iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

What app saves you the most time each day? I always enjoy learning about other people's processes, I usually find something I can tweak to make my system even better!

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Fantastical covers off weekly and monthly planning. With easy natural language task and event entry along with calendar sets keeps me focused on the right task at the right time.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Shortcuts streamlines my productivity stack. Creating linked notes and reminders with common templates saves me a ton of time for YouTube planning

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Raycast launches apps, replaced my calculator and has custom AI integrations with the latest models!

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

3 Apps I Use Every Day to Save 2 Hours of Work: • Raycast • Shortcuts • Fantastical See how 👇

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Make sure the chapters and the transcription are separated. I would like the transcription first, then the section with chapters." Let me know if you try it out or make adjustments to the prompt that improve results. I've been using Claude 3.7 Sonnet as the model.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

Please remove the numbering and timestamps and keep only the text. Reformat the transcription to make it more readable. Please also make the timestamps into chapters. Start at 0:00 with “introduction” and have less than 10 chapters total....

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

"These are transcriptions from a YouTube video srt file. They contain a numbering system and timestamps associated with the video timeline. You are assiting in helping me to cleanup the transcription so that it may be used on YouTube as well as repurposed for other social media content....

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

In @Raycast, I created an AI chat preset to help with making YouTube chapters, it works pretty good. I feed the SRT file from Final Cut Pro and use this prompt:

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

I'm convinced the future of AI is at least as big as promised. I also don't think that AI is truly replacing humans in the near term. The technology is truly amazing, but what we will actually do with it and how it will change the world has yet to be determined.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Back to the regular Saturday morning upload this week and it feels so good!

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Those incremental upgrades cleverly bridge the gap between product tiers. Plus, 0% Apple Card financing makes the monthly hit feel smaller. Masterclass in strategic pricing, right? Was I expertly guided? Yes. Am I happy? Also yes...

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Now you're eyeing the M4 MacBook Pro (~$2000). Better chip, active cooling, gorgeous screen! But wait... only 512GB storage? One more rung... boost storage, maybe add nano-texture glass... hello $2350+ machine.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

It starts innocently. That base M4 MacBook Air looks great at $999. But need more than 256GB storage (tough in 2025)? Upgrading the Air pushes you towards $1800. Suddenly, the M4 Pro isn't that much further...

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Ever walk into an Apple Store for one thing and get tempted by something much pricier? You might be climbing Apple's "Pricing Ladder." Let's break down this subtle upsell tactic.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

What was I thinking? Davinci Resolve?! Who even am I?

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Thanks for the support, we're in this for the long haul and the journey has just begun!

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

So as I navigate my new reality of becoming a father in just 4 short weeks, I'm reminding myself that there is no rush. Business profitability, more subscribers, more videos, new tech and apps can all wait.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

There is no rush for me to hop on the hamster wheel and spin it as fast as I can right now. The channel is currently at 1.88k subscribers, 211 videos, which I think includes short form that was clipped from long form videos and podcasts.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

There were times where I posted every week for months on end and there were months where I didn't post at all. I think of this like an extra retirement plan. I hope I am still doing this well into my 50s and 60s.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

I started posting June 2023. It took 16 months to get monetized, while also working a full time job. It often feels like there is not enough time in the day to do everything that I want to do. That is ok. This is a long game.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

YouTube is a marathon, not a sprint. Can you go viral and get monetized quickly? Yes Is that sustainable? I have no idea because I haven't done it. Here is my reality for YouTube:

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

When I browse Substack these days it just feels like a giant scam. People shouting "Engage with me and I'll follow you!", "Do this to get more subscribers!", "If you are new to Substack engage with this post!" I find it exhausting and hard to find anything worth reading in the notes feature.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

I am far more bothered by people using dynamic mics far away from their faces than I am people holding wireless mics in their hands. Both of these things are pointless to be bothered by.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Nobody's perfect, I'm just a guy trying to be content with 4 different notes apps and resisting not to download a 5th.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Is your complex productivity system actually making you less productive? 🤔 I argue for "Boring Productivity" (think Apple Notes/Reminders) over feature-packed apps in the latest For Perspective podcast. Listen below:

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

No idea if this actually helps, but it makes me feel good.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

"Thanks for the engagement, it really helps my channel!" Is this the best response you can give internet trolls? 😂 My YouTube comments section is once again filled with unhinged people.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

I’m convinced if you get the YouTube weekly recap question wrong it negatively impacts your channel.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

8/ What's your notes app of choice? Have you fallen into the customization trap too?

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

7/ The lesson? The perfect notes app doesn't exist. Find tools that work for YOUR specific needs and stop endlessly customizing.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

6/ But I've added Bear Notes to my workflow for writing. Its clean markdown implementation is perfect for newsletter writing.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

5/ The truth? Apple Notes runs my YouTube channel, podcast, and most of my life. It's simple, stable, and syncs flawlessly.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

4/ Notion? Spent 3 days building my "perfect" system. Used it for a week. Then abandoned it.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

3/ Obsidian tempted me with its beautiful graph view and note-linking. I spent HOURS perfecting my system only to realize I was spending more time tinkering than creating.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

2/ My journey went like this: • OneNote (grad school) • Drafts (blog posts) • Apple Notes (built a second brain) • Obsidian (graph view addiction) • Notion (weekend wasted building systems) • Back to Apple Notes • Bear Notes (current crush)

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

1/ Notes App Confession: I've tried them all, and I keep crawling back to Apple Notes

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

I spent an entire weekend building my "perfect" Notion setup only to abandon it days later. The best productivity system? The one you'll actually use. For me: Apple Notes + Reminders. Simple tools. Consistent results.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

So Claude can access my Google calendar, Gmail and Drive to help inform prompts now? Ultimately I assume Gemini will do this as well, if it isn’t already and I just don’t know it. Man AI is still moving crazy fast.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

9/ What notes app(s) do you use? Have you fallen into the customization trap too?

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

8/ The ultimate lesson? There is no perfect notes app. I need Apple Notes + Bear for different use cases. Find what works and stop endlessly optimizing.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

7/ Bear Notes: My latest crush. Clean interface, great markdown support, plays well with Apple Reminders. Perfect newsletter writing tool.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

6/ Notion: Another weekend wasted trying to build the "perfect system." Powerful but too much friction for daily use.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

5/ Obsidian: The customization rabbit hole. Graph view, linking, plugins... spent more time tweaking than using. Still use it with Readwise for book highlights.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

4/ Apple Notes: My main app since 2023. Simple, reliable, handles attachments well. Runs my YouTube channel and podcast workflow.

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billmclean.bsky.social @billmclean.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

3/ Drafts: Lightweight markdown editor that taught me to love plain text. Great for focused writing sessions but not a complete "second brain" solution.

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