Your Productivity Apps Cost More Than Your iPhone
Most of us are paying $25-50/month for productivity apps. That's $300-600 per year—enough to buy a new iPad.
Meanwhile, Apple has been quietly building a complete productivity ecosystem into every device you own. But without proper guidance, these apps feel basic, disconnected, and underpowered.
This Field Guide reveals the hidden 80% of Apple's productivity suite that transforms free apps into a system that rivals anything you can buy.
Apple's Best-Kept Secret
I've been teaching Apple productivity for over a decade. And for years, I recommended third-party apps for everything—task management, note-taking, project planning.
Then I started really digging into what Apple built. Smart Lists in Reminders that rival any GTD app. Smart Folders in Notes that work like Notion databases. Calendar automation that thinks ahead. Freeform boards that visualize better than any mind-mapper.
The revelation? Most people paying for productivity apps already own something just as powerful. They just need someone to show them how it all fits together.
In this Field Guide, I'll show you exactly what these apps can do when you understand the system Apple designed but never explained.
The Four Pillars of Apple Productivity
Calendar - Your Time Commander Transform basic scheduling into automated workflow triggers that create tasks, set reminders, and organize your day without lifting a finger.
Reminders - Your Task Intelligence Build a complete GTD system with location awareness, smart lists that self-organize, and natural language processing that actually works.
Notes - Your Second Brain Create self-organizing research vaults, meeting command centers, and knowledge bases that sync perfectly across every device.
Freeform - Your Visual Workspace Design project boards, mind maps, and creative canvases with infinite space and perfect integration with your other apps.
The Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide
Two Ways to Master Your Hidden Ecosystem
Essentials Edition ($49)
- 100+ HD video tutorials
- Master each app individually
- Learn the integration secrets
- Self-paced learning
- Lifetime access
Pro Edition ($99) Everything in Essentials PLUS:
- 6 Live Workshop Webinars
- Real-time Q&A sessions
- Build YOUR system with guidance
- Implementation support
- Recordings if you miss any
What You'll Discover:
- Smart Automation that eliminates repetitive tasks across all four apps
- Integration Magic showing how these apps were designed to work together
- Hidden Features that Apple doesn't advertise but power users rely on
- Real Systems you can implement immediately for work, personal, or creative projects
- Apple Intelligence Ready workflows that prepare you for the AI-powered future
Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide
Sample Video
Want to check out 37 minutes of the course? Here you go.
Course Outline
Getting Started
Welcome to your Apple productivity transformation. Learn why these four apps create a complete ecosystem, how they work together, and get oriented with the Field Guide structure. Discover which workflows will save you the most time and money right from day one.
The Apple Productivity Suite
Understand the design philosophy behind Apple's productivity ecosystem. Learn how iCloud makes everything work seamlessly, and discover the overview of how Calendar, Reminders, Notes, and Freeform complement each other to create a zero-subscription productivity powerhouse.
Calendar - Your Time Commander
Master Apple Calendar from basic event creation to advanced automation. Learn calendar sets, travel time, alerts that think ahead, and integration with other apps. Discover how to use multiple calendars, share effectively, and create time-based triggers for your entire workflow system.
Reminders - Your Task Intelligence
Transform Reminders into a complete task management system. Build Smart Lists that self-organize, master location-based reminders that actually work, create templates for recurring workflows, and learn the hidden power of tags, flags, and natural language input. Includes full GTD implementation.
Notes - Your Second Brain
Turn Apple Notes into your knowledge management system. Master Quick Notes, Smart Folders that auto-organize your research, document scanning with text recognition, collaboration features, and the powerful search capabilities. Learn to create meeting templates, project hubs, and reference libraries that sync everywhere.
Freeform - Your Visual Workspace
Discover Apple's newest productivity app for visual thinking. Create project boards, mind maps, and planning canvases with infinite space. Learn to integrate files, images, and links from other apps, collaborate visually with teams, and build status boards that update dynamically.
Integration Magic
This is where everything comes together. Learn how to create Calendar events that spawn Reminders tasks, link Notes to specific meetings, embed Reminders in Freeform boards, and build cross-app workflows that feel like magic. Master the connections Apple built but never explained.
Automation with Shortcuts
Supercharge your productivity with automation. Create Shortcuts that work across all four apps, build morning routines that set up your entire day, automate meeting notes creation, and design quick-capture workflows. Includes 10+ ready-to-use Shortcuts you can customize.
Widgets and Focus Modes
Optimize your home screens and Focus modes for maximum productivity. Learn which widgets actually improve your workflow, how to create Focus-specific widget stacks, and build different productivity modes for work, personal, and creative time.
Apple Intelligence Integration
Prepare for the future with Apple Intelligence. Learn how AI will enhance writing in Notes, make Calendar smarter, improve task parsing in Reminders, and enable new capabilities in Freeform. Future-proof your workflow for the AI productivity revolution.
Platform Optimization
Each Apple device has unique strengths. Master productivity on iPhone with quick capture and location features, iPad with Apple Pencil and multitasking, Mac with keyboard shortcuts and automation, and Apple Watch with voice input and glanceable information.
Real-World Systems
Put it all together with complete productivity systems. Build a personal GTD setup, create a content creation workflow, design a project management system, implement a meeting management process, and construct a personal knowledge management vault—all with free Apple apps.
Webinar Series (Pro Edition)
Six deep-dive workshops where we build YOUR system together:
- Apple Notes Mastery - Transform Notes into your productivity hub
- Reminders as Complete GTD - Build a bulletproof task system
- Calendar Automation Workshop - Make your calendar work for you
- Freeform Visual Planning - Master visual project management
- Integration Workshop - Connect everything with Shortcuts
- Putting It All Together - Design your complete productivity system
Each webinar includes live Q&A, real-world examples, and personalized guidance. All sessions are recorded and available for replay.
Praise for the Apple Productivity Suite
Field Guide
Get More Productive With The Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide
Love the MacSparky Field Guides. They are a great investment in my productivity, both in business as well as in a personal context. The MacSparky field guides make me more productive and they also make my life more relaxed and creative in a constantly changing and demanding world. I also enjoy the tone and style of the Field Guides - that makes learning enjoyable. The Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide is the latest in a long row of excellent guides to getting more productive as well as more relaxed and creative. Love it.
– Martin S.
Saving Money
"I canceled $300/year in subscriptions after Week 1. The Reminders section alone paid for the entire course."
– Marcus K.
It Only Took One Video Moment to Justify the Cost
It only took 1 tip about the Apple Calendar app from this guide, to make me stop and reconsider how I was using the built in Apple apps. As a retired worker, I am now working to simplify my life, and David always leads the way in reducing the stress through his Field Guides. Being productive in retirement still requires using my calendar, notes and reminder apps daily. David's Field Guides have always been a great way to learn, and relearn the material at my own pace. I highly recommend the Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide for understanding how you can modify, and use the tools Apple have built into the operating system. It only took one video moment for me to justify the cost (it has to do with using the terminal to reset the visible days in the week view). Thanks David, another happy customer!
– Gerald M
Blow Away By How Much I Am Learning!
I bought the Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide yesterday and am, as always, blown away by how much I am learning from a MacSparky Field Guide. My first one was purchased with an Apple gift card from my brother when all I had was an iPod (Paperless, and I'm pretty sure that one was back when the Field Guides were apps). I think I have since bought most of them. The main standout at this point in the Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide is the section on Freeform, an app which I had previously written off as pointless so immediately deleted it from every device. I get it now. Incredibly useful app that I can't wait to learn more about and find a way to use! I honestly wouldn't be where I am without the MacSparky Field Guides. This is not hyperbole; I am organized, productive (don't get me started on the Productivity Field Guides-life changing-see photo and know that my long term dream of motorcycle touring went from no bike to the best summer of my life because of them) and among my peers, seen as a bit of a tech wizard, all thanks to David and his Field Guides!
– Kathryn R
Connecting Apps in New Ways
"The integration between Calendar and Reminders is something I never knew existed. It's changed how I plan my entire week."
- Sarah T.
Every Lesson Is Like Sitting Down With a Helpful Friend
David’s Field Guides helped me go from just using my Mac and iPad to mastering them. The guides don’t just show you what buttons to click—they teach you how to think about automation, organization, and creativity. My favorite thing is how David teaches with such warmth. Every lesson feels like sitting down with a friend who’s showing you something genuinely useful. The videos are beautifully produced, and the mix of walkthroughs, real-world examples, and bonus materials makes it easy to learn at your own pace. David’s Field Guides are the rare kind of resource that actually changes how you work. They’re packed with practical knowledge but never overwhelming, and they reflect his years of real experience. Whether you’re a professional trying to be more efficient or just someone who wants to get more joy out of their tech, these guides are worth every penny. I've purchased most of David's Field Guides and the latest, "Apple Productivity Suite" has already taught me that I was missing out on many elements of these so called "basic" apps. I was not a user at all of "Reminders", but after watching the Field Guide, I'm now a power user of Reminders! Use the stuff that you have and maybe even save some money by cancelling some monthly fees on apps you really don't need. Cheers!
– Cliff538
Apple Productivity Suite Field Guide Contents
- Why Apple Calendar (0:43)
- Calendar Interface Overview (8:48)
- Creating Events (6:07)
- Repeating Events (4:26)
- Alerts and Notifications (3:12)
- Time Zones and Travel (4:14)
- Managing Calendars (6:19)
- Calendar Sharing (1:44)
- Adding Special Calendars (1:45)
- Using Siri (2:58)
- Calendar Automation (3:53)
- Calendar Integrations (1:55)
- Calendar Widgets (3:19)
- Calendar Settings (5:27)
- Why Reminders (0:55)
- The Reminders Philosophy (0:52)
- Reminders Interface Tour (4:30)
- Creating Tasks and Basic Metadata (2:28)
- Creating and Working with Lists (2:45)
- Pinning and Grouping Lists (1:39)
- Using Flags in Reminders (2:52)
- Date and Time (3:44)
- Using Early Reminders (1:00)
- Repeating Tasks (2:01)
- Location-Based Reminders (4:12)
- Using Siri with Reminders (2:57)
- More Reminders Quick Entry (4:32)
- Auto-Categorize Reminders (1:33)
- Sharing & Collaborating (1:50)
- Capture With Reminders Control (1:53)
- Notifications Settings (1:13)
- Reminders Automation (2:52)
- Reminders Widgets (1:57)
- Reminders and Calendars (0:59)
- Advanced Tags and Smart Lists (8:10)
- Reminders for Different Roles (2:33)
- Using Reminders for Projects (4:10)
- MacSparky’s Reminders Setup (12:11)
- Reviewing and Maintaining Your System (1:44)
- Pitfalls & Pro Tips (5:42)
- Reminders Settings (2:08)
- Why Apple Notes (1:08)
- Interface Tour (4:39)
- Text Formatting (9:17)
- Checklists (1:43)
- Tables (0:59)
- Recording Audio (1:43)
- Attachments (1:51)
- Document Scanning & Text Recognition (2:17)
- Apple Intelligence (3:16)
- Quick Note (4:00)
- Share Sheet Capture (1:27)
- Apple Pencil & Handwriting (4:36)
- Locking and Securing Notes (0:54)
- Siri and Notes (2:22)
- Using Tags (4:28)
- Folders in Notes (3:44)
- Smart Folders (3:04)
- Collaboration and Sharing (2:40)
- Backup and Archive (1:14)
- Using Links in Notes (3:07)
- Notes Templates (0:52)
- Using Math Notes (2:54)
- Notes Widgets (1:53)
- Searching Your Notes (1:42)
- Notes Preferences (3:19)
- Notes Automation (3:13)
- Why Freeform (0:48)
- Interface Tour (4:05)
- Making Your First Board (2:17)
- Working with Text (4:02)
- Shapes and Connectors (11:45)
- Sticky Notes (1:37)
- Working with Media (5:37)
- Working with Objects and Boards (5:37)
- Using Scenes (2:25)
- Apple Pencil and Freeform (6:21)
- Sharing Boards (3:25)
- Exporting and Printing (1:51)
- Use Case #1 - Status Boards (2:07)
- Use Case #2 - Planning Calendar (1:20)
- Use Case #3 - Brainstorming (1:19)
- Use Case #4 - Company Strategy (1:42)
- Use Case #5 - Building Diagrams (1:26)
The Story Behind This Guide
I've been excited about technology since I first got my hands on a computer back in 1980. Since then, I've written and published numerous books and video courses from The MacSparky Blog and The MacSparky Labs. I also host several popular technology podcasts, including The Mac Power Users, The Automators, and Focused.
A Confession...
For years, I thought Apple's productivity apps were a joke. (And they kind of were.)
Then Apple started putting serious effort into these apps and I started investigating. What I found surprised me: Smart Lists in Reminders that rival any GTD app I've used. Notes that can auto-organize research better than most paid alternatives. Calendar automation I didn't know existed. Freeform boards that make expensive mind-mapping apps look dated.
The revelation wasn't that Apple's apps are perfect—they're not. But they're far more powerful than most of us realize, and when you understand how they work together, they form a productivity ecosystem that many people can use instead of (or alongside) those expensive subscriptions.
This Field Guide is my complete brain dump of everything I've learned about making Apple's productivity apps sing. I'm excited to show you workflows and integrations that even surprised this seasoned Mac power user.
