Play Adds Support for TV App and Netflix

Marcos Tanaka released an update yesterday for Play, his watch later app, that adds the ability to save links from the Apple TV app and Netflix. This an exciting addition to an already excellent tool.

I’ve written before about using Play to save YouTube videos that I’d like to watch. Now I can create lists that mix YouTube videos with films and series from the TV app, Netflix, and more all in one place! This is going to unlock some really fun use cases for me that I can’t wait to explore further. (I’ve already started using it to save ideas for Up Next picks on Magic Rays of Light.)

Play is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. It can be purchased on the App Store for $3.

No More “Shoulds” In My Workflows

John Voorhees in MacStories Weekly:

Like a lot of our readers, I love digging into an app and trying every feature. However, I also believe in willfully underutilizing apps. As long as the cost of doing so isn’t too high, I’m perfectly content using one or two big features of an app and never touching anything else.

This is something I struggle with often. I find an app I’m interested in, but then I get intimidated if I can’t make us of every feature. Not fully understanding a piece of software gives me imposter syndrome. But as John points out, it’s okay to only utilize certain features of an app and leave the rest alone.

Going forward, I’m going to try to adopt his “complex apps, sparingly used” mantra. It seems like a wise approach.

It’s time to eliminate the “shoulds” from my workflows and embrace what works best for me.

Speeding Up My Writing Process

You might have noticed that I’ve been posting more frequently here as of late. It’s mid-February, and this will be my tenth blog post of 2023, compared to 15 posts in the entire year 2022. Things are picking up.

Part of the reason for my increased posting is simply inspiration. I feel like I have more to say now than I did before, which is fun. Creativity is one of those things that you can’t force; you just enjoy it when it comes.

But part of it is also intentional. I’ve made some changes to my writing process in order to speed things up. I came to realize that most of the subjects I post about here don’t require weeks of thought, planning, writing, and editing. A lot of what I write can be drafted, revised, and shared in one session, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do.

Removing some of the mental blocks that kept me from publishing has been quite freeing. Even something as simple as creating a header image for each post used to get in my way. Now, I just accept that every single post doesn’t need custom artwork.

Nor does every article I share here need to be 1,000 words long. Sometimes, a worthwhile thought can be expressed in just a few sentences. I’m sure you all wouldn’t mind some shorter reads here from time to time.

That’s not to say I’ll never post long, thought-out blog posts with special artwork that take me longer to craft. Some of my best writing ever has come out of that process, and I still love it when it’s appropriate.

But for the majority of my posts on here, a quicker approach is the way to go. So that’s what I’ve been trying to go with, and I’ve been happy with my output so far. Hopefully it’s been a nice change for you as well.