In a world of distraction, focus is hard. But that doesn't mean we should fight to protect our attention. In this post, I want to share some tips for staying focused — and what to do when the inevitable distractions come. »

I’ve tried just about every time blocking method out there. I’ve done it Fantastical (my calendar app of choice), followed Shawn in planning my day using GoodNotes on my iPad using a custom template, experimented with time blocking in Obsidian, even crafted my own analog bullet-journal-based hybrid productivity system. For the past 6 months or […] »

I've been a heavy user of Do Not Disturb as a way of eliminating distractions on my Mac and iOS devices for a long time. But if you don't want to completely block the outside world, the Focus modes feature built into macOS & iOS is surprisingly powerful. »

I love me some Obsidian, but one of Obsidian's weak spots has always been it's Shortcuts support (or lack thereof). That's where Actions for Obsidian comes in. »

Like Josh, Matt, and Jeff did previously, today I'm going to share a handful of my favorite productivity apps that are essential for how I work. »

Interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) has exploded in recent months, due in large part to the popularity of ChatGPT. While the technology is still evolving, there's no denying the impact that it's already having on the world around us. In this article, we're going to look at how to leverage AI to boost both productivity and creativity. »

When it comes to a lack of clarity, the solution is to take the time to get clear on what matters so you can stop spending valuable time spinning your wheels. One of the ways to help you get clarity is to understand how information flows into and out of your productivity system. So in this post, we're going talk about crafting your productivity workflow so that you can handle anything life throws at you. »

I've been spending time playing with infinite canvas apps lately, and there are a lot of great options available. In this article, we'll compare and contrast the features of each of these apps to help you choose the one that best fits your needs. »

RSS has been an important part of information workflows for many years, but read-it-later apps (and the RSS services many of them are based on) desperately need some inspiration and innovation. Enter Readwise Reader, an app that attempts to combine your RSS, newsletters, web highlights, and more into a single location. »

A while back, I reviewed the reMarkable e-ink tablet. There's a lot to like about this incredibly thin tablet: it's thin and light, has incredible battery life, and offers a great writing experience for a digital tablet. But the software was lacking, and I found myself consistently bumping up against the limitations of the device in frustrating ways. »

There are a million habit-tracking apps out there. But almost all of them are built on some form of the idea, “Don’t break the chain.” The basic idea is that when you consistently show and take action, you create a lot of momentum toward creating positive change. And that makes a lot of sense. But […] »

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. »

I recently came across an app called Book Tracker that helps you catalog your library and manage your reading list. As a Bookworm myself, I had to give it a try. »

When I first started using Obsidian, I expected it would help me make connections between my notes and inspire new ideas. But over the last 12 months I've been using the app, I have also fallen in love with it as a writing tool. »

Task managers are great for helping you to remember to take action on your important projects, but what about the little reminders that pop throughout the day? Often creating a task for something you have to do later in the day feels cumbersome. So often, we skip capturing that thought when we have it — and then forget to do it later. »

With so many excellent task management apps to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one is the best fit. We've compared the top three productivity apps to help you decide. »

Earlier this year, I attended the Macstock Conference & Expo where I saw Mike Rose share about a few tools to give better live software demos. One of the apps he mentioned was an app called Mouseposé, a simple macOS utility by Boinx software that I had somehow never come across before. »

I recently re-read (listened?) the Audible Original How To Train Your Mind by Chris Bailey about the productivity benefits of mindfulness meditation. The short version is that you gain back an average of 7 minutes for each minute you spend meditating. This obviously only works up until a certain point, but this statistic has rekindled my motivation to make mindfulness meditation a regular practice again. »

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. »

The Elgato Stream Deck is a USB peripheral that gives you a grid of customizable buttons that you can assign to actions on your computer, like controlling Hue lights or muting your audio in Zoom. You can assign individual actions to physical buttons, and an LCD display allows you to customize the appearance of each button with an icon or text that you specify. So instead of trying to perform finger gymnastics to hit the right keyboard shortcut in the middle of a video call, you can just press a physical button instead. »

Alfred version 5 is the first major update to Alfred since May of 2019. And while on the surface it may not look like there's a whole lot new, the Workflow editor has been completely rewritten from the ground up. This improves on the flagship feature of Alfred (the custom workflows) in almost every way, making them faster, more efficient, and (most importantly) more user-friendly. »

The Opal C1 tries to give you the best of both worlds: DSLR-like quality without the complexity at a fraction of the price. »

I had heard of the Light Phone before and was intrigued by the idea, but I write so much about iOS apps that I just couldn’t justify making the switch. But recently, my son turned 13 and we needed a way to stay in contact with him so he could reach us in case of […] »

One additional aspect of task management, which we have yet to talk about in Obsidian, is the ability to trigger system-wide notifications on your Mac, which can take you straight to the task that you need to complete. This works exactly like any other notification that you might get from a dedicated task management app like OmniFocus or Things. But it's pretty cool that you can set this up inside of Obsidian and combine it with the Obsidian Tasks plugin to create these notifications and even mark things as complete from Notification Center on your Mac. »

Another essential component of a lot of dedicated task management apps is some sort of review functionality that can help you facilitate a Getting Things Done (or GTD) style weekly review. And this is just where you look at a project like this Obsidian task management project where I have all of these different tasks associated with the different videos in this series, and make sure that everything is up to date and correct. »

In this video, we're going to expound on the foundation of task management basics and show you how to create queries that allow you to look through your entire Obsidian vault and return only the tasks that meet certain criteria. »

Obsidian ships with some basic support for task management, making it a great option for creating a digital bullet journal. But in this video, we're going to show you how to take those task management capabilities to the next level with a couple of additional plugins. »

When I first saw the reMarkable 2, I immediately saw the appeal from a mindfulness perspective. In this Mindfulness Monday post, I consider the pros and cons of "the world's thinnest tablet." »

Obsidian is a great place to take and keep your notes, but by adding a Home note that acts as a dashboard, you can really transform it into a productivity hub. And in this video, that's what I'm going to show you how to do. »

I’ve used the built-in macOS keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots for years, but cleaning up screenshots can be a pain — especially if you have a messy desktop. Enter CleanShot X — a simple utility that offers several tools to make taking screenshots on the Mac easier than ever. The Quick Access Overlay Once you […] »

A lot has changed in the last year or so since we first published our side-by-side comparison of Obsidian and Roam Research. So we went back and updated everything to reflect the major changes in the apps. »

While there are lots of apps doing lots of interesting things with notes right now, by far the two most popular options are Roam Research and Obsidian. In this article, we're going to compare these two connected note-takers and help you choose the right one. »

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. »

This post is a video lesson from the Workflows module of our Mastering Mindmaps course. In this video, Mike Schmitz shows you how how he takes notes from books that he reads in MindNode. »

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. »

This is a free video lesson from our Simple Habits course In this video, we’re going to take a look at the mechanics of habits and explain how they work, then show you a way to use this in order to replace negative habits with positive ones. All habits follow the same four-step pattern: Trigger […] »

Obsidian version 13 introduced a new editor engine that allows WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) text editing called Live Preview. It's a pretty big update, and in this video, we walk you through how to set it up and how it works. »

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. »

Matter is a Read-It-Later service that integrates really well into Obsidian. So if you like to collect your newsletters, RSS feeds, and even Twitter threads into Matter, you can sync your digital highlights and notes into Obsidian using the official Matter Obsidian plugin. »

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 […] »

A while back, we surveyed hundreds of people about their biggest obstacles when it comes to creativity. The thing that we kept hearing over and over again was , "I don't know what to do with all these bits and pieces." »

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. »

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. »

When it was announced during the September iPhone event, I immediately thought that the sixth-generation iPad mini was the star of the show. New iPhones are cool and all, but this iPad mini seemed like it was tailor-made for how I was (and wasn't) using my iPad Pro. I ordered one before the end of the event, and having used it for a month now, I have to say this is by far the most fun I've ever had with an iPad. »

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. »

Last week, I presented a paid workshop here on The Sweet Setup called Your Creative Flywheel. In the workshop, I walked through the process that I use for creating (I call it The Creativity Flywheel). Here's a quick recap. »

Affirmations is a simple app with a singular purpose — to provide compliments and reminders to help make self-care a little easier. »

One of my favorite uses for my new iPad mini is taking sketchnotes with my Apple Pencil. There are several options available, but GoodNotes is my preferred app for this. »

Obsidian has some basic support for tasks built in. But if you rely on notifications for when to do what, then you're going to need a dedicated task manager. Fortunately, there's a Todoist plugin for Obsidian that allows you to have the best of both worlds — you can capture tasks into Todoist directly and get notified on your devices when it's time to do a task, but you can also embed those tasks into an Obsidian document so you can associate them with a particular project. In this video, I'm going to show you how to use the Todoist Sync community plugin to embed tasks using Todoist's filters in Obsidian. »

Obsidian is great at a lot of things, but quick-capturing text is not one of them. I prefer to quick-capture my text in Drafts and then send it to Obsidian using Drafts Actions. »

Obsidian is a great place to do your digital journaling, thanks to the Daily Notes core plugin. But with the addition of the QuickAdd Community plugin, you can quickly capture journal entries into specific categories using the Command Palette. In this video, I walk you through how to set everything up and use it for daily journaling. »

I wrote previously about my video setup and mentioned that I had a couple of LED lights I used to improve the background lighting and eliminate shadows for my video. They're pretty basic, but you can adjust the color with an included remote. I used it initially to set the color where I wanted it, and now just use it to turn the lights on and off individually. But I've always been slightly bothered that I didn't have a way to control them all with the press of a single button from my Stream Deck »

Obsidian is a great place to practice time blocking because you can link your time-blocked schedule to your daily note. In this video, we're going to walk you through how to set up time blocking in Obsidian using the Daily Notes Core plugin, and the Day Planner Community plugin. »

Alfred recently got an update to version 4.5. This update is a pretty big one, adding a Powerpack feature called Universal Actions which allows you to take text, URLs, or files and perform actions on them directly using a dedicated Alfred Universal Action hotkey. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, Nick Milo of Linking Your Thinking joins us to talk about note-making, idea emergence, the hold of the screen, and breaking free of rigid systems Meet Nick Milo Nick Milo is the creator of the Linking Your Thinking YouTube Channel, where he makes a lot of helpful videos about using […] »

Obsidian is a great place to keep meeting notes. But there are a couple of best practices, which can make your meeting notes more effective. In this video, we walk you through setting up a meeting notes template and how to use it in Obsidian If you prefer the written version, read on. Setting Up […] »

I've been using Obsidian as my writing app for the past several months, and I absolutely love it. In addition to giving me a great Markdown writing environment, the community plugins allow me to craft my ideal system for tracking my writing tasks well. In this article, I walk through my system and the plugins I use to manage writing projects in Obsidian. »

One of the most powerful features of an app like Obsidian is the ability to make connections between the notes that are in your library. »

We’ve written quite a bit about using Obsidian to manage notes and ideas over the last couple of months. We’re even hosting a workshop on getting up and running with it TOMORROW. But today the Obsidian team released the Obsidian mobile app, giving you all the power of the desktop application on your iOS or […] »

One of the key things you need to understand about Obsidian if you really want to make the most of it is the concept of atomic note-taking. The basic idea is to break down your notes into the smallest possible pieces, which allow them to be linked together and makes them visible inside the Local […] »

Obsidian is great for Mac nerds like me who like to do everything from their keyboard. In this video, we’ll show you how to access commands from the Command Palette and set custom hotkeys for triggering commands using keyboard shortcuts. And if you prefer the step-by-step written version, read on. The Command Palette There are […] »

Dataview is an incredibly powerful plugin that allows you to filter data in your Obsidian vault in a lot of really cool ways. In this post, I’m going to show you how I use it to create a table of book ratings from YAML metadata. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Here’s […] »

Templates in Obsidian are a great way to jumpstart creating a new note. In this post, we’re going to show you how to set up and use a couple of different types of templates in Obsidian. If you’d like to see it in action, here’s a short video from our upcoming PKM course: If you […] »

Obsidian is a phenomenal notes app, but with a few free community plugins installed, it can become pretty much whatever you want it to be. In this article, we're going to show you how to install community plugins if you're not familiar with the process and share some of our favorites. »

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 […] »

Readwise is a (subscription-based) web service that lets you save highlighted text from digital books, web articles, and even Read-It-Later services like Instapaper and Pocket. You can review your notes and highlights inside of the Readwise service, but you can also connect your Readwise account to PKM apps like Roam and Obsidian. »

Timery (our pick for the best time tracking app) was just updated to version 1.2. The iOS version received some nice additions, like time entry suggestions, global keyboard shortcuts to start and stop timers, multi-window support, duration rounding, and a sidebar on the iPad. But the real star of the show in our opinion is […] »

I've been thinking a lot about Personal Knowledge Management lately and the path information takes as it enters and exits my PKM system, and I've noticed that information tends to fall into one of three buckets »

The promise of apps like Obsidian and Roam Research is to give you a tool for connected note-taking. With this approach, you can see the commonalities between your thoughts as your notes bump up against one another, allowing you to see connections and discover new insights. These connections are usually represented in some sort of Graph View, which can look like a complex spiderweb of notes and ideas. »

One of the things I love about Obsidian is that it offers support for callback URLs. For example, you could include a link to a specific note inside of a task in Things or a link to an email message from your Daily Notes in Obsidian. In this article, I'll show you a couple of ways you can connect things in Obsidian to other apps. »

Drafts has long been the place that text starts on my iOS device. But lately I've been doing a lot more in Obsidian, and was looking for a way to get that text into Obsidian easily when I was done. While this is pretty straightforward using a cloud service like Dropbox to sync your vault, I then began wondering if I could do something more than just dump my text files into a synced folder. »

Here at The Sweet Setup, we have been finding, testing, using, reviewing, and picking the best apps since 2013. And there are certain app picks that require a bit of nuance to be considered the best, such as email apps, note-taking apps, and task management apps… For these categories, there are many excellent options, and different […] »

I'm a big fan of the mindfulness I gain from journaling, but have been searching for years for the perfect set of prompts that could completely eliminate the friction from my daily journaling workflow. I've tried many different prompts (and many different apps) over the years, but have settled on a practice called Daily Questions which has just clicked for me. In this post, I'm going to share how I implement my Daily Questions inside of Obsidian. »

This is a video lesson from the Time Blocking module in our Simple Time Management course. Downloads:Timeblocking Cheatsheet (PDF) »Daily planner template (PDF) » In this video, we’re going to dive in and create a time blocked plan for our day. I’ll walk you through it by planning my day so you can see how […] »

David Smith (of Widgetsmith fame) just publicly released a great mindfulness app with an incredible backstory. It’s called Ian’s Awesome Counter, and was originally developed for and with his son to help manage his attention. The app is pretty genius in its simplicity. You just respond to a simple prompt at each time interval and […] »

This is a video lesson from the new Time Tracking module in our Simple Time Management course. It’s 20% off during launch week. In this video, I’m going to show you how you can use Timery on iOS to set up a time tracking dashboard using widgets in iOS, which can not only make it […] »

A cool-looking physical object that can add a bit of whimsy to your time tracking workflow. »

Tomorrow… Tuesday, 06 April… at 1pm Central Time… We are hosting a free webinar to help you beat procrastination and buy back your time using the practice of time budgeting. Time budgeting is the practice of giving every hour a job, then measuring how well you were able to stick to your plan. In this […] »

Have you ever had that feeling where you are completely stressed out because you have so much to do, but you don't even know where to begin? You feel anxiety about falling behind, but you lack clarity on what the best thing to do right now really is? »

We've been testing time tracking apps for the last several months, and are finally ready to declare a winner. There are a lot of options to consider and lots of different approaches, but Timery is the best time tracking app on any platform because it makes starting and stopping your timers a breeze and supports modern iOS features like Shortcuts and widgets better than any other app we tested. »

We all want to get things done. We all wish we could be just a little more productive. Our specific reasons may vary, but we are all motivated to solve a common problem: We never seem to have enough time for the things that are truly important. Today we’re going to look at two very […] »

In the past year, you’ve probably spent a lot of time you spend in virtual meetings. Even if you aren’t live streaming on Twitch, hosting a YouTube channel, or presenting webinars very often, improving your video can go a long way in making your online communication more effective. And if you already have a nice […] »

We are hosting a free webinar to help you beat writer's block, make sure nothing falls through the cracks, and take action on those half-baked ideas that you've been procrastinating on by using our four-part idea system. »

How to use an idea development system to prime the creative pump and set yourself up for success when it's time to create. »

Ideas are powerful things. One good idea has the ability change your world, but as long as those ideas never leave your head, nothing changes. »

Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is all the rage. Here's what you need to know to make the most of your PKM and do your best creative work. »

Tomorrow… Thursday, 28 January… at 2pm CST We are hosting a free webinar to help you save time and automate progress in every area of your life using habits and routines. Why habits? Because habits are the key to being PROACTIVE and taking action toward your goals instead of being REACTIVE and responding to things […] »

When it comes to our daily routines, we have only two options: We can be REACTIVE and deal with things as they happen. We can be PROACTIVE and take action. In other words, we can either be a thermostat or a thermometer. You see, a thermometer simply tells you the current temperature of something. It […] »

Streaks, our pick for the best habit tracking app, just received an update to version 6.1. The update adds a bunch of small health and automation features, but the thing that I’m excited about is the addition of the Stats widget. The Stats widget shows statistics about a single habit in a variety of ways. […] »

Today we updated our best habit tracking app pick for 2021, and it’s a doozy. The updated article now has over 6,000 words in an increased effort to help you find the perfect habit tracker for you. It’s only been a year, but a lot has happened. First, we’ve gotten the addition of widgets in […] »

Whether or not you set New Years resolutions for yourself, keeping track of habits is something we could all stand to be a little bit better at. Streaks is our favourite app for this—available on all Apple platforms—so let’s take a quick look at how easy it is to get started. Creating a Basic Habit […] »

Editor’s Note: The LG 4k monitors used for this article are model number 22MD4KA. Some readers have reported that the newer model (24MD4KB) does not work with the mentioned adapter because it requires Thunderbolt 3 instead of USB-C. The Siig adapter mentioned here will ONLY work with a USB-C monitor. I’ve always been a laptop […] »

2020 was a doozy. From quarantines, to shutdowns, to virtual school/work/everything – 2020 has caused a lot of changes. Many of the goals we had at the beginning of the year never materialized. Which reminds me of this quote by boxer Mike Tyson: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. The […] »

Regardless of the tool you decide to use, journaling is a worthwhile habit to establish as we leave this year and get ready for the next one. »

A few weeks ago, I participated in the ReadWriteMap, a virtual event put on by Bigger Plate for anyone interested in reading, writing, or mind mapping. There were several speakers who presented on a variety of topics, and it was a lot of fun. »

Learning guitar is challenging and a lot of fun, but hand-written music sheets make the learning process easier and more permanent. »

iOS 14 introduced Widgets to the iPhone, which has allowed for some very creative home screens to be created to suit an individual’s preferences and personality. Here’s a look at my current iOS 14 Widgety Home Screen, and the thought process that went into designing it. Remember Why You Came I don’t know about you, […] »

In this post, we share how time blocking works, why you should consider using it to plan your day, and how my time blocking routine is supplemented by my use of Roam Research. »

In the midst of the craziness that is 2020, here are a few things for which we're grateful. »

As a self-proclaimed productivity nut, I’ve been using some version of the Getting Things Done (or GTD) task management methodology for many years. I’ve also been experimenting recently with Roam Research, and am intrigued by the app’s ability to tie everything together. I’ve tried to do this before and it’s failed miserably, so I was […] »

I've been wearing an Apple Watch all day, every day since the launch of the original Apple Watch in April of 2015. I wear it around the house. I wear it when working out. I wear it to church. Even more than my iPhone, my Apple Watch is the thing that I always have with me. »

One of the questions that has come up during launch week has been around how the Calm Inbox approach can also help with the other inboxes in your life, so we put together a short list of answers to your most common questions. »

This is a free sample video from our new course, Calm Inbox. The course will normally sell for $99, but right now you can save 20% during launch week (just $79). The full course has over 50 videos to help you get less email and more focus. It shows you how to handle any message […] »

ig news today from the team at MacPaw, who just launched support for iOS apps inside of their popular Mac software subscription service, SetApp. »

Napoleon Bonaparte was a famous military commander with some interesting information management habits. But he died about 200 years ago (1821), long before computers, the internet, and electronic communication. So what could we possibly hope to learn from his life about handling email in our digital age? »

I've resisted calorie tracking for years, mostly because the apps that were available for this sort of thing seemed way too complex for me. Every couple of years I'll get inspired to pay attention to what I'm putting in my body and try all the apps again, but none of them have come even remotely close to working for me. I need something simple. I don't want to weigh my food in grams before I eat it; I just want to be a little bit more intentional about my eating habits. »

Last week, Apple announced a ton of stuff during their Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). And even though they used a slide at the beginning that showed the major platforms (iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS), many of the announcements felt app-specific instead of platform-specific. For example, new features in Maps (i.e. cycling directions) are available everywhere. I lost count of the number of times I heard some version of the statement "this is also available on the (fill in the platform blank)." As a causal observer (I'm not a developer), it seems like there's a lot of focus on features being brought first into the Apple ecosystem, then extended to all the available platforms. »

One of the things that was announced during this week's WWDC Keynote presentation was sleep tracking for the Apple Watch. The feature has long been rumored, and is finally making its way to the watch in watchOS 7. Let's take a look at how it works and why it's important. »

There was a ton that was announced in the WWDC keynote presentation on Monday. iOS 14, iPadOS, watchOS 7, macOS Big Sur, a bunch of privacy and Home updates, and even a big upgrade for AirPods. But one of the sections that really caught my attention was the announced improvements to the iPad with Apple Pencil. »

Yesterday, Apple kicked off their annual Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) with an impressive keynote presentation. We put together a convenient summary of everything that was announced. »

For the first time, Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) will be completely virtual. Like other years though, the conference kicks off with the much-anticipated keynote presentation on the first day of the conference. Traditionally, the keynote offers a look at some of the new products that will be coming in the near future and gives […] »

We just updated our app pick for the best Bible app on iOS. While the overall winner is still the Bible App by YouVersion, we took a deep look at the new features and some of the new contenders that have popped up in the last couple of years. »

It's fun for me to find new and better ways to do things - especially if it involves Apple-branded technology. I love trying new apps and making my devices dance. But with everything going on in the world the last couple of months, I've also found it to be especially difficult to navigate emotionally, which is a big reason why I’ve started doing a lot more with pen and paper. »

There’s a lot of buzz recently around a new app called Roam Research. Roam brands itself as “a note-taking tool for networked thought,” which naturally raises the question: Do we really need another note-taking app? »

This interview is one of the many bonus interviews included in our new course, Simple Habits. The course is 25% off until Friday, May 29th. Your name and a short bio / info about you I’m Mike Schmitz, Executive Editor here at The Sweet Setup. I live in Wisconsin with my wife and have five […] »

This Mindfulness Monday post is a video from Shawn Blanc, founder and editor-in-chief of The Sweet Setup In this short video, Shawn talks about: Maintaining momentum and motivation after the “honeymoon” period is over The role of automation in creating sustainable habits The balance of goals and habits in creating positive outcomes If you want […] »

As much I love Keynote, I've used Deckset for a long time because it's a simple solution for throwing together quick presentations using Markdown. With Deckset, you actually edit your presentation in plain text in an app like Ulysses and Deckset applies all the styling automatically based on the styling in the currently selected theme. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, podcast and D&D enthusiast Dave Caolo joins us to talk about resisting the pull of social apps, his unique approach to apps earning their way onto his Home screen, and what baking cookies from scratch can teach us about focus and intentionality with our tech. »

Using a second monitor can make computer-based tasks much easier and be a big boost to your productivity. But, if you find yourself having to work from home, that doesn’t mean you have to drop hundreds of dollars on new hardware. Here’s a short guide on how to set up your iPad as a second […] »

MindNode (our pick for the best mind mapping app) just received an update to version 7.1. It’s a small update that adds a couple of new node customization options and one important Shortcuts action for exporting tasks into your task manager. New Node Shapes If you like to customize the look and feel of your […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, YouTuber Matt Ragland shares about the boundaries he's established to maintain intentionality with his tech, his bullet journaling practice, and why he starts every project using analog tools. »

If you're struggling to figure out how to effectively work from home, you're not alone. It can be difficult enough under normal circumstances when you've had time to prepare, but millions of people are having to figure this out on the fly. Fortunately, there's a lot of great advice out there that can help ease the transition. We've put together a collection of resources from around the web that can help you get off to a good start if you find yourself suddenly needing to figure out how to work from home. »

Rosemary is a tech lover and frequent contributer here at The Sweet Setup who lives in Vienna, Austria. During the day, she works as a web developer, but she can also be found at RosemaryOrchard.com and hosting Automators, a podcast about automation, and Nested Folders, a podcast about productivity. She loves to experiment with new apps and workflows, and the more automation included, the better! »

When it comes to mind mapping on Apple hardware, there are lots of great options available. But two apps rise above the others as the true cream of the crop: MindNode, with a stunningly beautiful user interface, and iThoughts, with powerful features and impressive flexibility. Both of these apps are great, but they take very […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, Executive Editor Mike Schmitz shares his moment of clarity with intentional technology use and how he continues the fight to shift expectations around email. I’m Mike Schmitz, Executive Editor here at The Sweet Setup and co-host of the Focused and Bookworm podcasts. I’ve asked quite a few people to share […] »

Update: The Idea Magic webinar is over, but we have posted a public replay here. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback around our new course, Mastering Mind Maps. It’s been really cool for us to see how many of our readers have embraced mind mapping for themselves and the clarity and confidence they’ve gotten as […] »

Tot is a simple text scratchpad app from Iconfactory that does one thing: capture and edit small bits of text. »

Recently, I shared with a couple of friends about the new mind mapping course we just released, and one of them (Brandon Wentland, who previously shared his sweet setup here started telling me about some of the cool ways he uses mind maps to run his digital marketing agency. »

If you've been following along, we've covered quite a bit when it comes to capturing and developing your ideas. In this post, we'll delve into why it's important to schedule thinking time for your work. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, Mike shares part 3 in his series on capturing and developing ideas using mind maps. »

One of the things that makes the new Fantastical app so great is that you now have features like Calendar Sets available on all your devices. There's a big emphasis on parity and bringing all the formerly Mac-only features to all platforms, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing new for Mac users. »

I've been sharing recently about the system I use for capturing and developing ideas, and at the heart of this system is a mind mapping habit. Mind Mapping helps me develop my ideas so that I don't deal with writer's block and saves me a ton of time by making it super easy to get started whenever I sit down to write. »

How a mind map can save you time, energy, and anxiety when it comes to writing, creating, planning, and more. »

MindNode (our pick for the best mind mapping app) received a major update today with version 7 for both Mac and iOS. It adds several new features, and a major change in the business model of one of our favorite apps. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk to Blanc Media Production Manager Isaac Smith about his intentional limitations, fighting the urge to stay connected, and his 6-month "dumb-phone" experiment. »

Nothing is more frustrating than having a great thought and losing it. »

A while back we posted a survey about capturing, developing, and organizing ideas using mind mapping. Since then we’ve been hard at work on a new course designed to help you capture inspiration when it strikes, and also to help you create a system for developing those ideas so you can be more creative and […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we consider how to leverage our technology to create intentional habits. Last week, we published an interview with bestselling author James Clear about starting and building better habits. There’s some great insights in the interview about how habits work, and James shares some great tips about how to create them. […] »

It's a fine time to be an iOS musician. There are a ton of great apps out there that can help you refine your craft and even perform live music in new and interesting ways. »

For those of you with new Macs, here is a list of recommended apps for jump-starting your macOS experience. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk to our Editor-in-Chief Shawn Blanc about how he uses his computers for creating, working with a remote team, and avoiding procrastiworking. »

There is a new Take Control book available today on Shortcuts, and it’s written by our own Rosemary Orchard! If you’re looking to take your iOS automation game to the next level, Rosemary is definitely qualified to help you. She’s written several automation posts here at The Sweet Setup on automation, like how to start […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk about how to use your technology to develop your ideas and turn them into action. »

As the pace of our everyday lives continues to increase, it's only natural to look for an escape. As information and commitments are thrown at us without discretion at breakneck speed, we covet every opportunity to hit "pause" and disconnect. »

Our goal here at The Sweet Setup is to help you find the best apps and hardware for your Apple devices. We spend an inordinate amount of time using and recommending the best apps and workflows for Apple users like you. This year, the whole TSS staff got together to vote for our very first […] »

Creativity is not based on your artistic ability. It has nothing to do with your natural talent. It depends entirely on your perspective, and is vital to embracing an intentional approach to technology. We must all learn to flip the switch from mindless consumption to conscious creation if we want to reach our full potential. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk to Joe Buhlig about how his Shabbat impacts his use of technology, his ongoing fight against email, and his intentional iPhone habits. »

Which streaming service is right for you? We break down the pros and cons between the latest two steaming services. »

Earlier today, the Spark email mobile app got a significant update to version 2.5. The update brings a new design, support for Dark Mode, customizable email actions, and much more. New Design & Avatars Spark has always been a beautiful application, but version 2.5 features a new design which makes it even better. Messages in […] »

A look at how Mike Schmitz uses hardware and software to play his guitar through an iPad Pro. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk to author and speaker Chris Bailey about how he uses forced constraints to stay conscious of how he spends his time. »

To tip our hat, we have something brand new in the works for 2020. But, as usual, we would love to hear your feedback and input before we get started. (As you’ll soon discover, it is related to idea management and mind mapping.) Would you mind taking a few moments to provide your feedback on […] »

Regardless of the app you choose to use, we highly encourage you to consider creating a mindfulness meditation habit. There's an abundance of great options to choose from, so you're sure to find something that suits your personal style. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we share how using Sleep Cycle can help you wake up well-rested. When I was 18, I had a seizure while standing in line at a McDonald’s. Fortunately, there was a nurse nearby and she kept me safe until the ambulance arrived and I was rushed to the hospital. When […] »

iA Writer received a major update with version 5.3 that adds a bunch of new features that makes an already powerful writing app even better. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we share some tips on how to set yourself up for NaNoWriMo success. »

Aside from what you are actually going to write, the next question to answer is what tool will you use? »

When it comes to creating new habits and keeping track of your progress, there's no other app that makes this a simple and delightful task. »

Brain.fm is a special kind of music service designed for the brain to enhance focus and relaxation within only 10 to 15 minutes of use. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we look at how to reinforce positive technology habits through automation using Streaks and Shortcuts. There is no shortage of high-quality habit trackers for iOS. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find it. There are options for tracking your habits across multiple platforms, options for ramifying your habit tracking, and […] »

GoodNotes (our pick for The Best App for Taking Handwritten Notes) was recently updated to version 5.3. This is a pretty major update, adding support for multiple windows, OCR scanning, and Dark Mode. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new. Multiple Windows There are lots of ways you can open multiple windows in GoodNotes: With GoodNotes […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we take a look at Duolingo and why you might want to use it to apply intentionality to your downtime on your iPhone. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we take a look at how you can create a gratitude habit using Templates inside of Day One for iOS. »

Ulysses version 18 is out today with support for the new iOS 13 Dark Mode as well as the new system Split View on iPad. »

There's a lot to like in this new version, but the thing that stands out to me after using it for about a week is just how much more solid everything feels. »

Forest is an interesting iPhone app that actually encourages you to use your phone less. »

David Sparks just released a major update of his already phenomenal Shortcuts Field Guide. »

It's only been a couple of years, but (thankfully) internet security has come a long way since we published our pick for the best password manager. While 1Password is still our favorite because it gives you a great design, powerful security features, and the ability to store just about anything private inside it, there are a lot of other options available for keeping your passwords safe. »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we talk to video game developer and podcaster Shahid Kamal Ahmad about the steps he takes to stay out of the Infinity Pools and stay focused on what's important. »

It’s 6:34 am. The sound of your smartphone alarm startles you awake. (Actually, it’s the sound of the fifth alarm you’ve set because you’ve gotten so used to snoozing them that it now takes several to finally get you out of bed.) You instinctively reach to grab your phone from the nightstand and perform your […] »

This excerpt from our Learn GoodNotes course explains the many ways you can efficiently organize your notes and ideas in GoodNotes. »

GoodNotes is a powerful analog note-taking app for iOS that really shines on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. »

Sketchnoting is a powerful and visual way to take notes that helps you retain more of the information you hear. It’s an excellent way to capture ideas during meetings, workshops, conferences, and more. »

Moodnotes is a simple iOS app that helps you track and understand your emotional state. »

The new version is a substantial update and includes a new design that makes working with your PDF documents even easier. »

Keyboard Maestro by Stairways Software is a powerful automation program which allows you to create your own macros that automate certain actions on your Mac. With Keyboard Maestro (and a little bit of practice), you can use your Mac to automate virtually anything. Keyboard Maestro has been an essential Mac app for me for years. […] »

In this Mindfulness Monday post, we deconstruct the concept of a distraction-free phone. »

We've been listening to (and making) podcasts for a long time, and there have never been so many incredible options available to podcast listeners as there are currently today — no matter your interests — which means there are a ton of great tech podcasts out there for Apple enthusiasts like us. »

Journaling is one of the best habits you can create. It allows you to distance yourself from the emotion and business of the day by reflecting on the events that happened so you can achieve clarity on the situation and see things from the proper perspective. »

Over the next several weeks, we’ll be looking at apps that help facilitate a mindful approach to your technology. »

Bumpr is a Mac App Store utility that allows you to select a browser in which to open links when clicking them. It’s a handy little app that is great for anyone who occasionally has a need to open links in various browsers, and it recently received an upgrade to version 1.2 that adds several […] »

Email apps on iOS is an extremely competitive and volatile market in the App Store today, but there are a few trends that have us concerned. »

If you’re going to be coming to Macstock this weekend (July 27-28) in Woodstock, IL, be sure to stop by and say hi! Myself and Rosemary Orchard will be speaking from The Sweet Setup team, along with David Sparks, Brett Terpstra, Chuck Joiner, and a lot of other really smart people eager to teach you […] »

Day One (our favorite journaling app) just received a major update to version 4.0. There’s a couple big features in this release, but the big one is support for videos in your Day One entries. The ability to add video to Day One is a game changer for parents like myself who record small video […] »

This week, the popular email app Airmail made the switch from a standard paid app to a subscription-based app, angering many of its users. Before the change, Airmail was priced at $4.99 in the iOS App Store. Now, Airmail Premium (which allows you to use multiple accounts and enable push notifications) is $2.99/month or $9.99/year. […] »

We love the new innovations Overcast has pioneered like the Clip Sharing feature that allows you to create and share your favorite moments from your podcast episodes, and Castro has also made several large advances, making the decision even more difficult. »

The team behind Day One recently released a new version that allows you to email an entry directly to one of your Day One journals. »

The latest version of Agenda brings some new features to the table, as long as some additional refinements ahead of iOS 13. »

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 […] »

Here is how Day One helps you capture text, images, and audio snippets quickly and easily on all your devices. »

The latest version of Twitterrific allows you to create your own custom themes and use them inside the application on your iOS device. »

Twitterific 6 includes several enhancements to provide an outstanding Twitter experience on iOS that makes it a serious contender for taking the crown of the best Twitter client on iOS. »

This week, Apple unveiled a bunch of new features alongside their major operating system updates at WWDC. The keynote this year was jam-packed, and many major software updates only got a few moments of stage time. With so many things to cover, there were a couple that kind of flew under the radar that we […] »

Apple made a ton of announcements at their keynote presentation during WWDC earlier today in San Jose, and here are a few things we're really excited about. »

At first glance, it may not look like there’s a lot new here, but it’s a pretty substantial update that makes Alfred more powerful than ever. »

1Password 7.3 for Mac introduces a completely updated 1Password mini tool, along with over 150 new features, fixes, and updates. »

While Ulysses is a great place to do your writing, it’s not necessarily great for managing your writing tasks. For that, we recommend a dedicated task manager. Here's how to combine Things 3 and Ulysses to manage your writing tasks. »

Creating a slideshow for family and friends is a piece of cake with the Photos app. »

Setting up a shared photo album through iCloud is a great way to share photos and stay connected, and we show you to set one up. »

When writing for the web, Byword and Ulysses make it easy to copy or export your text as HTML for publishing. »

Sometimes it can be handy to see where a picture was taken by looking at the location metadata, but there are many other times you might not the entire internet to know where you took a particular photo. »

Todoist is a productivity app makes managing your tasks and projects easy. And because it’s web-based, it also allows you to access your to-do list from just about anywhere. »

Saving email messages as PDFs is a convenient way to create copies of messages that you want to keep. »

Day One makes logging important conversations, milestones, and special moments incredibly easy by allowing you to automatically create journal entries by connecting various services via IFTTT. »

One of the most powerful features a task manager like OmniFocus offers is the ability to filter your tasks and projects to show you only what you want to see at any given moment. »

Mail and Airmail both offer methods of copying individual message URLs so you can easily create references in action items, notes, and more. »