Hi Friend, The Productivity Field Guide 2026 launched a few days ago. People are already digging in, and the feedback is coming in: “The chapter on roles and arete blew my mind.” — Irene K. “I’ve been playing with productivity systems for nearly 20 years. I wouldn’t expect to have anything new to learn. Sparky proved me wrong.” — Mark L. “This Field Guide is not about figuring out how to do more things in less time; it’s about figuring out how to give more time to the important things.” —...
3 days ago • 1 min read
A MacSparky Dispatch Hi Friend, Apple Creator Suite Icons Apple announced Creator Studio this week, bundling Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage along with enhanced versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote into a $130/year subscription. My feelings are mixed. Every time Apple rolls out a new subscription, I get a little leery. The company's increasing focus on services revenue feels like a slow drift away from the traditional model: make great hardware,...
5 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Friend, The 2026 Productivity Field Guide launches later this week. Before it does, I wanted to share why I spent so much time on this new edition. The response to the Productivity Field Guide over the last few years has been fantastic. When people tell me how it changed their lives, it’s truly humbling. I love hearing the roles and Arete concept finally gave them a compass. But I kept hearing the same questions: “What do I do when I keep falling short of my Arete?” “How do I stop saying...
9 days ago • 1 min read
A MacSparky Dispatch Hi Gang, If the rumors are true, 2026 is shaping up to be one of Apple’s most interesting hardware years in recent memory. According to the rumor mill, Apple has five all-new products in the pipeline: a foldable iPhone, augmented reality glasses, a HomePod with a touchscreen, home security cameras and a video doorbell, and a more affordable MacBook. That’s a lot of new territory for our favorite fruit company. I’m genuinely optimistic about all of it. Let me tell you why....
12 days ago • 3 min read
A MacSparky Dispatch Hi Friend, In productivity, we worship efficiency. The fastest way to clear an inbox. The most automated way to track a project. The most frictionless method to organize our lives. I’m going to suggest something different. When it comes to your goals and plans, efficiency is the enemy. I learned this the hard way last year. Trying to be hyper-efficient, I dictated my quarterly review and used AI to organize the text into a structured plan. The resulting document was...
19 days ago • 2 min read
A note from MacSparky Hi Friend, For several years now, I've been getting back into woodworking. It's a hobby I love, but through 2024, I kept running into the same problem: I never felt like I was getting enough time in the shop to actually make things. During my regular reviews, I'd look at my role as a creative person and feel disappointed. I was talking about woodworking more than I was doing it. By the end of 2024, the gap between intention and action had grown so wide that I genuinely...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
A Note From MacSparky Hi friend, There's a lot of head-scratching going on outside Apple right now with all the management changes over the last few weeks. Many of these changes were predictable. As people get older, they tend to retire and want to spend some of their Apple wealth enjoying life. John Giannandrea's departure was also predictable, given the public criticism following the problems with Siri. The only real surprise has been Alan Dye. The reaction from the cheap seats has been...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Friend, If I have a superpower, it's probably this: I'm immune to social media. It's been years since I've used Twitter or any Twitter-like app. (I know the name has changed but the last time I used it was long before that.) I've never gotten hooked. Never felt that pull to scroll. Never lost hours to the feed. Until last month. I decided to give Instagram a real shot. Just to see what all the fuss was about. I figured maybe I'd been missing something. The algorithm was terrifyingly good....
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Friend, Too often, we treat speed as the primary goal in optimization. Faster is better! While modern technology and automation offer countless ways to accelerate our lives, the question we need to ask is: should we? There are times when delay is a feature, not a bug. Going slower has its own benefits, giving you more time for consideration and intentionality. It’s also a satisfying way to occasionally give the finger to the modern world and its relentless demands. I’ve recently begun...
2 months ago • 1 min read