{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreigkquu7ogorzd7rqqwbryb55ituhwy4ftnclyq4lxicpesl5leh7m",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:ircis5cmp6zyi7m3h45h6rfq/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkgsqkthwsc2"
  },
  "path": "/2026/04/dd/ptpl-205-productivity-picks-apple-apps-tips",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-26T23:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://ellanew.com",
  "tags": [
    "source",
    "Jeff Forcier",
    "PaperTrail",
    "Brett Terpstra likes the TaskPaper format",
    "On This Day",
    "Thaw",
    "Coeus",
    "here",
    "Mole",
    "PTPL",
    "2026-04-06 PTPL 202 - Replacing Setapp - 7 Down, 2 to Go",
    "Beeper",
    "this link",
    "Mastodon",
    "Bluesky",
    "RSS feed",
    "sign up"
  ],
  "textContent": "## A casual roundup of productivity tools, tips, and rabbit holes\n\nNo deep dives today, just a list of worthwhile productivity related things I’ve come across lately. Some universal, most Apple flavoured.\n\n### Clever (but unnecessary?) Apple Shortcut for lost iPhones\n\nCreate an automation in Apple Shortcuts that fires when you get someone to text the word “Lost” to your number. Have it take your phone off silent, turn volume up to full, and play a specific ringtone. Or you could just use the Play Sound option in the Find My app, but that wouldn’t be as much fun! source\n\n### Roll your own notes\n\nCatchy name for plain text files you’ve manually crafted to do just what you want them to: Handrolled notes. Thanks, Jeff Forcier\n\n### Todo.txt Mode plugin behaviour\n\nRecently I learned that the `Archive completed tasks` command in the Todo.txt Mode plugin in Obsidian (shifts completed tasks to the `done` file), works across _all_ files with the plugin applied to them, not just the current file.\n\n### Apps to check out\n\n  * PaperTrail - A new iOS TaskPaper client recommended by the founded of the TaskPaper format, Jesse Grosjean. I’ve played with it for a bit, and it looks pretty good. One-time cost.\n  * FYI Brett Terpstra likes the TaskPaper format\n  * On This Day - A new iOS app that shows you photos from your camera roll taken on today’s date in past years. “No algorithm, no feed, no social anything. Just your photos, once a day.” Freemium, with optional one-time cost.\n  * Thaw is a fork of the popular menu bar manager, Ice\n  * I’m not ready to connect an AI agent to my Markdown notes but if I was, the beta of Coeus looks worth checking out. Ask the dev questions here.\n  * Mole was suggested to me by Martin, a PTPL reader, as a possible replacement for CleanMyMac (see 2026-04-06 PTPL 202 - Replacing Setapp - 7 Down, 2 to Go)\n  * Beeper is perfect for keeping me focused on messages received via Instagram without being sucked into doomscrolling reels. The free version is enough so far. I’m really liking having five main social DMs in one unified list. h/t Theo Stowell\n\n\n\n### Small Setapp replacement update\n\nAnd lastly, a fabulous article from Jeremiah Clark covering 23 ideas for replacing Setapp apps. It’s only on Medium from what I can see, so I don’t know if you’ll be able to read it from this link. Stay tuned if not; I’ll be evaluating his suggestions in a future post. I was glad he mentioned Clop as a replacement for PDF Squeezer and Squash: I’d heard of it in the past but had forgotten about it.\n\n* * *\n\n_💬 I love to hear from readers! email hello at ellanew dot com or message me on Mastodon or Bluesky. Follow my RSS feed, or sign up to receive a weekly plain text themed email._\n\nIf you’ve found value here, I invite you to share this post with someone you think will appreciate it or make a contribution to my support jar.",
  "title": "PTPL 205 · Apple Shortcuts, Handrolled Notes, and Apps Worth Your Attention"
}