Why I Have 9 Workspaces Open in macOS
And how I use each one of them
I have long been a fan of having multiple workspaces ever since I started using window managers. The usefulness of having a completely different “screen” at my fingertips is absolutely unmatched.
I started using workspaces a few years back when I was first introduced to window managers. Xmonad was my first window manager. I had 10 workspaces, each with a somewhat different use case. However, more often, there would only be a few workspaces that I used — usually only half. This was a combination of not having enough windows to manage and having a few apps that deserved their own workspaces: Spotify, Discord/Messages, etc. Even though there were extra workspaces, it did not bother me nor did it use any extra resources.
After some time, I switched to macOS. Still wanting to keep the window manager aesthetic, I decided to try out some window managers designed for it. I first stumbled onto Amethyst, however, it was not as customizable as I liked. This is when I decided to do some more research and I eventually found yabai.
I initially used yabai with System Integrity Protection (SIP) enabled, but as time went by the crippling thought of a better and more sleek version convinced me to switch. Now, having used it for a few months, I can say that it was a phenomenal decision. Though the security of my device is slightly lower, the comfort and tranquility that I felt were worth the sacrifice.
Nevertheless, something still felt wrong — the bar. I was so used to having a bar that would show my workspaces that I didn’t even consider the possibility that I wouldn’t have it now. However, with some research and a few hours of trying out different bars, I eventually found Sketchybar. Sketchybar has been amazing, from the customizability to the documentation. I have an article written on this.
Ever since I started using window managers on macOS, I had only eight workspaces. This to me was more than sufficient at the time.
However, over time, there were moments when I had too many windows This was sometimes so bad that I would have multiple full-screen windows per workspace — which is not what you want with a window manager. I disliked this. Moreover, there were some applications that I would always have open (on idle) that didn’t have a designated workspace. For this reason, I increased the number of workspaces to nine.
Why not 10? Well, there isn’t a reason for me to not switch to 10 workspaces. To be honest, it’s because it isn’t a necessity and in my opinion having nine is cleaner. Oh, also my habits would need to change a little. I will explain this a little later in (3–5) Miscellaneous.
Now that I have explained why I have nine workspaces, I can show the usage for each.
How I use each workspace
(1) Web Browser
This is self-explanatory — my first workspace is my web browser. I usually have multiple tabs open, but if it’s for a quick Google search I will usually use a keybind to open a new window. If there already exists a browser window I will use cmd+n or cmd+shift+n to open a new window or a new private window, respectively. On the other hand, if I don’t have a browser open, I will use the keybind option+b for my browser. To do this I use skhd — see config here.
(2) Terminal and Editor
My second workspace is where I have my editor. Usually, this is just a terminal (Alacritty), however, in certain use cases, I will have VSCode or another IDE open.
When I have my terminal open, I use tmux. Even though I only recently switched to it, it has significantly improved my workflow. Moreover, my desired editor in my terminal is Neovim.
(3–5) Miscellaneous
The following three workspaces are for anything. From overflowing browser and terminal windows to Figma and Krita.
This is where I would add another workspace, therefore, pushing back the following workspaces. For this reason, I would need to relearn some keybinds, which I would rather not.
(6–8) Application Specific Workspaces
After the 3 miscellaneous workspaces, I have three application specific workspaces. Workspace 6 acts as my “social” workspace. It’s where I usually have Discord and other messaging apps open. Next is my Spotify workspace. This workspace is sometimes empty but more often than not, I have Spotify blasting my favorite songs. Finally, in workspace 8, I have Obsidian open. It’s my task manager and note-taking app so having it open is very useful.
(9) Idle Applications
Workspace 9 includes my idle applications, like VPNs and Pomodoro timers — the one shown above is Pomotroid. It is usually empty, but in the case I need to use a VPN or Pomodoro timer, it comes in handy.
These spaces aren’t set in stone, so if I, for example, needed to have a browser window open in workspace 2, I would do that.
In the future, when I have more applications that need to be open, I will probably add one more workspace. However, in the meantime, I will be sticking to my current system. It has been working to near perfection and I love it. Hopefully, you found this helpful, and have a great rest of your day.
