The "Pre-Launch Drafts" Habit
I keep my iPhone home screen empty. This is a commitment that is either a fad or a convergence of technology writers wanting better control over their handheld computers. Despite the scenario, I find that a blank home screen forces me to consider why I have unlocked the device.
The idea is to prompt intentionality with the use of the tool. It is a way to encourage a decision about the task you are about to perform. This is in comparison to the impulsive game of launching our favorite infinity apps looking for something new. If you choose to go into these blackholes, so be it. But if you picked up your phone with the intent of writing down an idea and ended up scrolling Twitter, you have failed.
Mindless app-launching is exactly why I want the micro-resistance that comes with having a blank home screen.
Yet, there is a secondary habit to this that I have adopted and adapted which makes the blank home screen even more effective. Here’s what it looks like:
Many folks have the habit of swiping up from the bottom of the screen to close the current app before locking their iPhone. This is nothing new.
If you add a second swipe it will then take you to your home screen. This, also, is nothing new. It is a common habit found amongst those of us with a blank home screen. The blank screen does no good if you don’t see it when you first unlock your device.
In my case, I have a third action. I tap the Drafts icon in the dock to launch Drafts before I lock the screen.
By doing this, I have reset my iPhone to allow note taking, searching, text file creation, text messaging, etc… with the simple act of unlocking it. I have a blank slate with no red badges to interrupt my intention.
At the same time, if I do swipe up to close Drafts, I am left with my blank home screen. A second reminder to decide what to do before wandering around the app landscape.
I first started doing this extra step a few years ago. I didn’t have the empty home screen. I would launch Drafts before I locked my iPhone without first moving to the home screen. It made the GTD concept of capture much easier to develop. But it also gave me an excuse to build out a series of Drafts actions that would take me exactly where I wanted to go.
For example, I have an action group called “Search.” This is a concept I stole from someone on Twitter that I can no longer locate. But it is one that I use many times a day. These actions allow me to send my search term to specific applications and websites without seeing any badges or alerts.
And if this group is one you would like to use, I published it to the Drafts Action Directory here.
My “Main” action group also sees heavy use. It allows me to create new text files, send a task to OmniFocus, create a new microblog, and even print the draft. Having these actions available prevents the need to go to a bunch of different places to do each task.
Between these two groups, I can accomplish almost everything I want to do with text I randomly grab.
I should note that Drafts is my “can’t-live-without-it” app on iOS. Anytime I need to capture a simple piece of text and act on it right away, I unlock my phone and start typing. For every other scenario (drawing pictures, capture interface ideas, sketching rough outlines) I pull out my hPDA. Sometimes, analog still wins.
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In the last month, I have expanded a little over 1,000 snippets in TextExpander. And given the complexity of those snippets, it has saved me over two hours worth of typing in that same period. And although that sounds impressive, I’m guessing the real number is closer to double that number. The snippets I’m using often save me from switching back and forth between applications or hunting down information.
So it’s no secret that I look for ways to use TextExpander as much as I can. The more tools I can integrate with it, the better. And that’s why I was thrilled to discover a bunch of apps that have an integration with TextExpander. It means I don’t have to use the third-party keyboard to use my snippets on iOS.
Note: This article contains affiliate links. That means that if you click one of these links and subsequently make a purchase, I will earn a commission. You pay nothing extra; any commission I earn comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I only recommend tools that I find genuinely helpful and useful. I ask that if don’t feel the same way about them, please do not spend any money on these products.
Drafts
Drafts is my home base. So it has to be at the top of the list. You can use this in the settings for Drafts. Scroll down and under Extensions you’ll find TextExpander. From there you can enable TextExpander and refresh the snippets regularly (more on that later).
OmniFocus
I can’t make this list without mentioning OmniFocus. I have a snippet group in TextExpander dedicated to OmniFocus to make it quicker to enter task titles and dates. To set this up, go to the settings within OmniFocus and scroll down to TextExpander. Again, you can enable the integration and refresh the snippets from the same place.
Fantastical
In recent weeks I find myself using BusyCal on both my Mac and iPhone. But I have used Fantastical regularly over the years. And one of the features I have sorely missed on my phone is this TextExpander integration. To set it up in Fantastical, go to the settings, scroll down near the bottom under Advanced and you’ll see the setting for updating TextExpander snippets.
Ulysses
I thought I had something great in Ulysses. But I recently switched my writing flow due to SearchLink. And in this case, it has been a huge ordeal since I rarely do any writing on my iPhone. Regardless, to use native TextExpander snippets in Ulysses, open a note and tap the “aA” icon at the top. Then go to Editing and at the bottom you’ll see an option to Enable TextExpander and updating the snippets.
Bear
I haven’t used Bear in a long time, but I know it’s popular for folks leaving Apple Notes or Evernote. So, good news! You can use TextExpander with it! Go to Bear’s settings and then tap on General. Right near the bottom you’ll see the settings for enabling TextExpander snippets.
Day One
I tried Day One for 3.1 seconds a few years ago. It didn’t make sense to me. But I know people love it. I’m more of a pen and paper fan when it comes to journaling. But if you want to use TextExpander with it, open up Day One’s settings, scroll down to Advanced, and about half-way down you’ll see the settings for turning on and updating TextExpander.
OmniOutliner
The OmniGroup is great about building in integrations in their apps. And OmniOutliner is no exception. I haven’t used it a ton in the past, but I am looking at it more and more. To set up TextExpander in it, go to the settings and scroll down to TextExpander. It’s similar to OmniFocus that way. Go figure.
Editorial
In the last month or so, Editorial has seen some update love from the developer. It used to be a go-to app for many writers and developers writing scripts. So I’m interested to see what comes of it in future months. To use TextExpander with it, go to Editorial’s settings, scroll down to Snippets and Abbreviations, and then Enable TE Snippets.
One thing to keep in mind, these will quickly become outdated if you are actively updating and adding TextExpander snippets. This is something I do regularly. So I have to make sure I keep these refreshed. For that, I add each of these apps to my Weekly Review as a task to refresh snippets. This way, I know these are always almost-up-to-date.
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Joe Buhlig
an analog mind in a digital world
