Make QuickSilver your Mac productivity secret
Keyboard shortcuts save my bacon on a daily basis. Whether it is Evernote, Ubiquity, QuickSilver or TextExpander, I have a growing arsenal of productivity tools that keep me from wasting time on my computer. I talked about TextExpander and Ubiquity already, so let me tell you a bit about how to use QuickSilver.
Most people think of QuickSilver as nothing more than a down and dirty keystroke based application launcher. QuickSilver is much more fully featured than just an app launcher, however. There are quite a few things you can use it for to save yourself time and make yourself have a productivity edge. This post assumes a basic knowledge of QuickSilver.
Set Reminders
If you are anything like me you start tasks and then get distracted, often not returning to a task until much later. QuickSilver can help keep you focused. You can use it to time food, remind you of appointments, make sure you stop checking emails in enough time to get dressed for a meeting, and more. To set a timer/reminder:
Open QuickSilver
Type a period followed by a reminder word in all caps like GET DRESSED!. (This sets the text you see when the reminder goes off) Tab into next box.
Type CONTROL+ENTER keys.
Typing Run AT here will let you put in a specific time. Typing Run After Delay will let you set it to a delay instead.
Go about your business. In the set amount of time your large text reminder word will flash on your screen to remind you of your task.
Accessing Menu Item Lists
If you want to perform a task in an application and can’t remember the command, QuickSilver can help by letting you access a full lit of menu items.
Open QuickSilver
Call up the application you want to use
Use the menu bar action
Tab your way to the third pane
Type or arrow your way through the third pane to find the menu action you want to perform
Click return to cause the action to perform
Use Triggers To Make Tasks Faster
If there are QuickSilver commands you find your self using over and over, turn them into a Trigger to cut down even more time.
Open QuickSilver
Type COMMAND+, keys
Select the Triggers option
Click the + sign in the bottom left
Choose hotkey
Input your desired QuickSilver command into the pop up window
Save
Give your command a hot key (trigger) you can use to call it up in future
Work With File Comments and Labels
To add comments, colors or labels to files just choose Set Comment or Set Label actions from within QuickSilver. You can even do this on multiple objects – a total time saver when labeling multiple files.
Open QuickSilver
Open the object you wish to set actions on
Click the , key
Open the next object you wish to set actions on
Once you have all of your objects open, enter the action command. It will automatically be done to all of the open objects.
Command Chains
Make daisy chains of multiple commands to take a task from start to finish. This is a very cool feature that really deserves its own blog post. In fact, I think I’ll talk about this more in depth in my next how to post. Stay tuned.
Control Terminal
You can use QuickSilver to control Terminal. This seems a bit redundant to me, since both are text based and fairly efficient in their own right. It appeals to some people, however.
Open QuickSilver
Click the . key
Type your desired command
Type terminal
When Run Text Command in Terminal pops up, say yes.
This list is only the tip o the iceberg for handy ways to expand how you use QuickSilver to be more productive. I’ll be doing more posts about this in future, since QuickSilver has a fairly infinite set of command possibilities and uses.
Related Posts:
