I do a lot of searching directly from the address bar in whatever browser I happen to be in (usually Safari), so anything to make that process faster would be super swell. A while back, I learned about the Safari Keyword Search Extension from Six Colors, and decided to give it a try. It is incredible! Oh, and as of iOS 15, it works on iPhone and iPad too!
Over the last week or so I’ve been experimenting with Craft for writing. Scripts, Twitter threads, podcast episodes, and blog posts have all made their way into a new space I created explicitly for writing.
One of the tenants of the No Spend Month my wife and I are doing is decluttering. We’re going through all of our stuff and donating what we don’t need. We’ve already gotten rid of bags of clothes, hundreds of DVDs, lots of books, and toys.
See, those who knew me growing up might be shocked by this, but I hate clutter. If I have a lot of stuff around me I can’t focus. The same thing goes for my digital space. Too many notifications, badges, and messages gives be agita; so I try to keep my devices clean. I have no badges turn on except missed calls and overdue tasks. Very few apps have notifications. I have a focus mode where only my wife can send notifications to my phone.
And I keep my email at near inbox zero at all times. Here’s how.
I recently updated my post about how I’m automating my business, using tools like Shortcuts, Zapier, Keyboard Maestro, and Hazel. Check it out!
I love to automate everything. Sometimes it’s overkill. But it usually results in some cool things. With Shortcuts being available on the Mac now, for example, I can push a button on my Stream Deck, set the lighting in my office for recording, put my phone into the Recording Focus Mode, and set my “podcast recording”timer in Toggl.
But this isn’t about any of that1. This is about a general home automation device. The best one I’ve seen all year: the Lutron Aurora Smart Bulb Dimmer Switch.
A few weeks ago In my newsletter, I talked about how I’m considering switching to SavvyCal over Calendly. There are a lot of great features to like about SavvyCal, including how calendar overlays work, one-off links, reusable hours, and recurring time blocks based on calendar events.
Plus with teams, you can do “round robin” scheduling, allowing you to easily combine multiple people’s availability – something that while SavvyCal requires a team account for, Calendly doesn’t offer at all. But I’m not quite ready to switch yet. Here’s why.
(more…)Perhaps one of the more iconic scenes from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) is the trash compactor scene. It’s the first real trouble our heroes are in together. The first time they need to work together (and wait for their robots to save them).
If you’re unfamiliar, Leia, Luke, Han, and Chewie fall into a trash compactor (garbage masher) and the walls are quickly closing in on them; despite their best efforts, nothing they do can stop the walls from closing in. OH and there’s a monster (a dianoga) that nearly eats Luke. They escape when R2-D2 (and the behest of C-3PO) turns it off and opens the door.
Getting a lot of client work can kind of feel that way – especially if you’re a small shop. You take on too much work, and now the walls are closing in on you. Luckily, we also have robots who can save us, through automation.
(more…)As a guy who makes his living mostly from recording podcasts and videos, it can be frustrating when my family, who’s mostly stuck at home due to a pandemic, comes into my office while I’m recording, or decides to make the most noise right outside my door. I don’t blame them for this. You do what you can to keep 2 small children entertained. But I also wanted to solve the problem as much as I could.
In fact, I’m sure with many now working primarily from home, a silent but noticeable signal that you’re in a meeting would also go a long way. This is a project I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and last week I finally made a smart on-air light for when I’m recording or meeting.
(more…)Earlier this week in my Favorites of 2020 post, I bestowed the dubious honor of favorite gadget upon the Elgato Stream Deck. I love automation, and the flexibility of this bad boy to control not only aspects of my computer, but aspects of my home, is fantastic.
Well I recently picked up the Stream Deck XL and have a few extra buttons to play with now. One thing I thought would be interesting is to launch a specific note in Bear Notes. Turns out you can totally do that! Here’s how.
(more…)Podcasting is a time consuming effort, which is why many podcasts fall victim to the dreaded podfade1. It can sometimes feel like you need a herculean effort to get it all done. Come up with topics, find and book guests, coordinate schedules, do the tech checks, record, post production, then publishing and promoting. That’s why putting a process in place and moving things off of your plate is a must. Here are 4 tasks you can take off your plate thanks to automation.
(more…)(and use it to your advantage instead)
Join hundreds of business owners who are building simple, powerful systems through automation.