Customizing Trackpad Gestures in macOS Ventura, First Impressions of Sunsama, and More
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Some First Impressions of Sunsama, the Focus Course in App Form »
Back in February, I joined Shawn’s Focus Academy cohort for the first time. It was a great experience, with numerous lessons for the rest of my life.
First and foremost, what I learned was the importance of determining your core values, lining up your goals and objectives with those core values, and then, well, working towards your goals and objectives.
Working towards those goals and objectives requires consistent, daily dedication. You have to show up every day. You have to press through the lows, celebrate the highs. You have to keep your eye on the prize.
Working and staying focused requires planning, which is so often where this all falls apart. It’s so easy to say you have a core value to serve your community, but actually serving your community requires a daily, weekly, monthly, and even yearly plan.
This is where Sunsama has taken over for me the last month or so.
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.
How I Designed My New Office for Focus and Less Distraction »
I can’t imagine too many folks have too many opportunities to design their own office from top to bottom. The fit, the finishes, and everything in between.
I had the chance to do so over the summer and, though stressful at times, it was a pile of fun.
Our small accounting office worked out of a workspace designed for architects and land surveyors. It was far from conducive for focused work or client meetings.
We had three main goals when redesigning the office:
- Increase productivity by decreasing distractions and decreasing foot traffic into our personal offices.
- Improve ergonomics and create a healthier workplace.
- Provide better organization opportunities to increase desk space and decrease desk clutter.
How to Use iOS 16’s New Continuity Camera iPhone Webcam Feature on Your Mac »
We all knew Apple’s new Studio Display’s front-facing camera was a potato the moment the early reviews hit. Not one of the early reviewers had good words to say about the camera, despite Apple even touting the camera’s performance and Center Stage functionality.
The debut of Continuity Camera in iOS 16 proves Apple knows about the Studio Display’s potato camera as well.
Now, instead of using the blurriest front-facing camera in any Mac product you can buy, you can use the iPhone’s backside camera — one of the best smartphone cameras you can buy — to capture fantastic footage during Zoom and FaceTime calls. Continuity Camera brings Center Stage to non-supporting Macs, as well as Studio Light, Portrait Mode, and the all-new Desk View for showcasing what’s on your desk while recording. Desk View is a mind-bending feature that feels like something only Apple could pull off.
New Drop: 2023 Digital Planner (perfect for iPad) »
The new, 2023 Focus Course Digital Planner is an interactive, digital planner meant to be used on a daily basis. And it is available now!
The system in the planner is based on the proven ideas for time tracking, time blocking, goal setting, and regular reviews.
All you need to do is follow along.
Is your productivity busted?
If you feel like you could use a tuneup for how you manage your tasks and your time, get access to our Productivity Workshop.
Shawn Blanc (founder of The Sweet Setup) covers:
1. The four most common symptoms of a busted productivity workflow
2. What you can do to overcome them
3. How to improve your approach to managing and organizing your tasks.
You’ll also get the downloadable templates and cheatsheets.
Interesting Links From Our Friends and Around the Web »
- (Daring Fireball) If a Third-Party App Store Falls in the Forest and No One Uses It, Does It Make a Sound?
- (Six Colors) Blank Canvas: Hands on with Apple’s new Freeform app
- (MacStories) iPadOS 16.2 and Stage Manager for External Displays: Work in Progress, But Worth the Wait
- (Mac Power Users) #670: Workflows with Francesco D’Alessio
- (Christopher Lawley) My Favorite Tech of the Year
Our Must-Have, Most Used Productivity Apps
We spend an inordinate amount of time sorting through hundreds of apps to find the very best. We put together a short list of our must-have, most-used apps for increasing productivity.