Mac-using coworker without taxing the company server. Go to System Preferences, click Sharing, and enable the Personal File Sharing option. This allows other users to grab files you've saved in your Public folder (to find it, click the house icon with your username in the left pane of any Finder window). To do so, they just click the Network icon to locate your hard drive.

 

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20. Touch up your digital photos.

iPhoto is great for creating cool projects like virtual albums and slideshows. In comparison, optimizing photos seems like "work." Why not tackle the task on your lunch break? Apple's Aperture ($299, available as a free 30-day trial) does an amazing job of turning blah to beautiful. It's best to process photos in RAW format, which is likely an option for you if you own an SLR camera (check Apple's RAW Support Page to make sure Aperture supports yours). You can adjust the exposure, saturation, brightness, and contrast in the Adjustments window.

 

This wrinkly guy got a brightness and saturation boost.

 

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3:00 p.m.: AFTERNOON DELIGHTS

Even if your daily work task list is complete, you can still look busy as you wait for five o'clock to roll around.

 

21. Ask your clients to show you the money.

You do work, they pay you - right? Well, that's how it's supposed to go. If you are in business for yourself and need to invoice clients and customers, try Tension Software's Invoices ($25). The app lets you create invoices with a custom logo, and it tracks client data.

 

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22. Check to see how much you got done today.

Ghost Action ($19.95) is a contextual to-do list manager that knows that we do stuff in different places andfor different reasons. It lets you view your entire at-home or at-work tasks, group them according to date - or just view things that need to be done right now.

 

With one click, you can see what you did all day - or what you should have been doing.

 

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23. Keep track of life's little details.

Bare Bones Software's Yojimbo ($39; a demo is available here) is like the personal assistant you never had. And once you use Yojimbo to organize and manage all the bits of information you collect - from serial numbers to bookmarks to PDF files - you won't even want a human assistant.

 

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24. Send an SMS message from your Mac.

If you're over 35, you probably aren't as good at thumb-typing as the youngsters. To send a friend an SMS text message from your Mac (rather than from your cell phone), call up CallWave's slick widget. Tap in the phone number, type your missive, and click Send. Just be warned: Some wireless providers cut off SMS messages after a few lines.

 

CallWave supports just about every major carrier - and even a few minor ones.

 

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25. Check your home's security remotely.

And you thought your wireless router was only for checking e-mail and downloading games. Who knew? Turns out you can connect a wireless security camera like the Hawking HNC290G ($129) for home monitoring. Once you have it set up - it's actually somewhat involved, so read the manual or call tech support forthis step - you can access your webcam from any Web browser.

 

Connect your Mac to a wireless security camera and check the video feed from work.

 

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5:30 p.m.: LET THE FUN BEGIN

Once the workday comes to an end, the fun starts in earnest - especially when it comes to good times with your Mac.

 

26. Find a place to eat.

Life can be so random. Iconfactory acknowledges this fact with Dine-O-Matic (free), a widget that lets you click to spin through a list of choices when you can't decide where to eat.

 

Spend a few minutes adding your favorite

restaurant names to Dine-O-Matic,

and then click the plate.

 

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27. Keep track of your recipes.

If you don't want to eat out, your Mac can't cook you dinner. But it can help you keep track of your go-to recipes. MacGourmet ($24.95) lets you link recipes that pair nicely, such as a seafood souffle and a fudge-brownie dessert. To keep your MacBook from getting covered in butter and flour, print your recipes on paper cards to keep in the kitchen.

 

The sample recipes are worth the price of admission.

 

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28. Watch TV on your Mac.

Not that you need another excuse to watch TV, but we've got one. Sony's savvy LocationFree device hooks into your cable or satellite signal and transmits the video feed to your Mac over a wired or wireless home network. You can tap into your favorite shows - live or recorded - using software called the LocationFree Player Pak ($39.95). Before you dive in with RCA cables waving, consider this caveat: Your home broadband connection must support fast upload speeds of around 500Kbps or more. Call your provider to find out what speed you're using, or perform a quick self-test (click the Uploadlink).

 

Sony's LocationFree system links your home TV signal to the Internet, with a Mac software client.

 

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29. Take your iPod for a swim.

If you're a deep-sea diver or professional shark wrestler, you should probably leave your iPod at home. The rest of us can use the Otterbox iPod Nano case ($39.95), which makes our favorite gadget waterproof - at least for casual swims up to 3 feet underwater. (Go deeper and you might experience some seepage.) SwimMan Waterproof Headphones ($100) complete the package. (Or you can opt for a 2G iPod shuffle that's been waterproofed by SwimMan for $250, including headphones.)

 

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30. Pretend your Mac is a Nintendo Wii.

So addicted to your Wii that you want to play all the time? Make your Mac and Wii "talk" with DarwiinRemote (free), a utility that allows you to replace your mouse with the Wii remote control. Proceed with caution: The software author admits that it is "unstable" and "experimental." But we just couldn't resist.

 

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8:30 p.m.: ONE ENCHANTED EVENING

It's been a long, productive (or perhaps not so productive) day. The last thing we'd do is suggest that you go home and do more work. But you can get a lot done with just a few clicks on your Mac - then cut straight to the entertainment.

 

31. Manage your personal finances.

Yeah, we know, managing our money isn't our favorite way to unwind either. But CheckBook helps tickoff this unsavory chore with minimal fuss. It imports data from Quicken and uses powerful filters to find just the right check number and payment amount you're looking for.

 

CheckBook dispenses with all the complexity of balancing your bank account.

 

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32. Host a karaoke night.

Plug Griffin's iKaraoke microphone ($49.99)into your iPod and start singing. The microphone removes the lead vocal track from any song. It also connects to your home stereo or FM radio. Don't bother with screamo bands or grunge, though - the microphone has a hard time eliminating some hard rock vocals.

 

Turn your iPod into the life of the party.

 

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33. Use the Force.

Aspyr's Star Wars: Empire at War ($49.99) is a real-time strategy game for people who know the difference between Bodo Baas and Boba Fett. Sure, it's hardcore, but it's also graphically entertaining. One tip: Forget gang rushes, since the game is smart enough to thwart them, unlike older RTS fests.

 

Spend the evening acting out your Darth Vader fantasies.

 

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34. Organize and track your Netflix rentals.

Netflix Freak 2.5 ($15) puts all of your rental queues, rental history, and current rentals in one window. It means less clicking around on Netflix, faster searches, and more-accessible, easier-to-digest movie summaries.

 

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35. Find live music in your area.

See if you like the sound of this: iConcertCal (free) uses your existing music collection to populate a calendar of upcoming live shows. The app - which uses the iTunes visualizer - lets you see where and when your favorite bands (and bands like them) will play your town.

 

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11:00 p.m.: LIGHTS OUT - ALMOST

In the last 17 hours, you've accomplished quite a lot - and had fun doing it. That's thanks in no small part to your Mac and iPod, which can also set the stage for tomorrow and ease you into a restful night's sleep.

 

36. Wind down with your tunes.

If you have trouble sleeping or relaxing at night, try PowerController ($9.95), an app that will play music progressively softer and softer as you fall asleep. It shuts off your Mac if desired, and it can wake you up in the morning too.

 

Go to sleep with music that eventually fades to silence.

 

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37. Plan the next day's wardrobe.

Dress Assistant ($19.95) mixes and matches your clothes to come up with stylish - or at least color-coordinated - outfits. Here's how it works:

 

1. First take photos of your clothes, matching up the template in Dress Assistant for shirts, slacks, shoes, and so on. You can also use a webcam to take photos and import them in one step.

 

2. Replace the template drawing with a photo of each piece of clothing.

 

3. Now drag and drop photos into the main window to see how the clothes look together.

 

Drag your clothing photos over the sketches on the left to populate your wardrobe.

 

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38. Back up.

Sing it with us: The last chore for the day should be to perform a backup. Thankfully, iBackup (free) can do this routine maintenance for you. Try using your iPod as the backup disk.

 

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39. Listen to a best seller.

We're hopelessly addicted to Audible.com, which seems to have just about every best seller we'd ever want to, uh, hear. Running with Scissors is actually read by the author, which makes it that much more hysterical. We like loading audiobooks onto our MacBook Pro because there's enough harddrive space to archive them into infinity (almost). Audible files can play on your iPod, too, but you need not load them all at once. You can buy audiobooks a la carte (prices vary) or become a member ($14.95 per month and up) to receive "credits" (free audiobooks) and discounts.

 

Hear your favorite books read aloud, courtesy of Audible.com.

 

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40. Get ready for sleep with special tones.

Any software package that uses something called "neuro linguistic programming" seems like it's wortha shot - especially if you're a regular victim of insomnia. The Pzizz Sleep Module ($29.95) combines specially programmed words, music, sound effects, and "binaural beats" to induce a sleep-ready state. (In case you need pick-me-ups during the day, Pzizz also offers an Energizer Module for $29.95; both modules are available together for $49.95.)