In my last post I referenced an app I’ve been using for a few weeks. Thinking about getting this app came to me right around the time I was writing about some of the other automation apps I was playing around with. I contemplated taking a pretty big leap, both monetarily and skill-based, at purchasing an app that would literally take automation on my MacBook Pro to “11!” The app is called Keyboard Maestro. In this post, I would like to address… 

1. How I decided to take the leap?

2. Why I’m doing the things I’m doing? 

3. What I'm doing with the app.

4. How the KMFG and the Automators podcast have supported me.

How I decided to take the leap?

After seeing what apps like Moom, Tabs to Links, Tab Saver for Safari, and Phrase Express offered me in the form of automation I decided to think about other things I was doing repeatedly on my MacBook Pro and whether or not there were other apps that could assist with these things. I had heard about apps like Better Touch Tool and Keyboard Maestro so I decided to do a little research on my own. Reading both of the app’s webpages was an interesting experience and peaked my curiosity even more! I took that curiosity of both apps into another space. I am a subscriber to Relay FM. As a result, I am granted access to their Discord sever. I went into their Productivity channel and asked about both of these apps. I wasn’t expecting this but one of the founders of Relay, Mr. Stephen Hackett replied with the suggestion that I listen to an episode of Mac Power Users; #484 to be exact. I started listening and before the podcast was over, I was back on the Keyboard Maestro webpage buying the app which, even by my standards, is a pretty expensive purchase. My rationale for buying it is two-fold…

1. I’m always looking for ways to improve upon things I am curious about. Keyboard Maestro provides that opportunity (both personally and professionally) if you are willing/able to pay for it.

2. I knew that if I could learn the “in-workings” of the app that, combined with what I wanted it to do for me…it would more than pay for itself over time which brings me to the next thing I want to address.

Why I’m doing the things I’m doing?

Over the course of our quarantine/lockdown I have come to observe that, as a teacher “teaching” from home during the day, I do (did by the time this post is published…will do in the future) a number of things repetitively, on my computer. These things range, among other things to opening/closing apps, opening/closing documents, opening/closing tabs in my web browser. Why not try to automate these things if it’s at all possible? And let me tell you…with Keyboard Maestro…it’s more than possible! As a writer, writing and publishing blogposts each week, I have noticed things about my process that, if I could automate them, would really help add a level of sophistication and satisfaction to an already gratifying experience. In particular, I have been thinking about ways to automate the final steps of my process, specifically, figuring out a way to get my writing from the app I choose to write in; Ulysses, and getting it to my Squarespace site, ready to be placed into a new post. I asked around shortly after purchasing KM but was told that it did not seem likely that a Macro could be built for that. I refused to let that information slow my attempt down to figure out and build that Macro myself.

What I’m doing with the app

Figure out and build that Macro myself. What does that even mean? At its core, Keyboard Maestro is an app that helps you become more efficient at things you do on your computer. In order to become more efficient you have to be highly aware of what you are doing on your computer. I would also submit that you need to have capacity to imagine what is possible within that “what you are doing” in order to gain the full benefits of this application. That capacity is cultivated by, in my opinion, reflection on your practice, whatever the practice may be. For me, that “practice” includes teaching and writing. Once you’ve spent some time reflecting on what you do and how you do it and open your mind to what could be possible, KM is there, waiting for you in the form of Macro creation.

What is a Macro? According to the dictionary, a Macro is a single instruction that expands automatically into a set of instructions to perform a particular task. For example, suppose you find yourself opening a particular webpage several times during the day. For me, as a teacher, trying to keep in constant communication with the families I serve, especially during the quarantine/lockdown, I’ve had to open the app Remind multiple times a day. The time it takes to open a tab in my web browser, type the address in, and wait for the page to load adds up over the course of the day. What if I told you that you could create a Macro that, by clicking two keys, would take you to that webpage faster than it takes to move the cursor of your mouse over to your Favorites icon, and click the site’s address? That’s just one way that I’m using this powerful tool. Think about how you begin your day on the computer. You probably have different apps that you begin the day with that you have to open when you turn your computer on or “wake” it up. You probably even have a preference as to where you like these apps to appear on your screen. Think for a moment about the time it takes to get that all set up…manually. With Keyboard Maestro, these inefficient “blindspots” not only become “visible” they become opportunities for improved workflow. 

I mentioned earlier that, as a writer, I am constantly reflecting on my process. Since I started using Squarespace as the site that hosts my blog I’ve noticed a bit of friction when it comes to bringing my writing from Ulysses to the Squarespace site. I wanted a way of making this step more efficient. I consulted with some people in different forums to see if KM has a Macro already built to perform the desired actions. I came up empty. So I set off on a quest to build this Macro which brings me to the last part of this post.

How the KMFG and the Automators podcast have supported me

I was aware, via the MPU’s podcast I mentioned above, that MacSparky had created a field guide for the Keyboard Maestro app. Acquiring this guide would involve another financial investment on my part. See above for reasons why I did not think twice about that. After purchasing the guide I took on the role of student. MacSparky has WAY more experience with this app than most people so I decided to watch each of the videos in the guide with the same level of curiosity that brought me to the actual app. What could I learn? How could I use that learning to go back to what I wanted to do…create my own Macro for that writerly friction I was experiencing at the end of my current process. It took me about a week, working on it when I had the time, testing things out as I went along, imagining what I could do next after getting one part of the Macro to work but…I got there. One of the cool things this app will let you do, that really helped me out while I was creating the Macro, is embed comments into the process of the Macro…a way to provide yourself with “breadcrumbs” so you can trace your steps throughout the process. As I learned to do new things I took more chances and added steps to the Macro. There was a moment where I did something that “broke” the Macro. It took some time to fix but after I did I made a copy of the Macro, renamed it and changed the trigger, and continued to tinker with it until, a few days later, I got it right where I wanted it. Having a copy freed me up to tinker knowing full well that if I messed up again, I could just go back to the version I copied and start over again.

The Automators podcast I reference above is another source of inspiration. The hosts MacSparky and Rosemary Orchard dedicated a whole show to Keyboard Maestro. By the time I got around to listening to this I’d already listened to the MPU’s episode, created several Macros and consumed about 58% of the KMFG. This podcast helped validate my decision to “take the plunge” further into the world of automation.