In a world where technology is increasingly conspiring to steal our focus and attention, my goal is to teach you how to be more productive with Apple technology. I want to help you achieve what is most important to you and enjoy your life at the same time using technology instead of becoming another one of its victims. Pretty much everything I make points at that North Star. I believe in this message so much that I’ve staked my livelihood on it.
This Was It
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Hi Friend, I recently took a flight and following touchdown, a crew member made a surprise announcement: this landing marked our captain’s final flight after 30 years piloting aircraft. We all applauded. As we disembarked, the captain stood in the aisle, offering each passenger a farewell. When it was my turn, I congratulated him. I actually thought about what I’d say. “I hope your next adventure is as exciting as this one was.” His eyes met mine, serious and somber, as he quietly replied, “This was it.” I was swept onward by the flow of passengers, but he held my eye for just a moment longer. The sadness on his face has stayed with me. Life is full of transitions. I’ve faced many — shifting careers, watching my kids grow up, leaving behind the identity I had built as a lawyer. Most big changes in life aren’t surprises. Retirement doesn’t sneak up overnight, and children don’t grow up in secret. Yet, some of us still find ourselves flat-footed when life’s inevitable curves appear. It’s tempting to ignore change, to stick our heads in the sand, pretending it’s far away, until suddenly we’re facing a stark realization: “This was it.” I’ve written before about the importance of continuously Knitting Your Parachute. Asking yourself often, “What’s next, and how do I make that work?” is a practice I deeply believe in. It’s an approach that keeps hope alive, turns anxiety into anticipation, and keeps you engaged with life. This week, I encourage you to spend a few quiet moments reflecting: What’s your next move, and how can you embrace it? Whether you’re graduating, shifting careers, or facing retirement, don’t wait until change feels overwhelming. Life’s bends in the road are inevitable, but how we meet them, that’s entirely up to us. Let’s commit never to find ourselves in a position where we have to quietly say, “This was it.” It’s stories like this that led me to make the Productivity Field Guide. In the NewsM6 MacBook Pro RedesignThere’s a lot of murmuring about next year’s hypothetical M6 MacBook Pro update. (Not this year’s hypothetical M5 update.) The M6 is supposed to have an OLED screen (hooray!) and be thinner (ruh-roh). I have thoughts. glassOSThere are also increasing rumors that Apple is updating the look of its user interface for the operating system updates getting released at WWDC in June. If you look at the Vision Pro interface and the look of Apple’s new Invites app, it’s all a lot glassier than anything we’ve seen from Apple in quite a while. I hope it’s true. I’m ready for a new look. Your Pal, David P.S. We had a lot of fun in the MacSparky Labs in March. Notable events was a meetup of Vision Pro users to reflect on the first year with Apple’s new device and a deep dive on e-books in light of Amazon tightening the screws on downloading your purchased books.
If you’d like to be a part of the MacSparky Labs, you can get more information and join right here. |
David Sparks (MacSparky)
In a world where technology is increasingly conspiring to steal our focus and attention, my goal is to teach you how to be more productive with Apple technology. I want to help you achieve what is most important to you and enjoy your life at the same time using technology instead of becoming another one of its victims. Pretty much everything I make points at that North Star. I believe in this message so much that I’ve staked my livelihood on it.
Hi Friend, I’ve been thinking about the idea of the creative act and how it inspires joy in humans. I recently watched a documentary about a group of jazz musicians who were lamenting how no one is really willing to pay them what they’re worth. Club owners barely compensate these musicians, so why don’t they just take jobs digging ditches or doing something else more stable? I think the answer lies in the joy of creation. As humans, I believe when we are creating, we are being our most...
Hello Friend, If you've been listening to the Mac Power Users podcast the last few years, you've heard me slowly come around to the fact that Apple's productivity apps — Reminders, Notes, Calendar, and Freeform — are getting pretty good. But getting the most out of those apps takes some work. Most people use about 20% of what Apple's built-in productivity apps can actually do. The other 80%? It's a hidden ecosystem of integrations, automations, and workflows that Apple never advertises. I've...
The No List App Hi Friend, This week I shipped an app. It's called The No List, and while it might seem like a simple idea, I think it addresses one of the most important productivity challenges we face today. Let me back up a bit. For years, I've been interested in the idea of building my own app. Part of it was the challenge—could someone who spends their days writing about technology actually create some? Part of it was scratching a very specific itch that no existing app seemed to...