Do you ever find yourself typing the same things over and over again? What if you could reduce repetitive typing, streamline your workflow, and – more importantly – save time? That’s exactly what Text Blaze (also a Chrome extension) can do for you.
This powerful tool automates repetitive typing, thus streamlining your workflow. Simply create a template by saving any “snippet” of text and giving it a keyboard shortcut (a forward slash followed by your choice of shortened text). This means that you can insert anything from the date and time to entire documents quickly and easily without having to type them out each time.
Reduce errors and ensure consistency
Besides the value of saving time, Text Blaze can keep your text consistent and error-free. You can ensure that certain phrases or paragraphs are always spelled correctly and formatted just the way you like them. This can be particularly useful in situations where accuracy and attention to detail are crucial.
Dynamic templates
Text Blaze also has dynamic templates ready to get you started. For example, insert the current date (using “/d8”) with formatting of your choice (e.g., February 20, 2023 or Feb.20 or 2023-02-20). You can even insert forms (“/form”), complete with formulas, that can be filled out when inserting a snippet. Forms can contain text fields, check boxes, and dropdown menus. I also love that your template doesn’t have to be plain text. With stylized text (“/style”), you can bold text, change fonts, add colors, and even insert links – all within the same snippet.
Avoid mistakes and improve your professional reputation
Take advantage of Text Blaze’s Gallery to find templates by role or profession. For example, the ready-made snippets for teachers can help with grading reports and giving student feedback. Stop typing the same comments over and over again when grading student work. Even if you need to tailor feedback to each student, use the “/cursor” snippet, which will show you everywhere in the text you need to customize your feedback. You can even create your signature or a closing paragraph for emails to include your contact information, tutorial hours, a link to your syllabus, and more.
Some other ideas to save time
A few of my personal favorite ways to use Text Blaze are creating a custom template as a follow-up to a coaching cycle or to send emails home to parents. Being able to give both positive and constructive feedback with a few keystrokes seems like an invaluable time-saver to me. Using the Form Menu command, you could also create rubrics then simply fill in the score for different criteria from a dropdown menu. What are some other ways you can think of to use Text Blaze? Drop a comment below.
A few last thoughts…
Take advantage of the Text Blaze Community where you can browse ideas or ask questions. The Docs section has extensive and easy-to-follow tutorials.
Text Blaze offers a wide range of pricing plans to suit your needs. The free version allows you to have up to 20 snippets with up to 2500 characters each and limited snippet sharing. Not sure if you need more snippets or characters? Want even more features? Use this affiliate link to get one month of Text Blaze Pro for free.
Whether you stick to the free plan or upgrade, I’m pretty sure you’ll love implementing the shortcuts. Imagine reducing your workload and having extra time for more important tasks such as creating lesson plans, collaborating with colleagues, or even (*gasp*) taking a few minutes for yourself to grab a cup of coffee or take a walk. 😀 How do you plan to use all that extra time?