I have a snippet for each team member’s email address using the format: first initial + + gįor example, expands to the address for my (amazing) executive assistant, Christine. Have you ever auto-completed the wrong email address? Who hasn’t, right? Here’s my fix: 1 above and just press Command + / to bring up the search box.Įxtra Credit: Create Snippets for Your Whole Team The goal is not to remember the abbreviation for every snippet, it’s to remember the few you use all the time. Choose a simple format for your snippet abbreviation - something that makes sense to you and is easy to type.Worried you won’t remember them? Two tips: Repeat the process for creating a new snippet twice more for your business name and business phone number. Enter your name in the CONTENT and LABEL fields.Click on + in the top left corner to create a new snippet.Have you created these three snippets? Let’s set them up: To call up the TextExpander search bar on your Mac or PC, use the default shortcuts below: TextExpander’s little-known search feature lets you search your entire snippet library, use arrow keys to browse results, and then press Return to expand the selected snippet. And if you use TextExpander for Teams, you may have hundreds of snippets. Remember, every snippet has a keyboard shortcut you type that shortcut and the snippet expands. Naturally, the more shortcuts and snippets you create, the harder it is to remember them. Why would someone buy software and never use it? The main reason with TextExpander users is: “I can’t remember the snippets.” 1: Use Command + / to Quickly Find the Right Snippet If you already have TextExpander installed, bravo! Read on - and forward these tips to a friend to help them improve their efficiency. Just do the basics and that will get you ready for the next tip. Should you decide the return on your investment is worth it, the cost is $3.33 per month for a single license or $7.96 per user for teams.) Now, open the app and walk through the initial setup. (There’s a free trial, so go that route if you’re unsure whether you’ll use it. These three strategies will help you get over that hump, and single-handedly (triple-handedly?) increase your usage, and therefore your ROI, on TextExpander.īut first, if you don’t have TextExpander, download the app here and install it. The biggest problem with TextExpander is that it’s too complicated to get up and running quickly. Three Strategies to Get You Using TextExpander Fast Yup, that’s a massive ROI for me, and I do make more than that per hour. To make my Team account worth it, all I had to do was earn more than $6.27 per hour. I expanded 3,310 snippets, saving 15 hours and 22 minutes. Here’s my personal TextExpander usage report over the past year. Think about it: How many characters are in your email address? Your phone number? Your office address? How often do you type those and still make spelling errors (fingers tripping over themselves) that you have to stop and correct? If you could type three characters and have an app take over and type the rest for you - and do so correctly every time, would you want that? Duh! (See “TextExpander for Fun and Profit” by attorney Matthew Yospin.) The app works on Mac, Windows, Chrome, iPhone and iPad. Snippets can be short - an email address, or long: For example, your snippets could be answers to frequently asked questions or boilerplate text in letters or documents. What Is TextExpander?īasically, TextExpander uses keyboard shortcuts to automatically insert longer blocks of frequently used text, called snippets, wherever you wish: documents, emails, blog posts, other apps, forms and so on. If you could check those two boxes, it would be a worthy goal. (Or, if you already use it daily, get you using it more often.) (Who wouldn’t want to automate their typing?) My goal is not to teach you how to configure the entire app or become an advanced superuser, but just two things: So, if you’ve considered using TextExpander, or have it but barely use it, these tips are for you. The problem is that many of these lawyers end up never using it. Over the years, I have seen many lawyers buy into the benefits of using TextExpander, the productivity app that allows you to use keyboard shortcuts for frequently used text. This month: Tips for using TextExpander to save tons of time. We’re pleased to collaborate with Tom Lambotte to present a compilation of his best “Stupid Simple Mac Tips” for Attorney at Work readers.
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