I was on MacVoices this week as part of their annual Holiday Gift Guide series. Chuck Joiner and I talked through some of my favorite gift recommendations for the Mac users/Explorers in your life.
The episodes also feature recommendations from Bart Busschots and Kirschen Seah, so check out the full conversation for their gift ideas. You can watch the full conversation here:
In the summer of 2007, my girlfriend (now wife) and I went on a Globus bus tour through Italy. You know the type: the bus drops you off at a museum, you wear an earpiece while the tour guide talks into their microphone and holds a little stick in the air so you can follow them around, then back on the bus to a restaurant; back on the bus to a hotel; back on the bus and back on the road.
https://www.themikeburke.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/146-TMB-Blog-Post-Venice.jpg10801920Mikehttps://www.themikeburke.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Mike-Burke-Square-Header.pngMike2025-12-22 07:53:002026-01-03 07:42:25GuideAlong for National Parks
I’m so bad at spelling that I’m actually better at grammar; using a semicolon is easier than remembering whether I comes before E. As a result of my terrible spelling and tendency to avoid frustration, I’ve been trying to dictate my writing since middle school. If you’ve ever wondered how many children gleefully received Dragon Naturally Speaking as a Christmas gift, the answer is at least one. But regardless of how much I read to my computer, it wasn’t until this year that I finally found the dictation experience I’ve been searching for.
I have some pretty good systems for capturing action items; maybe they are too good. Pair that with the fact that no matter how solid my weekly review feels, it’s easy to skip the next one. Pretty quickly, the inputs outpace the outputs, and like the second page of Google search results, there are corners of my Things database I haven’t seen in quite some time.
To address those quiet corners, I’ve spent time working on an automation that puts tasks in front of me every day. While Claude and Gemini both helped me refine this script, what I’m sharing with you today is straight AppleScript; there is no AI required to run it.
So strap in and let me show you my latest creation.
https://www.themikeburke.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/144-TMB-Blog-Post-Featured-Image.jpg10801920Mikehttps://www.themikeburke.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/The-Mike-Burke-Square-Header.pngMike2025-12-09 17:29:472026-01-03 07:43:16Distributing Tasks in Things 3 with AppleScript
If you are coming to the conference, let me know! If flying to Chicago is not in the cards, you can also sign up for a digital ticket and get recordings of all of the workshops. Consider using my code MIKEBURKE50 when you register, I’d appreciate it!
MacVoices Holiday Gift Guide
I was on MacVoices this week as part of their annual Holiday Gift Guide series. Chuck Joiner and I talked through some of my favorite gift recommendations for the Mac users/Explorers in your life.
The episodes also feature recommendations from Bart Busschots and Kirschen Seah, so check out the full conversation for their gift ideas. You can watch the full conversation here:
- Part 1
- Part 2
Read moreGuideAlong for National Parks
In the summer of 2007, my girlfriend (now wife) and I went on a Globus bus tour through Italy. You know the type: the bus drops you off at a museum, you wear an earpiece while the tour guide talks into their microphone and holds a little stick in the air so you can follow them around, then back on the bus to a restaurant; back on the bus to a hotel; back on the bus and back on the road.
Read moreMy Dictation Workflow
I’m so bad at spelling that I’m actually better at grammar; using a semicolon is easier than remembering whether I comes before E. As a result of my terrible spelling and tendency to avoid frustration, I’ve been trying to dictate my writing since middle school. If you’ve ever wondered how many children gleefully received Dragon Naturally Speaking as a Christmas gift, the answer is at least one. But regardless of how much I read to my computer, it wasn’t until this year that I finally found the dictation experience I’ve been searching for.
Read moreDistributing Tasks in Things 3 with AppleScript
I have some pretty good systems for capturing action items; maybe they are too good. Pair that with the fact that no matter how solid my weekly review feels, it’s easy to skip the next one. Pretty quickly, the inputs outpace the outputs, and like the second page of Google search results, there are corners of my Things database I haven’t seen in quite some time.
To address those quiet corners, I’ve spent time working on an automation that puts tasks in front of me every day. While Claude and Gemini both helped me refine this script, what I’m sharing with you today is straight AppleScript; there is no AI required to run it.
So strap in and let me show you my latest creation.
Read moreI’m Presenting at Macstock!
I am excited to be giving my first conference presentation since 2017 at the Macstock Conference and Expo next month!
The workshop will help attendees create automated systems for their creative projects: both purposeful folder structures and project management workflows that actually get the work done.
I was interviewed on the MacVoices podcast, which you can check out here to get some more details.
If you are coming to the conference, let me know! If flying to Chicago is not in the cards, you can also sign up for a digital ticket and get recordings of all of the workshops. Consider using my code MIKEBURKE50 when you register, I’d appreciate it!
Read more