Breathable, my Air Quality app of choice is now free. There is no interface for the app, it’s just a front for a pleasant-looking widget. Today, it’s telling me to stay inside as the smoke from the LA fires is lingering about.
Related, I’ve had several emails from folks asking how I’m doing with these terrible fires. Luckily I live on the opposite side of Los Angeles and we’re not at risk.
When it comes to time tracking, it’s only as useful as the data is accurate. Setting manual timers often leads to bad data. As humans, we’re not very good at throwing switches every time we mode shift. We’re in a new year and this would be a great time to start figuring out how you are spending your time.
This week’s sponsor, Timing, gives you the benefit of time tracking without the inconvenience. Timing is an app for your Mac that automatically tracks your time. You don’t need to push buttons. Timing just does its job. It’s smart, it’s beautiful, and it’s easy to use.
Just download and install Timing, and it’ll start recording how much time you spend on each app, document, and website you use.
And now Timing will import your iPhone and iPad usage from Screen Time as well! This means you’ll get the complete picture of how you spend your time across all your devices.
If you haven’t tried Timing lately, you should. They added a new vertical timeline that is really nice. It’s easy to read and easy to edit. Time tracking gives me a lot of insight about where I am really putting my efforts. Timing is a great way to do it.
If you’ve tried time-tracking before and gave up on it, try Timing. It does the work for you. I’ve even made some videos showing how the app works.
Back in 2017, RadioShack, unsurprisingly, went bankrupt, but now it looks like we will start seeing RadioShack-branded products. I must admit there’s a warm spot in my heart for RadioShack. When I was 12, I used ride my 10-speed to RadioShack every day, where they let me write text text adventure games on the in-store computers to help sell those old Tandy TRS-80s and color computers to customers. It was like I worked there. Then, of course, when I got just a bit older, I actually did work there, selling transistors and diodes, as any self-respecting nerd of the day would.
All that said, I can’t imagine myself buying any actual RadioShack branded products.
Sad news to hear that Script Debugger is closing up shop. After 30 years, the application was the best for writing and troubleshooting AppleScript, and I’m sorry to see it go.
My thanks to Shane and Mark for 30 years of hard work on an excellent app.
Over the past several years, I’ve spent a lot of time reading classic Hellenistic philosophy. I find those thinkers’ willingness to take on the big questions interesting. Because when it comes to thinking about philosophy, I’m practical. I couldn’t care less whether or not I’m living in a simulation. I am very interested, however, in finding and sharing happiness. And the Greeks thought about that question a lot. Maybe Aristotle said it best:
Happiness is an activity of the soul in accordance with virtue.
From Nicomachean Ethics, Book I, Chapter 7
That’s really the aim of my Productivity Field Guide. To get people to figure out what roles are important and how to become their best version for those. Having lived this system and now taught it to many people, I’m increasingly convinced that the payoff is more significant than being your best self. I believe I’ve found a formula for happiness. Put simply:
Pursuing your best self (Arete) + Ethical Living = Happy Life
That makes a lot of sense! Many of the ancients argued that living ethically and in accordance with virtue is key to achieving eudaimonia, often translated as happiness or flourishing. Arete can easily substitute in for virtue. It is very similar. Fulfilling one’s potential and living in line with one’s true nature along with ethical living gets you there. Or, at least, it gets me there and several others I’ve talked to going through the Productivity Field Guide.
Does this mean this formula makes you immune from suffering and disease? Of course not. It does, however, give you a mechanism to cope. True happiness can come from living a life of virtue and striving for personal excellence. The more I pursue these goals, the more I see it in myself and others.
I’ll cover this more in-depth in a new edition of the Productivity Field Guide, which will be released later this month. Stay tuned.
While Apple has been in the HomeKit game for many years, thus far they have shied away from making HomeKit products like locks and cameras. If the rumors are to be believed, that’s going to change over the next few years. Apple is rumored to be planning its own set of HomeKit cameras including a doorbell camera. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have other products on the drawing board as well. The question is: Why is Apple getting into this game now?
Apple normally doesn’t enter a space unless they have something to distinguish themselves from the competition. In this case, my guess is privacy. There have been a lot of stories about vendors mismanaging home security data and video feeds through a combination of mismanagement and malice. With its size and focus on privacy, Apple is in a unique position to make HomeKit accessories we can trust to put in our homes. Ideally, Apple would pair this move with a rebirth of their AirPort wireless routers to offer consumers the entire widget. And if Apple is getting into this game, I’d argue it’s because they can offer a level of consumer privacy not currently available.
The Photos app is great until it’s not. If you want to add power-user features to Photos, check out this week’s sponsor, PowerPhotos. It’s the ultimate toolbox for managing your photo libraries on Mac. There are some true power features here that really improve the Photos App:
There are many more and you can download the PowerPhotos free trial to explore its features, with advanced functions available upon purchasing a license. MacSparky readers can enjoy a 20% discount with the coupon code MACSPARKY25. Enhance your Photos app experience with PowerPhotos today.
With the new year here, on Mac Power Users, Stephen and I discuss the task managers we tried in 2024, and what we are currently using to get things done at work and beyond.
This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:
Hello 2025! It’s not too late to get yourself a Focused wall calendar. Mike and I put a lot of effort into making this calendar special.
On this episode of Focused, Mike and I reflect on the things that worked—and the things that didn’t—in 2024 and set our intentions for 2025.
This episode of Focused is sponsored by: