Here’s Everything I Do When Setting Up a New Computer

From A to B, here’s everything I do to get the most out of my device

I bought a new M1 MacBook Air recently and I could not be more excited to use it every day. The battery life is amazing. Consider that my two-sentence mini-review.

Before that, I bought a new M1 Mac Mini. In the process of purchasing both computers, I found myself doing the same steps in the same order every single time.

In general, I hate using Chrome, but I still have it. I have to use Spark and install the Microsoft Office suite for school. Overall, the process— even for Windows computers — is the same.

Here are those steps.

Install Spark

Spark is my go-to email client. It’s the best email for checking email, whether you use Gmail, iCloud, or your own custom domain. It’s also the best email for multiple accounts and even has a calendar.

I can’t really do much without Spark. I usually start by installing it, setting up my three accounts that I use, and then my signatures for that specific device. Even on my iPads that I’ve owned, Spark was the very first app I installed.

At this point, Apple should just pay Spark to use as a default email app.

Install Spotify

Oddly enough, Spotify was the second thing I installed, and for one specific reason: I can’t stop listening to music.

As proven by my seven years in the music industry as a journalist, music was very important to me growing up through adolescence. It still is. I can’t stop listening to Taylor Swift, Fall Out Boy (specifically Folie a Deux), and other artists from punk to pop.

Sootify

Spotify Duo has been my favorite subscription offering that the service provides. My partner and I set it up with our own playlists to see where we overlap.