Keyboard Maestro sat unused on my Mac for ages after I read an article about it. On opening it seemed like more fuss than use – a geeks time squanderer.
Then academic work with other research and writing gave me a series of frequently used apps and workflows that started to make life busy. As work pressure built, time became scarce and increasingly valuable. The truth dawned – working smarter wasn’t just a cool thought, it had become a pressing necessity.
I looked closely at the apps used during each workflow activity and the specific files I routinely accessed. If I could open and close them all with a few keystrokes it would cut minutes of unproductive manual work per session. This was exactly what KM was designed to do.
I blew the dust off Keyboard Maestro (KM) and started to look again at the interface to figure out how I could lighten the load and take back minutes.
After a few steps I managed to grasp the fundamentals, but learning picked up pace when I signed up1 with Screencastsonline. Don McAllister has a natural, easy presentation style that suits me very well.
KM seems best approached with a problem requiring a solution, discovering how the app is used comes easier when purpose drives the learning process. Don provides valuable perspectives, helps you establish sound techniques and demonstrates useful features you may may never have found alone.
Almost any act of automation is possible using this app. If your inner geek grows to bursting point, KM provides almost unlimited ways to automate almost every aspect of your Mac’s operation using Applescripts and other specialist additions.
Save keystrokes and mousing time – try Keyboard Maestro.
- For an introductory discount offer go to Mac Power Users podcast site and look through the show notes. http://www.relay.fm/mpu/271 ↩
The Flying Soup Dragon 