Bored with the usage of a couple of apps for various jobs? I changed 3 of my most-used productiveness apps with the unfastened Raycast Mac app.
I’m at all times looking for techniques to paintings extra productively. The extra I will be able to get completed once I’m sitting at my laptop, the fewer time I in truth have to sit down there. I’ve attempted a ton of productiveness apps in my time, from focal point timers to to-do lists. I used to have a complete folder of productiveness apps on my laptop, however the unfastened Raycast Mac app changed a lot of them.
How Raycast changed my clipboard supervisor
One sorely lacking characteristic on macOS was once a local clipboard supervisor. Up to now, I’ve used clipboard supervisor apps to temporarily and simply get admission to my clipboard historical past. I may then paste from any merchandise within the clipboard historical past, reasonably than being restricted to the very last thing I copied. A clipboard supervisor was once in the end added to macOS 26 Tahoe, however for those who haven’t up to date to the newest model of macOS, or your Mac is simply too outdated to run it, Raycast can do the process.
The wonderful thing about the clipboard historical past in Raycast is that you’ll be able to set your individual international keyboard shortcut that may open the clipboard historical past regardless of which app you’re in. That is nonetheless awesome to the process in macOS 26, which calls for you to open Highlight the usage of Cmd+Area, after which press Cmd+4 to get admission to the historical past.
With a unmarried shortcut (I take advantage of a double-tap of Ctrl), Raycast clipboard historical past opens, and I will be able to choose the rest from the closing 90 days of clipboard historical past and paste it into the present app with a unmarried key press. While you’ve used it a couple of instances, it turns into virtually 2nd nature.
That is the ability of Raycast. You’ll reach virtually the whole thing the usage of keyboard shortcuts, which temporarily develop into a part of your muscle reminiscence.
How Raycast changed my Notes app
In macOS Monterey, Apple added a brand new characteristic I used to make use of incessantly. The use of the keyboard shortcut Fn+Q, or by means of putting in place a sizzling nook, you’ll be able to open a Fast Word within the local Notes app. This permits you to temporarily jot down concepts or issues you want to keep in mind with out losing time discovering the suitable app and opening it.
The drawback of a Fast Word, on the other hand, is that when you transfer to any other app, the word will get hidden in the back of the entire different open apps. With Raycast Notes, the word at all times remains floating above different apps. Even though you open an app in complete display, the word will stay visual. You’ll resize and reposition the word window so there’s enough room to peer your notes with out obscuring the app in the back of it.
As with the clipboard historical past, you’ll be able to assign your individual international keyboard shortcuts, too. I take advantage of Shift+Possibility+N as my shortcut, and the wonder is that the similar keyboard shortcut that opens Raycast Notes may even shut it once more if you want to peer the entire apps underneath.
I typically stay a Raycast Word open whilst I’m operating on my Mac, both to seize reminders about issues I wish to do imminently or as a snappy position to write concepts.
How Raycast changed my Pomodoro timer
I at all times fight to stick targeted once I’m operating. My thoughts wanders, and I abruptly call to mind good house concepts I sought after to paintings on, or different issues which are extra attention-grabbing than paintings. Prior to I comprehend it, I’ve wasted part an hour that I will have to have spent operating.
I used to make use of a devoted Pomodoro app to concentrate on paintings for 25 mins, then take a five-minute ruin, and repeat the cycle. The app would notify me when it was once time for a ruin and when to renew paintings.
Raycast allows you to upload further options via extensions. All you want to do is sort “retailer” into Raycast to peer an inventory of the entire to be had extensions you’ll be able to set up. One such extension is the Pomodoro extension.
While you’ve added the extension, you’ll be able to upload your individual international keyboard shortcut. Once I press Shift+Possibility+P on my Mac, the Pomodoro extension opens in Raycast. If I press Input, the timer begins a 25-minute focal point consultation; after that, the Raycast window opens once more to tell me that the consultation is over. Urgent Input begins a 5-minute ruin; the method then repeats. You’ll upload a timer to the menu bar to peer how a lot time is left for your focal point consultation or ruin.
The use of the Pomodoro timer in Raycast makes it fast and simple to begin and forestall my focal point periods immediately from my keyboard. It method I will be able to spend extra time operating and no more time beginning and preventing my Pomodoro app.
Raycast can achieve this a lot more
Those are simply 3 of the productiveness apps I’ve changed with Raycast, however there’s a lot more the app can do. You’ll create snippets that mechanically input phrases or words throughout your Mac each time you sort a brief key phrase. You’ll use it to resize and prepare your Mac home windows, or to open apps or kill processes.
The use of extensions, you’ll be able to combine Raycast with different apps for your Mac, corresponding to Slack, Perception, Todoist, 1Password, and Spotify. You’ll then regulate those apps immediately from Raycast the usage of your keyboard. While you’ve attempted Raycast, you’ll surprise the way you ever survived with out it, and also you’ll more than likely by no means contact Highlight once more.
The unfastened Raycast Mac app may change your productiveness gear
Should you use a large number of other productiveness gear, or simply need a good way to have interaction together with your Mac extra temporarily and simply, then you definately will have to surely take a look at the unfastened Raycast app. The core enjoy is solely unfastened and filled with extremely helpful options. If you wish to have much more energy, the Raycast Professional subscription unlocks further options, together with AI gear, cloud sync, limitless clipboard historical past and notes, and extra.
