Mac Power Users 604: Workflows with Jay Miller



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Jay Miller, from Relay’s new Conduit podcast, joins Stephen and me on the latest episode of Mac Power Users to share some knowledge about the best workflows for video meetings, getting more out of the emerging Craft app, and even more uses for a Mac mini.

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.

  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.

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

  • Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MPU to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.

TextExpander — Fuhgeddaboudit (Sponsor)



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This week’s sponsor at MacSparky is TextExpander. With TextExpander, you create snippets, whether it’s a word, a phrase, a sentence or longer. Once you save that snippet with a short abbreviation, you can, with few keystrokes rather than typing your snippet out, quickly insert the text you want anywhere you type. 

There are some words and phrases that I can’t get my fingers to type correctly, or I don’t remember the correct spelling or where the accent mark goes. With TextExpander at my fingertips, I never have to worry about this. For instance, I like saying, “Forget about it,” but what I really mean is, “Fuhgeddaboudit!” I cannot remember how to spell that. I use four keystrokes and TextExpender pops in the 14-letter word. I’m lucky that MacSparky’s worldwide, and sometimes, I like to say thanks back in another language. There’s a Thanks group in my TextExpander library so I never have to look that up since I just keep (and update) TextExpander snippets on how to say, “Thank you.” 감사합니다, TextExpander.

TextExpander helps you work faster and smarter so you can focus your time on your most important work. Get 20% off TextExpander and get ready to minimize effort and maximize productivity.

The New DraftTable

ElevationLab has put out a new and improved DraftTable for iPad Pro. I think a lot of iPad stands just aren’t sturdy and adjustable enough for an iPad Pro, and ElevationLab has thoughtfully engineered a stand for some of the different ways we use the iPad Pro. DraftTable V2 for iPad Pro has easy-to-adjust spring-loaded legs that lock open and closed, and an extra wide adjustment range. That means you can adjust your iPad Pro to the best position for what you need to get done without it moving or tipping over when you tap or draw on it. But that doesn’t mean the DraftTable is bulky or cumbersome. In fact, it neatly folds away so that it’s flat and easy to store and travel with.

They’ve also got a DraftTable V2 Pro Kit available that includes ArmRest, which lets you draw comfortably all day without fatigue, and a silicone PencilStand, which holds our Apple Pencil locks to your desk with air suction so you won’t knock it over. Try out this ergonomic iPad Pro stand to get the most out your iPad.

I purchased the V1 DraftTable and I still use it. It is a great way to use your iPad on your desk and I use mine all time.


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Focused on Timing


As I’ve been rethinking where the iPad fits in my life, I’ve been using a laptop a lot more for remote work lately. That sometimes surfaces new opportunities for me and one of those is improved time tracking with Timing. I’ve always run Timing in the background, but because I was doing so much work on iPad before, it wasn’t as useful to me. With the new order of things, Timing is now giving me incredibly accurate time tracking data without requiring me to push a button every time I context shift. I like that. I also really like Timing’s reporting functions.

Timing is out with some updates. To better reflects time entries, as opposed to tasks, “tasks” have been renamed to “time entries”, as that what is what this concept actually represents. They’ve cautioned that if you are using Timing’s AppleScript functionality, you might need to replace “task” with “time entry” and/or “timer” in your scripts. 

The other update is a web app update. Now you can include app usage in the Timing web app’s reports if you’re a Timing subscriber on the “Expert” or “Teams” plan. With this update, you can use the “App Usage” switch to include or exclude app usage from your reports.

If you spend a lot of time working behind a Mac and want zero-effort time tracking data, check out Timing.


Mac Power Users 603: Workin’ with iWork



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Starting with a pet project for Steve Jobs, all the way to a modern, web-infused set of applications across multiple platforms, iWork has expanded into a suite of tools more than capable of meeting almost anyone’s needs. This week on Mac Power Users, Stephen and I talk through Keynote, Pages and Numbers, giving tips and comparing them to office suites offered by other companies.

This episode of Mac Power Users is sponsored by:

  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.

  • Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MPU to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.

  • Electric: Stop stressing over scattered devices. Get a free pair of Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones when you schedule a meeting.

Automators 83: Home Automation 2.0



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In this episode of Automators, Rosemary and I dive into Rosemary’s updates to her home automation, smart locks, Home Assistant, and even a cute little robot mop.

This episode of Automators is sponsored by:

  • ExpressVPN: High-speed, secure and anonymous VPN service. Get an extra three months free.

  • Technology Untangled: Join Michael Bird as he untangles innovation through a series of interviews, stories, and analyses with some of the industry’s brightest brains.

  • Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.

Daylite pushes your productivity and profits to the Macs (Sponsor)



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Make no mistake, Daylite isn’t just a CRM tool, it’s a Mac CRM tool. It isn’t for everyone, it’s for us. It’s for Mac people. People who ‘get’ that thinking exclusively and holistically about small business is actually thinking big. 

Just like a Mac, Daylite is an intuitive way of instantly integrating your Apple calendar and Apple mail, reminders, notes, tasks and more. Online, offline, wherever, it’s completely shareable with any Mac user and accessible from any macOS or iOS device. Daylite allows you to minimize the juggling of accounts, tasks and projects while maximizing leads, customer relationships and profits.

At once, your small business has everything you and your team expect from a leading CRM tool while having the stress-relieving perks you’d only expect from a made-for-Mac app. Name one other CRM app with the productivity-boosting power to seamlessly work well with Apple integration. 

It’s Daylite. Learn more. 

GarageBand Updates and Utility

I’m late with this news, but Chance Miller from 9to5mac shared how GarageBand for iOS and iPadOS has been updated with all-new Sound Packs, Producer Packs, and Remix Sessions to include some of today’s top artists and producers. There aren’t just new sounds to play with but because you get to hear and play with isolated vocals, loops, beats, individual instruments, and samples, you can get as creative as you want to make your own music in GarageBand. I’m excited to play around in GarageBand and just hear what some of the fun and weird stuff I can come up with.

I continue to think that GarageBand is one of the most underrated Apple applications. It brings real powerful audio production tools to everyone presented in an understandable way. We used to produce Mac Power Users with GarageBand. I’d have killed for this software when I was a kid.