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Category Archive: Quick Tip

The Ultimate Guide to Apple Notes

Let's dive into what makes Notes so good. We’ll provide a few simple quick tips of things that make any Notes experience that much better, as well as the latest features coming to Notes in iOS 17. »

Setting up a “Calm Inbox” View for a Distraction Free Email

Whenever I launch the Mail app on my Mac, I’m presented with a completely blank inbox. This is not because of an Inbox Zero strategy. Rather, I can search for any specific emails I may be wanting to get to, or write a new email completely undistracted by whatever is in my inbox. »

Quick Tip: How to use sub-tasks in Notion

Notion is constantly coming out with new features, which as an avid user, I greatly appreciate. One of the most notable new features is sub-tasks and dependencies. This is a fantastic new feature for those who work on a team in Notion, making it an even stronger contender with Asana. The dependency feature lets you […] »

Customizing Trackpad Gestures in macOS Ventura

For a long time, you've been able to "hack" your own custom gestures using a tool like BetterTouchTool. But If you have a MacBook running macOS Ventura (or an equivalent desktop Mac with equipped with an Apple Magic Trackpad), there's a lot you can do out of the box beyond the basic right-click and swipe gestures you're probably familiar with. »

Quick Tip: Outlining in Obsidian

Another powerful use of Obsidian is as an outlining tool, but if you’re used to other outlining tools like Workflowy, or even Roam Research, outlining in Obsidian may feel a bit limited. However, there are a couple of plugins that will allow you to enhance the outline capabilities of Obsidian, and in this article, we’re going to show you how to set those up. And if you prefer to watch a short video instead, we’ve got you covered. »

Quick Tip: How to Share Directly to Glass from Lightroom on iPad

Just under a year ago, Glass launched on iPhone, offering a genuine photo sharing alternative to Instagram. Glass launched to much fanfare — many folks (including myself) vowed to kick Instagram to the curb in favor of a fresh new start on a new and stylish platform. »

Three Tips for Making Windows 11 in Parallels Seamless on a Mac

A colleague on The Sweet Setup team recently asked me a profound question related to Windows on the Mac — a question wherein I completely dropped the ball in answering. The question was simple: Why would a regular Mac user choose to work in Windows on a Mac instead of macOS?" Tough question. In short, compatibility. »

Launching Multiple Apps at Once with Bunch

At its heart, Bunch is an app launcher and quitter that uses plain text files to tell it what to do. It can do much more, so if you want to be super nerdy, you can get really deep into automating workspaces with Bunch. »

How to Add Custom Icons and Cover Images to Notion

One of the main things that attracted me to Notion was that it is a visual tool. I can add beautiful and inspiring images and awesome emojis that make me want to use Notion more. Looking at a pretty picture of a European coffee shop while also staring at a task list makes it more enjoyable for me. »

Taming Links on macOS with Open In

I recently came across a fantastic little utility called Open In that allows you to modify the default application for browser, email, and call links. Yes, there are other apps that have done this sort of thing in the past, but Open In is built for Apple Silicon and does a whole lot more than any other app like this that I've seen. »

Better macOS Emoji with Rocket

The Mac has long had a built-in emoji picker that you could access using a keyboard shortcut, but Rocket is a macOS emoji picker that makes typing emoji faster and easier by using Slack-style shortcuts. »

Using Shortcuts and Data Jar to Store and Share Multiple Links

For a lot of us, searching the web for information to support research, decision-making, or writing is a common task. I'm sure everyone has their own preferred method for collecting URLs for stuff they want to reference later or share, but I've been really happy with the two shortcuts that I put together for this purpose. »

Quick Tip: Writing Your Own PopClip Extension Snippets

PopClip is a text utility that I've learned to rely on when working from my Mac. It gives you an iOS-style bar above any text that you select, allowing you to instantly send it to another app using over 200 available extensions. Using PopClip, you can quickly add to-dos to your task manager, events to your calendar, and a whole lot more. »

Organizing Shortcuts Within Shortcuts to Reduce Duplication

By applying the atomic notes concept to Shortcuts, you can use common shortcut actions in other shortcuts so you don't have to copy and recreate these common actions manually. Running a shortcut from within a shortcut is a fantastic way of streamlining your shortcuts collection while also making it easier to maintain. »

How to Change the macOS Menu Bar Clock from Digital to Analog

There’s a state of mind called Flow where you are completely immersed in the activity you are doing. Everything else seems to fade away except the work you’re engaged in. The words seem to write themselves, complex problems become simple to solve, and you are completely uninhibited in doing your best creative work. This is […] »

Using Shortcuts to Rename, Resize, and Compress Images

Last week, Josh showed us how he uses DataJar to temporarily store images before uploading them to our CMS online. In that post, he alluded to a separate part of the shortcut that handles the renaming, resizing, and compression of these images. Today, we'll look at the steps to do this with your own shortcut. »

Building a Core Values Widget Using Widgetsmith

The first things we learn about in Focus Course Academy is the importance of values. Our values should guide the decisions we make and be the filter we need to say yes to the right things and no to the wrong things. And so, one of the initial (and, frankly, one of the more difficult) exercises we go through in the Focus Course Academy is to distill our individual values down to just two Core Values. »

How to Use Live Text on Your Mac in macOS Monterey

Imagine seeing text somewhere in the real world and being able to easily share it digitally. That's exactly what Live Text allows you to do. Whether it's a handwritten note, writing on a whiteboard, or a printed sign, Live Text allows you to snap a photo and turn the text into a digital version that can be easily pasted into any application. »

Using Shortcuts to Quickly Email Links to Someone

There are certainly an endless supply of powerful and impressive Shortcuts out there for iOS, but that doesn't mean they all have to be that large or ambitious in scope. Shortcuts is just as useful for small, tedious tasks that only cut out a few taps from a workflow. One of the shortcuts I use every day is a simple Email link to spouse flow that simply formats the current webpage link into a pre-addressed email for me to send. »

How to Install Custom Fonts on iOS Using AnyFont

I've fallen in love with my new iPad mini and am trying to use it for just about everything. I even used it to edit the slide deck I used for the creativity workshop I hosted a few weeks ago. But when I first opened my Keynote file, I was greeted with a long list of missing fonts. »

Setting Up a macOS Hyper Key Using BetterTouchTool

If you're like me, you probably love using keyboard shortcuts to speed things up on your Mac using automation tools, but you probably also have trouble creating keyboard shortcuts that don't conflict with the built-in ones that ship with macOS. This is where the concept of a hyper key comes in. »

How to Run Shortcuts From the Menu Bar

Shortcuts debuted in Monterey after a few years of baking in iOS and iPadOS. Automator workflows will be convertible to operate inside Shortcuts, and iOS and iPadOS shortcuts will be operable on a Mac. »

How to Quickly Tag Notes in Notes for iPadOS 15

Tags are present throughout the best apps on the App Store and work great for high-level organization and structure. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Apple’s introduction of tags to iPadOS 15’s Notes app is met with widespread excitement. »

Global Keyboard Shortcuts for Multitasking in iPadOS 15

The Globe key is going to get a workout in iPadOS 15. If you really want to take advantage of all the iPad’s greatest features, an external keyboard and the Globe key are going to unlock a new level of ease. »

How to Create Multiple App Icons in iPadOS 15

iPadOS 15’s big widgets and focused home screens provide the chance to dial in specific home screens for specific uses, and the ability to create multiple instances of an app is key to these focused home screens working properly. »

Quick Tip: Changing the Theme in Obsidian

The appearance of the interface is controllable by CSS code, but fortunately you don’t need to be a web developer in order to customize the look and feel of Obsidian using Community Themes. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to install and use a new theme in Obsidian. And if you prefer to […] »

Quick Capture with Drafts

Drafts is one of my most frequently used apps. It was designed for capturing text so you can do something with it. Over the years it's evolved, becoming more powerful and more flexible. This has lead me to use it more and more because it's incredibly easy to capture my data, and the processing options are endless. »

How to Set Up VIP Notifications in Apple Mail

It doesn’t take long for an email inbox to overflow, does it? If you’re like most people and leave notifications enabled for every new message, you’ll quickly find yourself frustrated by the number of times these notifications interrupt your focus. Luckily, Apple Mail allows you to designate certain contacts as VIPs, which gives you two […] »

How to Use Folding & Focus Mode in MindNode

If you work with large mind maps frequently, you’ve probably already experienced how overwhelming things can become as your mind map continues to grow. Fortunately, MindNode has a couple of features which make it a lot easier to focus on only the sections you want to see. Folding Nodes Folding a node hides all the […] »

iOS 14.3 Home Screen and Shortcuts Improvements

Since iOS 14 released we’ve seen more and more people try customizing their Home Screens. Whether they take a more widget based approach or replace individual app icons (or a combination of the two), it seems the world has gone custom Home Screen mad. With a custom Home Screen, you can change the icon for […] »

Twitter, But Without the Timeline

I've tried to "quit" Twitter a number of times over the last few years. The experiment generally lasted a week (often shorter) and resulted in my return. That return often led me to dig my heels in even deeper. A month ago, I tried again. In the month since, I haven't yet scrolled through my Twitter timeline. Something is different this time around. »

How to Change the Default Mail App in iOS 14

iOS 14 has brought us many changes, from folders in Shortcuts to widgets on the home screen. But one of the features that has long been asked for is the ability to change the default app used for email. »

Using Apple Watch Faces to Simplify Your Day

The Apple Watch is a wonderful device that literally goes almost everywhere with us. It allows us to track our workouts, control our music, keep on top of our task management, remember meetings, and much more. But all of that on a screen that's at most 44mm? That's a challenge. »

Using Shortcuts & Streaks to Build Systems and Habits

Building up new systems and habits can be really hard work — especially when there are so many other things to do that we enjoy! But a little bit of automation and a few apps can really go a long way to helping you set yourself up for success. »

Shopping Quickly with Drafts

As much as I do enjoy shopping, I've never wanted to spend hours aimlessly wandering around the supermarket. Over the years, I've honed my skills and automations to enable me to get organized beforehand so I can get in and out of the store as quickly as possible! »

How to Update Your 1Password Entries in Keychain on iOS

If, like me, you've taken some time over the last week or two to update some of your usernames and passwords in 1Password, you might have noticed that the suggestions on iOS are showing the wrong username or email address. But when you go to fill it, the information is correct. So, what gives? »

Customize Suggested Replies on Apple Watch

Did you know that you can customize the quick replies on watchOS? It's useful to set up so you can both replace the current replies to suit your way of talking, as well as add your own replies for things you frequently say. »

How to Enable Type to Siri

Siri is a very useful personal assistant, but there are times when we don't want to or aren't able to talk. It might be as minor as having a sore throat or a day of meetings, or it could be a disability. Thankfully, Apple has thought ahead and allows you to change the voice assistant into a keyboard assistant! »

How to Scan a QR Code on iOS

QR codes are everywhere nowadays, from rental bikes to trains, posters, and more. Once upon a time in iOS, you had to download and open an app to scan a QR code, but a few years ago Apple integrated it into the camera app to make life easier for all of us! »

How to Make Fancy Screenshots with Picsew

You've probably seen screenshots all over the web with an iPad or iPhone frame around them, and you may even have a Shortcut that can do that, but there's a new app in town that can tidy up your screenshots for you, and it's called Picsew. »

How to Get Directions to a Calendar Event on Apple Watch

Our Apple Watches are becoming more and more useful, and one of the great ways they do that is by giving us directions. It's even possible to get directions to a specific event right on your watch - without invoking Siri! »

Creating a Custom Alfred Theme

While there are a ton of features that factor into us selecting Alfred as our favorite app launcher for the Mac, one of our more whimsical favorites is the ability to change the appearance by creating a custom theme. This is a paid feature that is part of the Alfred Powerpack, a worthwhile upgrade that […] »

How to Share Podcast Clips With Overcast

With a recent update to Overcast, you can now easily share podcast clips on social media or other forms of communication, along with a link to the podcast. »

How to Set Up and Use Hot Corners on macOS

Hot Corners has been a feature of macOS and OS X for many years, so it's easy to forget that this simple yet powerful feature can still improve your workflows today. »

How to Use the Measure App on Your iPhone

With iOS 12, Apple introduced a measuring app that uses augmented reality to measure the distance between two points in space, and it's really easy to use. »

Using CARROT Weather with Shortcuts and Siri

With a recent update, CARROT Weather now support Shortcuts and Siri, meaning you can create a Shortcut that enables your favorite robot to dictate the latest forecast to you. »

Using the Day One Activity Feed for Easier, Faster Entries

As any long-time reader of this site will know, I am a huge fan of the app, Day One. A few years ago we had written a pretty great guide to Day One, and right now we’re wrapping up some HUGE updates to that guide. (More on that in a bit.) As part of our […] »

Holiday tech tips for 2017

Here are some of our favorite tips for being prepared to answer tech questions over the holiday season. »

iOS 11: How to use the Files app

The new Files app in iOS 11 makes it easy to move and manipulate files and folders across all compatible directory services. »

How to speed up your initial Backblaze upload

Backblaze is the best cloud backup service for macOS. I’ve been using it for a number of years, and it’s the best $50 per year that you can spend. When you install Backblaze onto your computer, it runs in the background and you never have to think about it again. It starts by backing up […] »

Bethany Stephens’ Mac and iOS setup

Bethany Stephens is a marketer and writer who lives in Arkansas with her family, and also writes a few of her own websites in her spare time. »

How to allow individual contacts to bypass Do Not Disturb in iOS 10

One of the new features of iOS 10 is Emergency Bypass. I am a big huge fan of Do Not Disturb on iOS, and Emergency Bypass makes it that much better. I first heard about this feature from Katie Floyd, and it’s something I immediately activated for a few people. In the Do Not Disturb […] »

How to roll back an iOS device from an iOS 10 beta

Over the summer, a lot of us like to “test” the iOS betas. This summer is no different. With betas of iOS 10 out currently, it’s always fun to test out the latest and greatest. What’s not fun is regretting it. I tried the iOS 10 beta for a few days, but I realized that […] »

Quick Tip: Manually create a backup of your Health.app data

The data from Health.app used to be something I didn’t think about too much. Once I got Apple Watch, that all changed. I’m feeding a ton of exercise data into it and also calorie data from MyFitnessPal. This data is backed up to iCloud and synced between devices. If you’re not using iCloud, you can […] »

Remove InstallMac from your Macs

InstallMac is a piece of software that ends up on a Mac without permission, but there's a pretty straight-forward fix to remove it. »

Quick Tip: Learn more about your Mac

OS X ships with multiple tools to learn more about your hardware and the software running on it, all stashed behind the Apple menu bar item. »

Quick tip: Manage iCloud storage

Apple’s iCloud offers users a full suite of services but the company only gives its customers 5 GB of storage space for free. Thankfully, it's easy to keep an eye on things. »

Quick Tip: How to set up an Apple TV with an iOS 7 device

The Apple TV is one of our favorite Apple products. For $99, it adds Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube and more to your TV, not to mention services like Flickr, iCloud photos and (of course) the magic of AirPlay. My biggest complaint about the Apple TV, however, is the remote. While the 4-way directional pad is […] »

Quick Tip: How to restore an iOS device to factory settings

As with all types of computers and devices, iOS devices should be restored to factory settings when changing owners. This not only ensures all personal data on the device is gone, but that the new owner is off to a fresh start with their “new” device. »

Quick Tip: Using Tabs in Finder

With OS X Mavericks, Apple added Safari-like tabs to Finder, making it easier to deal with things while working with multiple folders. Here are some quick tips to make Tabs a little more manageable. »

Quick Tip: Easily Disable OS X Notifications

Notification Center is an all-in-one place for incoming iMessages, tweets, emails, and more. Here's how to keep notifications out of sight when you don't want them. »