Every now and then I come across an application that just fits how I work. It doesn’t happen too often but when it does, it’s a really special thing. It’s very much like when you go into a clothing store, see something and you don’t even need to try it on - you just know it’s going to be right.
Well Hook, by the team at CogSci Apps is one such application. It just seems to get me - and a lot of others as well.
What Is Hook?
Hook is a macOS application that has one primary aim - to keep you focused. In an age where information overload is a genuine thing, it’s hard to keep track of where our files or relevant websites are and this can generate friction when it comes to focused working. Why can we not just search for this material, using a tool like Alfred or Spotlight? Well, of course, we can. As long as we have a general idea of what it is we are searching for. How often do you find yourself carrying out repeated searches because you can’t quite remember how you named the file or the spelling of a website.
Hook counters this by letting you hook resources together via bi-directional links. So if you have an OmniFocus project that requires you to access certain files or websites, you can use Hook to create links that hook these common resources together. This is known as contextual computing and anything I can use to help me get on board this train, I’m all over because contextual computing is the way forward (Here is a link to a MacSparky article on this very topic).
One OmniFocus Project - three websites for research through the Hook Interface
Why Is It Great?
When I’m setting up any kind of project, I use Hook to gather together the main resources I need. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a small project, like a personal screencast, or something larger for a corporate client - knowing that I can access any file I need with just a couple of keypresses saves me two main things
Time - this is important because whenever time disappears into the ether, that’s exactly where it has gone. It’s never going to come back. When you waste money on something, you can take measures to ensure that somehow, you can get it back, whether by selling something or earning it another way. Time, however, is very much not a bi-directional concept. It goes one way, so anything I can do to make the most of the time I have is welcomed
Attention - every bit as important as time, if not more so. We have 24 hours in a day, every day, never going to change. We certainly do not have 24 hours of full attention. Or 12. If we were to halve that and go for six, we’re getting much nearer the mark. Every time we switch context to try and get to another file or resource, we chip away at a tiny bit of that attention because there is an element of friction involved. By linking to resources from one hotkey enabled interface, this friction is dissolved.
That’s pretty much it. Next week we’re going to look at how to get started with Hook however I did create a video for the team at CogSciApps (that’s how much I love it) so go check it out and see it in action.