Blake Burge Profile picture
Sep 25, 2021 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Apple has sold over 200 Million Macs

Yet most users don't know half of what they're capable of.

Here are 7 Things you didn't know your Mac could do. 💻
1/ Specific Screenshots:

SHIFT+CMD+3 will capture your entire screen.

Did you know you can also narrow your capture to a specific portion?

It's easy, & now that I know it exists, I use it every day.

A simple SHIFT+CMD+4 and you're on your way.
2/ Digital Signatures:

Have a PDF you need to sign?

Let's skip all the printing, physical signing, scanning, etc.

Using the "preview" app you can easily create a digital signature.

All you need is a pen, a white piece of paper, & your Mac's camera.
3/ Annotate PDF's

While the preview app doesn't allow for text editing, it does provide some other pretty cool features.

By selecting the "markup" toolbar, you can unlock multiple collaborative options:

•Add notes
•Suggest changes
•Sketch, draw, & share ideas.

Here's how:
4/ Keyboard Shortcuts:

I was sitting in my office recently & noticed one of my coworkers seemingly flying through tasks.

Without ever using his mouse.

I thought, "man, I've got to learn keyboard shortcuts."

With this in mind, here are the basics to get us started.
5/ Custom shortcuts:

Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, did you know you can make one for literally anything?

Go to:

System Preferences->Keyboard
->App Shortcuts->Click the +

Have a menu option you use all the time, but a shortcut doesn't exist?

No worries. Create your own!
6/ Parental Controls: Not just for kids...

Using Macs inside your business?

•Lock down purchases
•Restrict password & doc mods
•Select apps employees can access
•Limit content to only that which is "SFW"
7/ Split View:

If you're like me, you can't have enough screen real estate.

Here's how to 2X your viewable area:

Hover your pointer over the full-screen button 🟢 in the upper-left corner.

->Tile left or right
->Click a window on the other side

BOOM!

Two apps, one screen
8/ As for me...

If you found these helpful, why not share?

• Retweet the first tweet and help others find this thread

• Join 26,000+ of my friends & follow me at @blakeaburge

I write about mental models, productivity, & building a better you.

• • •

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More from @blakeaburge

Jun 1, 2024
Steve Harvey often talks to the studio audience during commercial breaks when filming Family Feud.

According to him, there's one difference between successful people and those who aren't:
"What goes on in here." (Your own mind)

" The hard part is believing that it's applicable to you. You've just gotta get out your own way sometimes."

I think a lot about that first point.

It applies across so many areas of life.
Relationships, careers, health and fitness, you name it.

How many times do we decide something isn't "for us."

We rule ourselves out and say we're not smart enough, we don't know the right people, we don't have the resources.
Read 5 tweets
May 27, 2024
In 2011, Denzel Washington was asked to give a commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania.

Although the entire message is quite good, a single 54-second segment changed the way I think about life...
In less than a minute, Washington hit these 3 points:

Point 1: If you don't fail, you're not even trying.

Point 2: To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done.

Point 3: Imagine the ghosts of your unfulfilled potential.
The third one really struck me.

It's from a larger quote by motivational speaker, Les Brown.

“Imagine you’re on your deathbed—and standing around your bed are the ghosts representing your unfilled potential...
Read 6 tweets
May 25, 2024
I'm convinced that there is one skill that separates truly intelligent people from those that aren't:

Listening.

This concept of "being a recorder" by Rick Rubin explains it perfectly.

In less than a minute, Rubin provides 4 simple steps that will change how you think about...
your interactions with others.

Step 1: "It starts with coming in blank. Not having any preconceived ideas, being open, and really listening.

Not thinking about what you're going to say next or what your opinion is."
Step 2: "Basically being a recorder.

Just hearing what comes in.

Processing that information and trying to do our best to do that without any of the beliefs we might have to impact what that is."
Read 9 tweets
Jun 24, 2023
2 months after Rocky I was released in 1976, Sylvester Stallone did an interview with the BBC.

But it wasn't the Italian Stallion throwing punches.

It was the host––who at one point said:

"It was fairly presumptuous of you wasn't it? To expect to be able to star in it, because… https://t.co/5tQrGh80iMtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
You can watch the full interview here:

If you like content like this, I also write a weekly newsletter. It's free, and nearly 30K people read it every Sunday.
https://t.co/v49JfZ7r9p
blake.ck.page
This part where Stallone talks about how much money he was offered to "just go away" is pure gold.

A lot to be said for failing on your own terms:
Read 4 tweets
May 27, 2023
"The solution to your problem is not going to be found in the problem."

I've spoken with 3 different friends in the last week (all high-achievers) who've expressed to me some level of feeling overwhelmed.

They all use the same tactic to get back on track––

Detachment:
Everyone has the same issue.

We're so narrowly focused on our own problems, the immediate issues in front of us, the trees instead of the forest, that we can't find our way out.

We've narrowed our field of vision to the point we're unable to see what we need to do.
I've always been hesitant to speak up in meetings.

Fear of sounding dumb, or giving an incorrect answer has held me back.

Jocko provides a great illustration here:

Sometimes, a perspective from the outside (even from someone less experienced) is exactly what is needed.
Read 8 tweets
May 10, 2023
Humans have a tendency to believe false information.

It's called the "Illusory Truth Effect"

Here's why it happens and how you can train your brain to overcome it: Image
First, some background...

In 1977, researchers from Villanova and Temple were the first to coin the term during a study conducted over a 5-week period.

Separated into 3 sessions, participants were given a list of 60 statements.

Their task was simple.
Determine what was true & what was false.

In each session, 40 statements were unique, while the remaining 20 were repeated from the previous rounds.

Over the course of the three meetings, researchers noticed an interesting trend...
Read 16 tweets

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