Rutgers Medical: Apple Apps for Productivity-Are They Enough?

Cool Workflows
1

Many of us reevaluate our workflows and applications at the end of the year. Considering this, I thought some of you might find this video interesting.

Should you ditch your other productivity apps for Apple’s native suite? After testing this for 9 months, here’s what I learned.

1 Like
2

Does anyone know how he did the drag & drop from Mail to Reminders at ~ 42 seconds?

3

For me, it’s enough even for writing.

I mean writing on the go, like Sönke Ahrens, the author of How to Take Smart Notes, said just write.

I use my Apple Notes on iPhone and iPad to write when I am reading books or visiting an area. I accumulate words gradually into an article.

For tasks, I just need to write what I want to do and even why, instead of establishing checklists for everything and smart folders or scheduling. I mean I still use Reminders and Calendar, but just for something that really need deadline or that I don’t want to remember but important (like going to supermarket).

4

I started to write out the instructions, and then I realized, “ChatGPT can provide the instructions faster,” so here you go. The first method is the one shown in the video—it is also the one I seldom use, as one needs to be Houdini to pull it off. :rofl:

Method 1: drag and drop an Apple Mail message into Apple Reminders with one hand

  1. Open Apple Mail and locate the email you want to add to Reminders.
  2. Touch and hold the email until it lifts slightly (you’ll see a shadow effect indicating it’s ready to move).
  3. With the same hand (while continuing to hold the email):
    • Use one finger to swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Dock or Home screen.
    • While still holding the email, tap the Reminders app to open it.
  4. When Reminders opens, drag the email to the desired list or location within the app and release it.
  5. The email will be added as a reminder, with the subject as the title and a link back to the email.

Method 2: Using the Share Sheet

  1. Open Apple Mail and select the email you want to add to Reminders.
  2. Tap the Share button (a square with an arrow pointing upward).
  3. In the Share Sheet, scroll and tap Reminders.
  4. A new reminder will open with the email subject as the title and a link to the email.
  5. Optionally, add details, set a due date, or assign it to a list.
  6. Tap Add to save the reminder.

Method 3: Using Touch (Drag and Drop)

  1. Open Apple Mail and find the email you want to add.
  2. Open the Reminders app in Split View or Slide Over (drag up from the bottom of the screen, then drag the app to one side).
  3. Touch and hold the email in Mail until it lifts slightly.
  4. Drag the email over to Reminders and release it.
  5. The email will appear as a reminder with its subject as the title and a link to the email.

Method 4: Using Siri

  1. While viewing the email in Apple Mail, activate Siri (say “Hey Siri” or hold the Side/Home button).
  2. Say, “Remind me about this email tomorrow at 9 AM” (or specify a time).
  3. Siri will create a reminder with a link to the email in the Reminders app.
1 Like
5

My thoughts:

Apple Reminders is a very good application and it has clicked for me with the addition of quick entry apps on iOS and Mac. I still miss the Todoist natural language processing but location based reminders in AR are very good.

Apple Notes is perfect for me. I think one of the least talked about aspects of note taking is sharing. Sharing with your partner is perfect on Apple Notes. I have folders with notes and the whole folder is shared with my partner.

6

I use all three of the Apple apps but rarely as cooperating programs. The closest I get is to use Mail’s linkage feature to add appointments to my Calendar.

7

@Bmosbacker I like the way you mentioned about using ChatGPT to write the steps. If you write it or ChatGPT the message is the same. It doesn’t change.

I would have loved to read it in your words. It would have been more interesting to read as you speak your mind.

8

More likely, my explanation would have been less clear. :slightly_smiling_face:

If I sense a subtle implication in your reply about my comments on AI and authenticity (I might be mistaken :slightly_smiling_face:), let me be clear. My concern with authenticity isn’t about using ChatGPT per se; it’s about using ChatGPT without explicitly stating that you’ve done so. As you’ll note in my reply above, I explicitly acknowledged using AI.

Furthermore, and perhaps I’m making a distinction without a difference, but providing AI-generated steps for a technical question is qualitatively different from passing along written content that is not one’s own. But, if one uses AI, for whatever purpose, it should be acknowledged. :slightly_smiling_face:

9

No nothing against you using ChatGPT. You did mention it clearly. I love reading the way you write it. Your posts are always nice to read. To be fair, I have posted comments from ChatCGPT as well here in this forum. :slight_smile:

1 Like
10

Thanks, sorry I inferred more than you intended!

1 Like
11

Thank you @Bmosbacker! It was Method 1 that I was trying to figure out. I had gotten to step 2 from watching the video, but Manan Parekh was too quick for me to follow the next steps! FWIW, I don’t think you need to be Houdini - I am getting smoother after only a few practices. That said, using Siri is easiest so I give Method 4 my vote.

Now, I think CHATGPT only gets mediocre grades for the other two responses. I will caveat this criticism with a recognition that I might be doing something wrong!

Method 2: On my iPhone (15 Pro, iOS 18.1.1), I don’t get the ability to share anything (step 2) unless I highlight something first. I don’t have an iPad (can’t check it), but this is also the case for macOS.

Method 3: Is split screen possible on iPhone? I cannot figure it out and I could not find online instructions. Method 3 is probably for iPadOS.

12

@mailbuoy You are correct, Split View is not possible on the iPhone-only on the iPad. And, yes, one has to select something in the email (I usually select the subject) to send the email to the share sheet.