How Have You Customized OS X?

No two Mac users use their Macs the same way. We all have our own ways of setting up and using OS X, of arranging our workspaces, managing files, and launching apps. Some of us rely on the tools built into OS X. Some of us use third-party utilities to enhance or replace those built-in tools. Many of us favor specific workstyles (keyboard vs. mouse, visual vs. verbal, neatniks vs. pack rats, and so on) and have customized our Macs accordingly.

For an upcoming series of stories, we’d like to know how you do all this, how you’ve customized OS X to:

Organize and find files

Manage those files (moving, copying, renaming, deleting, archiving)

Manage file downloads (from e-mail and the Web)

Preview/view files

Launch applications

Arrange/tweak your workspaces so they’re useful and attractive.

Put another way, how do you use and how have you customized, enhanced, or replaced such staples of the OS as:

Desktop

Dock

Finder

Menu Bar

Quicklook

Services

Spaces

Spotlight.

Also: Do you use Automator workflows or Applescripts on a regular basis to handle basic housekeeping? What about text expanders/keyboard macros?

You can either post your answers in the comments thread below or send them to customize@macworld.com.

Thanks for your help!