I frequently find myself having conversations with people about simple tips and tricks for making life a little easier.
A good example is keystroke shortcuts: I love being able to plow through my email without removing my hands from the keyboard to touch the mouse.
However, not every life enhancement has to involve memorizing new habits and shortcuts. Some things are just simple in and of themselves.
One of these is Fluid – a simple and FREE way to turn any website or browser tab into a stand-alone program.
If you’re a Mac user, you probably have clear sentiments about the way you keep your desktop and dock. As silly as it seems, it’s a very personal issue that has a direct impact on our daily work flow. Just as I’m mildly obsessed with a nearly immaculate desk in my office and a clutter-free fridge, I maintain a fairly tidy dock on both my MacBook Air at home and MacBook Pro at the office.
By the way, there’s no need to be impressed: this is simply a coping mechanism on my part. The fewer things in all these places, the fewer things to misplace or neglect.
These days, more and more programs are web-based rather than installed. However, this creates a conundrum since our browsers are for – well, browsing. I’m very busy keeping a ridiculous number of tabs open in my browser (by the way, here’s a simple solution if you’re similarly afflicted), which means I don’t want to do my work there too.
Enter Fluid.
If you frequently use web-based programs (think e-newsletter hubs, social media scheduling sites, task management platforms) or simply hit the same website everyday for news and updates, here’s a way to make your day run more smoothly… and it will take less than 5 minutes!
- Download Fluid (the free version is more than adequate).
- Click to open/launch.
- Grab the URL for the site you’d like to turn into an “app.”
- Hint: if it’s a program, log in and go to your favorite page or dashboard.
- Add a program name and icon.
- Hint: Fluid grabs the website’s existing “favicon,” but they can be blurry. If you’re design-y or care about aesthetics, download a higher-res file (such as the company image on Twitter) for more visual delight.
- Click “create.”
That’s it! Your favorite website will now be at your fingertips as an app in your launch pad or dock, and you can simply run Fluid again the next time you’re ready to turn your favorite website into an app.
You. Are. Welcome.
