This works for MacBook and MacBook Pro computers.

Rather than clicking on the Apple menu item and then selecting Sleep, Restart or Shut Down with your mouse, all you need to do is the following.

Step 1

Press the Power Button briefly, and then let go. (The photo was shot with a Canon XSi / 450D at ISO 1600 and edited using Adobe Photoshop CS3 and spotlight effect with Skitch).

Step 2

Select the desired option: Restart, Sleep, Cancel, Shut Down.

Not for the faint hearted way

And finally, there is a combination that will shut down your Mac without any prompting whatsoever.

Do this only if you’re sure you want to shut down your computer as fast as possible, or you’re in a real hurry to do so.

Any unsaved changes in open applications or running programs will not be saved.

The combination is: control + option (alt) + command + eject (if you’re using a MacBook, pressing the power button instead of eject also works).