Issue #186 | Subscribe

As I'm working on updating the Back to Basics guide on Apple Reminders, I'm finding quality of life improvements that are actually helpful.

For example, on a device with Apple Intelligence support, such as a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip, the Reminders app can now suggest tasks from shared content.

To try this out, I shared an article on home cleaning tips for Diwali, and Reminders pulled the article content, analysed it and suggested tasks from the article inside the share popup:

Clicking on the plus icon beside each task added them to the list of tasks to be created alongside the link we're saving to Reminders:

This is helpful because we can now share unstructured text, links and more with Reminders and have it extract and suggest relevant tasks from the shared material.

These tasks get added to a list of our choice with a link back to the source (if available):

The Reminders app is rapidly shaping up to be a no-brainer choice for to-do management on Apple devices, and there are more new helpful updates that I'm fitting into everyday workflows.

I'll share the new changes and how they're helpful in daily work in the updated guide next week.

Now, let's move on to the rest of this newsletter issue:

Your Next Read

Light Fiction

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

I wish I had read this book before I stayed in Tokyo's Jimbōchō neighbourhood. Nevertheless, if you love books and are looking for a short read, this is a good choice.

Apps & Services

Wikiwand

Pro tools for browsing Wikipedia

This website makes reading articles on Wikipedia an interactive experience. Apart from the clean, customisable interface, it has AI-assisted tools, such as asking questions about the material. I like its Timeline feature, where the app creates a timeline of important moments from the article. Available on the Web and on most major browsers, and is free for basic use.
Quilt

Take bulk screenshots on autopilot

This app lets you automate capturing screenshots from an app. You can screenshot an app window, such as Apple Notes, and assign a key to be pressed after each screenshot. This allows the app to traverse your notes or other content and take a screenshot of each page automatically, which you can then export to images or a combined PDF. Available on macOS and is free to start.
NotebookLM Mobile

Turn PDFs and articles into podcast episodes on the go

NotebookLM is quite handy for doing AI-assisted research from online articles and existing materials such as long PDFs, and it’s now available on mobile. I love their podcast-style audio overviews, which make it easy to turn any content into bite-sized audiobooks. Available on iOS and Android, and is free for basic use.

Handy Shortcut

⌃

T

Fix typos by swapping characters at the cursor position in macOS.

Interesting Reads

The Death of the Corporate Job

8 min read

I’ve seen this from the inside, felt it and know whatever is said in this article is true. And ten thousand people voting with a like on this post says we’re not alone in this. It’s worth a read.
What Happens If No One Reads

15 min read

A brilliant piece on why reading deeply and with intent is as relevant, if not more, as it was hundreds of years ago. Summarised text from AI tools bypasses the nuances and gives us microwaved output. They’re more useful for recollection rather than reading.
I Tried Every Todo App and Ended Up With a .txt File

7 min read

I might not go with this approach, but I agree with the brutal simplification involved. Complex systems make us feel productive, but often that’s more of a delusion.
What Thomas Edison actually invented in 1880

11 min read

Edison figured out effective team management early on and let his team experiment freely, swap roles and work on areas they’ve never worked on. This story illustrates how this bet paid off.

Watch Next

If you’ve ever seen those minimal city or home location map posters on sale, this is how you can create your customised version.

Want to join my inner circle?

Join a club that pays you back handsomely through knowledge and skills that help you get 1% better every day.

For a one-time fee, yes, not a subscription, you get:

Become a Member