Unless you’re a host. 
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Well, I disagreed with almost all of it, haha. I just like a good contrary post in a thread for that.
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Agreed and it was humorously written. 
I suspect that part of the issue is that after listening for a long period of time we move along the continuum of experience and knowledge thus making it harder for every episode to have a “wow” impact.
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Agree and disagree. Yes, we’re moving further along the continuum of experience and knowledge, and that does impact the utility of episodes that might otherwise be relevant.
But I would suggest that, for any of us whose job isn’t “macOS reviewer / tech news professional”, we’re moving along a continuum with the goal of eventually “arriving/staying”.
For example, I would wager that your job doesn’t include “become an expert on Apple calendar software options”. It does include “be able to manage meetings without looking like an idiot”. Once you arrive at a hardware/software stack that gets you to that goal, you stay there until there’s a good reason to move.
It’s the difference between somebody crawling around on the ground because they find plant life fascinating, and somebody crawling around on the ground because they’re late for dinner and they’re looking for their car keys. 
And if “where you’ve arrived” is different from where any given podcast’s hosts have largely arrived, then much of their advice becomes less applicable in direct proportion to the size of the difference between their setup/preferences and yours.
But if your favorite calendar software goes kaput and you’re suddenly in the position of not being able to manage your calendar, reviewing previous calendar-related episodes of MPU may then provide value that it wouldn’t have originally.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of that - it’s just an acknowledgement of reality.
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I take notes … on paper. Often scrap paper. Same for todo lists.
And when I’m done off to the recycling bin they go!
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I have so many meetings and projects that that would be full of friction and inefficiency. I went paperless 12 to 15 years ago. Frankly, I enjoy not having to deal with paper. But, perhaps I’m an odd duck.
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What are your most contrary MPU opinions?
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Apple Notes is more powerful than it gets credit for. Few apps can handle Apple pencil input, images, typed text, handwriting recognition and various forms of media all inline. That said, it needs some improvement in being able to drag and organize notes.
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I think Obsidian and Craft are overrated. I do like the text input and theme options for Obsidian; Block editing in Craft is a pain. But Devonthink is much better at finding information and doesn’t require constant care and feeding.
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I never agreed that iPads were a good laptop replacement. I’m glad that’s over. There are too many speed bumps for active productive work. It’s good at simple input and media consumption.
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Home Automation takes far more care and feeding than people want to admit. Taking time and investment into consideration, not all tasks are worth automating.
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Tech productivity podcasts seem to be geared towards other podasters or people who run their own businesses. Many assume you can use services like Zapier - you can’t do that in a corporate environment because you cannot grant third party access to your systems.
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Basic outlining in OmniOutliner is the better than any other outliner functionality contained within any app. But I can’t even touch Omni Automation - I’m not a coder so the barrier to entry is to high.
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While I like to get the most out of my tech, I’m not focused on productivity. I retired so I could do the things I want on my schedule. I don’t type enough repetitive stuff to make use of things like text expander or keyboard maestro. I don’t need OmniFocus to schedule my tasks, my wife takes care of that for me. If I want to chill out and read a book, so be it. Most everything else can wait.
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Mine would be that most of what’s discussed on here is nothing more than displacement activity.
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I used and enjoyed Remember The Milk for quite a while many years ago and still think it’s searching/smart lists and flexibility exceed any of today’s hundreds of todo apps.
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Mine would be that an iPad can serve for more than just content consumption and can be a perfectly functional laptop replacement (depending on what you need from a laptop).
*Ducks and runs for cover…
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Had to check the meaning of the phrase but you sure have a point. Your comment reached me while I was hanging out here instead of gaining ground on important projects, haha.
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Your wish is granted, “depending on what you need from a laptop”
“On a tour to promote this week’s launch of the iPad Pro, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the new 12.9-inch tablet, as well as the iPhone, paired with an Apple Watch, are the only products he is traveling with.” - AppleInsider 2015.
This is a fun thread. Let me preface my response by saying David and Stephen have taught me a lot and got me into things that have helped me quite a bit. I also listen to David’s Focused podcast where he and Mike have also taught me a lot of cool stuff. The book “Liminal Thinking” had a huge impact on me.
Now, onto the fun stuff!
Drafts. This is where text starts. You can save everything here and decide what to do with it later.
I’ve never really found that I want to write something down but I don’t know what I’m doing with it. When I want to email someone I think “I need to open Mail and email John Smith”. When I have a task to do I think “I need to open Todoist and enter this” or “Hey Siri…remind me to _______”. Most of the use cases I hear on podcasts sounds to me like Drafts is a completely unnecessary middle man. I have it installed on my watch as a complication and I even paid for Pro this year, but I never use it. I’m afraid to delete it though because I feel like I’m going to witness a fender bender or a crime, and when that day comes I’ll be able to dictate “6’ male, green jacket, ran west, answers to the name Lucky”. 
Keyboard Shortcuts
I understand why people love them, but how does everyone keep track of them all? I can only remember about 3 at a time, and the ones that involve 3-keys; I’d rather click the mouse
Alfred
I’ve installed this so many times, and have it installed currently. Speaking to my previous point, I can never remember the keyboard shortcut to open it, and about all I know how to do is open apps and search documents. I know it does so much more but it just never occurs to me to use it.
OmniFocus
Todoist works great for me. OmniFocus seems like an overly complicated, overly expensive, rarely updated app with a super-niche audience.
Evernote
I love it. Obsidian is great too, but I don’t like the way it separates notes and images. No email to function, no clipper. It’s great for your own thoughts and notes, but if you’re ingesting different types of media it’s not great, and Evernote excels here IMO. This is less an “Obsidian isn’t that great” point, and more a “Evernote is better than you give it credit for” point.
Overcomplicating Workflows
This is highly user-specific but I rarely use Shortcuts or automate things. I completely understand why doing so is useful, but for me there reaches a point where creating the flows and remembering/maintaining everything becomes more tedious than the original task. I don’t understand these workflows that are like “well, I put this on my Mac, then a Hazel script runs which creates a text file in Obsidian, then I have a plugin that moves that to my weekly review board where a keyboard maestro script generates an email to my boss which triggers a shortcuts automation to check the weather before I leave for work”. I dabbled in hyperbole here for sure – LOL – but I don’t know, I’m not a huge fan of linking and automating everything. I prefer to keep it simple, and not have to document all the steps in my process to keep tabs on everything. I feel like us MPU’rs like to overcomplicate things a lot.
Too many rabbit holes
Count the number of times they refer to a rabbit hole. We need a new descriptor LOL.
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I pretty much agree with everything here AND it made me laugh!
I’ve downloaded Drafts several times, each time forgetting that the first thing it will want me to do is create an account. Not a good start for an app that is supposed to be ready instantly to grab my fleeting thoughts. At which time I delete the Drafts app.
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I write reminders … on Post-Its. Slapped onto the chin of my iMac. When I’m done, I leave them there until I need the space for another Post-It.
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Your mother and grandmother are just fine with tech and don’t need to be condescended to.
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Markdown
Markdown is a total work-creating, time-sucking waste
Rich Text is an infinitely better way to create notes or any documents - WYSIWYG for bold and italics as well as easy insertion of images is so fundamental.
Fear of long-term usability of Rich Text is totally overblown. Microsoft Word is ingrained into the fabric of international business; Rich Text support is integral to Word. Microsoft Word will be around loading Rich Text long after all of us are dead.
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Drafts, by agil tortoise? I don’t remember ever being asked to create an account. In fact, I can’t even find a way to do it.
What am I missing here?
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