Are you still re-typing the same Zoom link, calendar link, or boilerplate reply every day?
We have a solution for you: a text expander to turn short abbreviations into full phrases, links, and blocks of text you'd otherwise retype all day.
Watch the Walkthrough
How It Works
Here's how it works and where to start. Want to reclaim more of these hours? Our $10K Productivity Framework maps the highest-leverage tasks to automate first, and our guide to what a fractional executive does helps you decide what to keep doing yourself versus hand off.
Why This Matters for a CEO
Your time is your scarcest resource, and a surprising amount of it leaks into tiny repetitive tasks: pasting the same links, retyping the same answers, and so on.
None of it feels big in the moment, but it adds up to hours a week.
Automating it is one of the fastest operational wins available, and it costs almost nothing.
In our own work, we use text expansion dozens of times a day, and over the years it has saved hundreds of hours we'd rather spend building a successful business.
What Is a Text Expander?
A text expander lets you create short "abbreviations" that automatically expand into longer text with a few keystrokes. For example:
- "zlink" expands to your Zoom meeting link.
- "miweb" expands to your website URL.
- A short code expands a long, ugly Google Doc or Airtable link into something you can share instantly.
Which Tool Should You Use?
TextExpander works across Mac, Windows, and mobile. Espanso is a free, open-source alternative that runs on every platform. On Mac, the built-in Text Replacement feature handles the basics for free.
What to Automate First
- Scheduling links (your Calendly or booking link).
- Reusable details you paste often: EIN, phone number, mailing address.
- Frequently shared resources: a video, a form, a deck, a folder link.
- Common replies you send by email or chat.
The One Habit That Makes It Stick
Create a shortcut the second time you copy and paste something. If you've pasted it twice, you'll paste it again, so spend the ten seconds now. Within a few weeks, you'll have a small library of expansions doing the boring work for you.
Get More Operating Wins Like This
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