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Tech Productivity

Issue #316  (Lessons Learned From Failed Startups) 03/03/25


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The first link listed in the Articles & Resources section below is a short tutorial covering a feature on macOS called Folder Actions. If you haven't heard of Folder Actions, it's definitely something you'll want to look into.

In addition, I also came across this quick tip on MacRumors: Make Any File a Template Using This Hidden macOS Tool, which features another useful productivity tip for Mac users.
 
Using the Stationery pad feature on macOS

The tip allows you to set a specific file as a 'template' that has little risk of getting overwritten. This is done by the following basic steps:

  • Choose a file in Finder that you want to serve as a template
  • Right-click the file and choose "Get Info"
  • Enable the option "Stationery pad" for that file
You can see the checkbox option for "Stationery pad" in the screenshot above, which I've demonstrated on a simple empty text file. With this enabled on the file, opening the file won't technically open it. Instead it automatically creates a copy of the file in the same location, leaving the original template untouched.

This amounts to a nice simple way to create a starter file that isn't easy to accidentally overwrite.
Now on to this week's hand-picked productivity links!

 
 

Tools & Apps

Radarist — A clean, simple, and high-performance web app that offers solo project management for busy people, with powerful search, project templates, and more.

Tapestry — A native Mac app that works as a universal feed for social media services like Bluesky, Mastodon, Tumblr, etc., with RSS feeds, podcasts, YouTube channels, and more, in chronological order with no biased algorithm.

The Morning Paper for Tech — Want a byte-sized version of Hacker News that takes just a few minutes to read? Try TLDR's free daily newsletter. It covers the most interesting tech, startup, and programming stories in just 5 minutes. No sports and no politics.     sponsor  

Reusable.email — A service that provides a temporary, reusable inbox that includes options for accessing inboxes via username (unencrypted) or via private key (encrypted).

Swit — A flexible, AI-powered enterprise team workspace with features for project management, team communication, workflow automation, app integrations, and more.

ShareX — An open source screen capture, file sharing, and productivity tool, with different capture methods, annotation tools, GIF recording, support for 80+ destinations, among many other features.

TabBoo — An appropriately-named Chrome extension that adds random jump scares to time-wasting websites, allowing you to use aversive conditioning to get you to be more productive.
 

Articles & Resources

How I Automated My Computer Routine with macOS Folder Actions — A really cool productivity hack that allows you to do all sorts of things quickly without all the manual work, for those not familiar with Folder Actions on Mac.

I Am (Not) a Failure: Lessons Learned From Six (and a Half) Failed Startup Attempts"I'm writing it not as a lament, but rather because I've ended up in a good place in life despite my extraordinary track record of failing at just about everything I've ever tried."

How to Improve Your WFH Lighting to Reduce Eye Strain — If you are susceptible to eye strain or similar issues, these tips might help make your remote work office setup a little more enjoyable.

How AI Generated Code Compounds Technical Debt — Based on results from GitClear’s second-annual AI Copilot Code Quality research, which analyzed 211 million changed lines of code from 2020 to 2024.

Seven Point Sunday — Join bestselling author Kabir Sehgal for a ~200 word newsletter every Sunday featuring 7 actionable ideas, covering life hacks, passive income tips, AI prompts, and music/book picks.    sponsor  

How Your Morning Coffee is Changing the Structure of Your Brain — Interestingly, the results of this novel placebo-controlled study (originally written about in 2021) aren't necessarily a negative thing but warrant more research to determine if the findings have detrimental long-term effects.

What’s the Goal of the Goal? — An excerpt from Dan Heath's book Reset, a guide to fixing what’s not working in processes, companies, and our daily lives.

Suggestions?

Have a suggestion for a productivity-related tool, article, or other resource? Send me a direct message via X (@LouisLazaris) and I’ll consider including it in a future issue.

Stay productive!

Louis
techproductivity.co
@LouisLazaris

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