These 5 Linux terminal commands save me hours every week
These 5 Linux terminal commands save me hours every week
https://www.makeuseof.com/these-linux-terminal-commands-save-me-hours-every-week/
Publish Date: 2026-06-05 12:00:00
Source Domain: www.makeuseof.com
A lot of the guides I came across when I started using Linux showed me how to work. I want to do the opposite and teach you how to stop working.
I understand that the terminal is a powerful tool for repairs, fixing broken dependencies, and hunting down rogue log files, but after several years of using it, I believe it’s even more valuable as a time-saving tool. I have replaced repetitive GUI workflows with a handful of the most hyper-efficient command combinations, and they’ve shaved off several hours from my weekly maintenance routine. These are the commands that bought me the most time on Linux.
Stop losing files again
Search entire drives instantly
Afam Onyimadu / MUO
It’s very easy for files to disappear into the wrong places on Linux. At certain times, my downloads get mixed with projects, and important screenshots may be buried deep inside subfolders. Initially, I’d manually click through the directories or use some GUI search tool. The first approach was simply time-consuming, and the second sometimes missed the file entirely or was just too slow.
I switched to the find command, and it fixed all that friction. With the simple command below, I query the Documents folder and its subfolders directly for any files or directories with the word “invoice” and don’t have to rely on memory:
find ~/Documents -iname “*invoice*”
I make variations of it depending on what I need. I…
