I’m a fan of the new Sonoma Desktop Widgets. However, I also make a living making screencasts and having all those widgets on screen can sometimes be a pain. There is a setting you can toggle under the Desktop & Dock settings: The problem with this, of course, is that it’s a pain in the... Continue reading →

As you get better at making automated tools for your Mac, you’ll realize how scarce unique key combinations become as your number of keyboard-triggered automations increases. That’s where the Hyper Key comes in. This video explains what the Hyper Key is, how to set it up, and how to use it. 00:00 - Intro 00:42 - What is the Hyper Key? 01:57 - Programming Hyper Key 03:38 - Using the Hyper Key 04:41 - In Conclusion Geek Meter – 1 You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to create a Hyper Key with BetterTouchTool. BetterTouchTool https://folivora.ai Karabiner-Elements https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬MacSparky Links▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ The Blog https://www.macsparky.com The MacSparky Field Guides https://learn.macsparky.com The MacSparky Labs https://www.macsparky.com/join/ The Mac Power Users Podcast https://www.relay.fm/mpu The Automators Podcast https://www.relay.fm/automators The Focused Podcast https://www.relay.fm/focused The Newsletter https://sparky-media-inc.ck.page/2eb4ea7041 MacSparky on Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@macsparky MacSparky on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/macsparky/

With help from several Labs members, I’ve completed my camera cart build. Now it’s time for a walkthrough video.00:02 - Intro00:14 - Cart Overview00:51 - Car...

I’ve spent too much time complaining about Siri lately. That’s not because Siri doesn’t deserve criticism (it does!) but because my job is to help you get the most out of this stuff, even when the underlying tech could be better. So I’m going to do a series of videos explaining some of my favorite... Continue reading →

In this 90-minute webinar, TextExpander’s Josh Centers joins us to discuss power tips for using TextExpander, snippet maintenance and optimization, and using TextExpander when forming ChapGPT prompts.

Here's a walkthrough of how I'm using my Stream Deck with OmniFocus. I also share some interesting OmniFocus Automation tools.Enjoy!▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Links from Vide...

Here's a walkthrough of how I'm using my Stream Deck with OmniFocus. I also share some interesting OmniFocus Automation tools.Enjoy!▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Links from Vide...

A lot of folks have been asking me about HazeOver since I recently talked about it on the Mac Power Users. Here's a walkthrough on how the app works and how ...

Here's a video of me constructing a Shortcut that uses Calendar, Mail, and Reminders to create a meeting setup Shortcut. I walk through the construction proc...

Last year I made a complicated automation to create a new document on the Grammarly website. Now that is much easier with one magic URL.▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬MacSparky L...

I've been using a new technique in OmniFocus with checklist-based perspectives, and it greatly simplifies the chaos. Here's how I do it. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬MacSparky Links▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ The Blog https://www.macsparky.com The MacSparky Field Guides https://learn.macsparky.com The MacSparky Labs https://www.macsparky.com/join/ The Mac Power Users Podcast https://www.relay.fm/mpu The Automators Podcast https://www.relay.fm/automators The Focused Podcast https://www.relay.fm/focused The Newsletter https://sparky-media-inc.ck.page/2eb4ea7041 MacSparky on Twitter https://twitter.com/MacSparky MacSparky on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/macsparky/

Using calendar sets can really up your game, but setting them up takes time, so you’re less likely to use them. The good news is that you can easily automate them with Shortcuts. This video shows you how. Links from VideoFantastical Downloadable ShortcutsQuarterly Planning Monthly Operations

Several Labs Members are struggling with a reliable way to trigger Shortcuts from a Stream Deck. This video covers the easiest (and most reliable) way of doing so. Chapters Markers0:00 Introduction0:18 Working solution for loading Stream Deck apps0:49 Adding an app to Stream Deck from scratch1:19 Add app to dock2:31 Adding an image to a button... Continue reading →

I’ve been working on the RSS Feeds. Now there are three of them. The Main RSS Feed This feed gets you everything. It includes the MacSparky Labs posts as well, but you’ll only see content in those posts matching up with your membership level. The Main Feed Without MacSparky Labs Posts I publish a lot... Continue reading →

This MacSparky Labs Content is for all Labs Members (Levels 2-3) In a recent episode of Mac Power Users, I explained why I like the automatic time tracking I get with the Timing App. I’ve decided to make this my exclusive time tracking app as an experiment and in this video, I share how I’m... Continue reading →

On this week’s episode of Mac Power Users, the topic of HEIC vs. JPG images came up. Sometimes you’ll end up with an HEIC image on your Mac that you want to upload or otherwise share with someplace that only accepts JPGs. So I made a simple Quick Action in Shortcuts to do the conversion.... Continue reading →

I'm starting a new series where I'll be looking at some of the most popular task managers. Before getting started, however, here's a look at how I'm currentl...

I've decided to build a dedicated space for MacSparky Studios. Here's the explanation and the initial plans. This also turned into a bit of a screencast on h...

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Links from Video▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬Pixelmatorhttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/pixelmator/id924695435?ign-mpt=uo%3D4▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬MacSparky Links▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬The Blogh...

Charty puts together two things I love: visual representations and Shortcuts. Specifically, Charty allows you to create charts directly from Apple's Shortcuts app. And now they’re out with an update. With Charty 1.4 comes not only an updated UI and more customization options for widgets, but also

I think a lot of people are underutilizing links. Lately, I have been working with contextual computing and the idea that you can go from idea to action on your computer with the least amount of friction. For example, if you need to access your task list for a specific project and open your task man

Lately, I have been corresponding with some OmniFocus Field Guide customers, and it reminds me that a lot of people have not given enough thought into how they create tasks. Whether you use a tool such as OmniFocus or a napkin to write down your tasks, there are a few ways to make it easier on you

Turning Humans into Digital Ninjas