Focused 77: You Can’t Hack the System



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Mike and I are sick and tired of being sick and tired, so in this week’s episode of Focused we’re sharing some things we’ve learned about managing energy. We discuss staying positive, Mike continues his digital bullet journal experiment, and I spend some time “researching” the perfect notebook.

This episode of Focused is sponsored by:

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code FOCUSED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • Hover: Get 10% off any domain name — extensions for anything you’re passionate about.

Supercharge Your Trackpad, Mouse, and Touch Bar with Better Touch Tool


This week MacSparky is sponsored by BetterTouchTool, the Mac App that gives your input devices superpowers. While Apple makes some excellent trackpads and mice, the built-in gestures are just a taste of what you could do with those devices. With BetterTouchTool, you can completely re-design your Touch Bar, configure various Magic Mouse and Trackpad gestures, define keyboard shortcuts, bind standard mouse buttons, use the Siri Remote with your Mac and do tons more.

BetterTouchTool offers many actions to automate various tasks on your Mac. These can be assigned to any input-device trigger you choose. Additionally, it contains some handy features like window snapping, a clipboard manager, a screenshot editor, and much more. It even includes a free iOS app to control your Mac and trigger actions remotely. If you have a MacBook or MacBook Pro, this app is an absolute game changer.

There is lots of news with BetterTouchTool. Recent updates let it run just fine on the Catalina beta. There is also a new dock widget for the Touch Bar and soon (hopefully next week) we’ll get a fancy new calendar widget on the Touch Bar. Also, you can now join the BetterTouchTool Community at community.folivora.ai to learn how to get even more from BetterTouchTool. Users have shared some amazing presets there, including some very advanced custom Touch Bar setups that you should check out.

BetterTouchTool comes with a 45-day trial after which you can choose between a license that includes all updates for two years and a lifetime license.

BetterTouchTool has been around for nine years, and I’ve been using it the entire time. With BetterTouchTool, I can make my Mac dance. You should too. MacSparky readers can purchase BetterTouchTool for 15% off at checkout by using the coupon code MACSPARKYBTT for a limited time. So don’t delay. Go to folivora.ai to learn more and take advantage of the special limited-time, 15% discount on BetterTouchTool.

Mac Power Users 490: Surfin’ with Safari



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Safari isn’t the most popular browser on the planet, but its focus on speed, security, and privacy set it apart from the competition. This week on Mac Power Users, Stephen and I get into the pros and cons of the application, and some of its unique features.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code MPU at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.

  • Pingdom: Start monitoring your websites and servers today. Use offer code MPU to get 30% off.

Automators 27: Shortcuts in iOS 13 — Diving into the Deep End!



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In the latest episode of Automators, Rose and I throw caution to the wind and install iOS and iPadOS betas on everything. There are crashes and updates, all in the name of finding out just how impressive the new Shortcuts really is.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • Away: Thoughtful luggage for modern travel. Get $20 off a suitcase with promo code AUTOMATORS.

  • TextExpander, from Smile: Give your productivity a boost with TextExpander. Get 20% off your first year.

My Six Month Planning Wallpaper


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I talked about planning wallpaper recently on Focused. I’ve been doing this for a few months now and find it a good way for me to keep my big projects rolling. All of these items are already in my calendar. I know these dates in my head. I think about these plans all the time. Nevertheless, the reason I go to the trouble of putting this on my desktop is to give me a nudge when I need it most. As part of my monthly review process, I open the file, delete the past month, move the others around, and add a new month to the end so I’ve got an updated planning wallpaper heading into the new month. I have multiple monitors but just keep this on my iMac, center screen.

The quote at the top is from my friend, Merlin Mann on one of his podcasts. (I have no idea which one.) I first saw it in a wallpaper designed by Chase Reeves (but I can’t find it anymore). Regardless, it still inspires me when I’m feeling the resistance. Merlin does have a knack for words. I used a chisel because I felt that was the tool that best represents the sentiment. If you wanted to modernize it, a jackhammer could also work. Grin


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Several folks asked me to share the wallpaper so here is a version of it. I’ve included the OmniGraffle project below. If you spent a little time on it, you could recreate something like it with Preview, but it’d be more work. Rather than make this a full sized desktop wallpaper, this is actually much smaller. I just center it on the screen and then, on my Mac, match the background color of the rest of the desktop to match the background of the text. Enjoy.

Planning Wallpaper OmniGraffle File

1Password 7.3

AgileBits has released a nice update for 1Password for Mac that includes a redesigned 1Password mini and an improved new user interface that is focused on getting your information out of 1Password quickly and efficiently.

I also like that they are pushing into machine learning to analyze the web pages you’re on to in order to make the best suggestions for what items you’ll need to complete on that page. For instance, if you’re finally ready to make the commitment and buy those shoes in your cart, 1Password mini has your address and credit card information ready for you. And lastly, they’ve got an improved password generator.

Conquer Your World with OmniFocus – Sponsor



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This week MacSparky is sponsored by one of my favorite applications, OmniFocus. Grown up task management is the key to staying on top of your projects. These days we have more commitments than ever and we need powerful tools to stay on top. That is why I use OmniFocus. It is so much more than just a task manager with built in tools to manage project review and tags giving you so many ways to capture and manage your tasks.

The Omni Group even now has a web-based version that lets you access and modify your data from any computer with a web browser. I use this app every day. It is how I’m able to keep my act together. Do you need a little help? Try OmniFocus. I don’t know how I’d get by without it.

The iPad as Laptop Replacement, Continued

A few days ago, MKBHD posted a video explaining how he is using his iPad Pro with the beta iPadOS installation to replace his laptop. That has always been my play. I still use my iMac every day on my desk, but I like the idea of being able to work on the iPad when I go mobile. It is early days, and the beta is still a work in progress with many bugs, but I think this release is going to tip a lot of people toward the iPad as mobile device lifestyle. There a lot of reasons but two that particularly stand out are file management and the new Safari.

File Management

File Management using the latest operating system works a lot better. You can now create folders when you save files, and there are now multiple categories to sort and organize your files. While it’s not up to all of the features that you get with the Mac’s Finder, it has most of what you need. The new release does not address tags, so if that’s important to you, you may still need a laptop. However, for most garden-variety file management, the iPad is up to the task, although a bit slower.

The New Safari

I cannot understate the value of a desktop class browser on the iPad. With the installation of the beta, all of my trouble spots on the Internet that traditionally did not work on the iPad immediately started working. That includes Google Docs and Sheets, my banking website, Squarespace, and all the other fiddly sites I could never get to work on my iPad. Indeed, since installing the beta, I have yet to find a website that doesn’t work.

There’s a certain amount of delight that comes with using the iPad. That usually comes with a trade-off in that things may take slightly longer. Regardless, you will be able to get real work done on your iPad with this new release and you just may find it replacing your laptop come September.

Mac Power Users 489: Gear as a Motivator, with Tyler Stalman



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Tyler Stalman is a photographer, videographer, YouTuber, and small business owner alongside his wife Ania Boniecka. Oh, and he loves gear … maybe too much, as he confesses to Stephen and me on this week’s episode of Mac Power Users.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • SaneBox: Stop drowning in email!

  • The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.

  • Away: Thoughtful luggage for modern travel. Get $20 off a suitcase with promo code mpu.