There is a treasure of inexpensive or even free – included with your system software. Mac automation apps will help you automate applications or websites, text or images; simple or complex; on command or scheduled. In fact almost any repetitive task that you are faced with on a day-to-day basis.
I have used these to automate daily office work and for at-home computer tasks for many years. It’s not a comprehensive list, but just some of the goto packages that are real productivity enhancers.
To buy all of these Mac automation apps would cost just a few hundred pounds or dollars. I think I can guarantee the savings that you’ll make will dwarf that figure in year one. And that’s before taking account of the increased speed and accuracy of document production and administration.
If you charge by the hour – as I did for 40 years – I think you’ll recover the costs in a matter of weeks.
VBA – Visual Basic for Applications – This can be used to automate the creation of documents in Word and Excel on both on the Mac and on Windows. It’s really powerful; comes with your Office 365 subscription or however you get your Microsoft applications; and at no additional cost.
If you use Word then you’ll know how powerful it can be. However, once you get under the hood and start using the VBA programming language that power can be amplified.
Used in conjunction with other Mac automation apps, VBA can help automate the standard elements of document production. This leaves the writer to focus on the value-added part of the process. Properly implemented it can make document production faster and more accurate. It can also help you and your team convey a consistent message to clients. This is crucial whether in your marketing materials, responses to enquiries, preparing proposals or just generally creating correspondence on a day-to-day basis.
Here’s a video which shows how a Word letter macro created using VBA, working together with TextExpander (see below) can enable the production of letters and many other kinds of documentation in a fraction of the time it usually takes.
Shortcuts – Apple’s own powerful – and free – built-in Mac automation app which is going from strength to strength. Works seamlessly with the Mac operating system on your Mac and with iOS on your iPhone and iPad and is remarkably useful. In fact it’s possible to create shortcuts on the iPad and the iPhone which will then work (except where the functionality is different) on your Mac and vice-versa. So, if you have an iCloud account, any shortcuts that you create will automatically be available to you on any of your Apple devices.
The Shortcuts app is a powerful addition to the automator’s toolbox. Shortcuts can be very simple actions to manipulate individual files or apps. I regularly use one to convert jpg files to pdf. Another to create a new note in Evernote. A third to manipulate a calendar entry which contains a particular word; and another to switch Voice Control on and off. Shortcuts can also be very complex when performing actions on files and moving files around your system. The list of ways in which it can be used is almost endless.
Apple continues to develop Shortcuts with every new release of Mac OS, enhancing its usefulness at every opportunity.
TextExpander – In my opinion, the grand-daddy of all Mac automation apps. Snippets of text expand to longer pieces of text in any application on your Mac, iPad or iPhone. A true productivity giant even at the basic level and capable of much, much more. A snippet can be any piece of text of your choosing. It works across pretty much every application that you are likely to have on your Mac. From Word and Pages; through to Excel and Numbers; to Apple Mail and Outlook with hundreds of others along the way.
TextExpander can capitalise acronyms such as “BBC” without using “Caps Lock.” You simply type “bbc” and TextExpander will do the rest and output BBC. As a former professional services worker in an industry where acronyms are commonplace, I found this to be a very useful time-saving tool.
Standard phrases or indeed even paragraphs in letters, reports or emails can be invoked with a snippet. They save time, avoid typing errors and help to ensure consistent messaging. Particularly useful when dealing with new client enquiries; preparing new proposals; and reports to clients. If that’s part of your business you need to have consistent messaging from all of your team to enhance your responsiveness, your reputation and your profitability.
I get annoyed when I receive a letter to my company which contains typos in the address, or worse, your name. It just smacks of a lack of care or a lack of professionalism. That will never happen using TextExpander. Client names and addresses can be reduced to snippets so that they come out correctly every time. Supercharge your team’s productivity by combining this with a Word macro for creating your correspondence.
TextExpander can also be used to create “fillable” documents, whether they be letters,emails, reports, proposals etc, etc. Another way of producing documents in a speedy, accurate and efficient manner
Keyboard Maestro (KBM) – KBM can automate almost any aspect of your Mac. A more complex utility yet one that is increasingly powerful in the Mac world. Its use is limited only by the users needs and imagination. KBM can work at both a very complex level, but is equally powerful at performing simple tasks.
Where I need to add my signature to a Word document, I use a two-character key combination. It goes into my folder structure and finds the Word file with my signature or the one with just my initials. It then opens it before automatically copying the signature for me to paste into the appropriate Word document.
Hazel – Facilitates automatic filing and movement of files. Hazel works by regularly monitoring folders within your system. When an event occurs in that folder – usually a document arriving there – it takes an action on that document. A must have Mac automation app that is amazingly useful particularly helping to keep your Mac clean and tidy.
Keysmith – A lot of tasks that you do regularly on your Mac can be automated by recording a few keystrokes for easy playback.
SyncFolders – Keeps your folders in sync. Has multiple uses.
Hook – Easily create links to files for easy referencing of documents or emails on other parts of your system. A great utility for keeping control of project documents.
Things – Just about the best To Do list manager which can be integrated with other utilities for increased productivity.
