--- title: How I Saved 250 Hours Using TextExpander description: The TextExpander app takes strings of text that I often use and generates them using shortcuts, so I don’t have to type them each time. image: https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hubfs/shutterstock__Keyboard_1156391230.jpg --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/how-i-have-saved-250-hours-using-textexpander#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # How I Saved 250 Hours Using TextExpander July 22nd, 2021 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) ![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/shutterstock__Keyboard_1156391230.jpg?width=5025&height=3350&name=shutterstock__Keyboard_1156391230.jpg) TextExpander is a software plugin that I use every day when I write. The app takes strings of text that I use often and generates them using shortcuts, so I don’t have to type them each time. These “snippets” in [TextExpander](https://textexpander.com) lingo save me time and allows me to focus on the important parts of my writing. I’ve created over 100 snippets for strings of text that I type frequently. For example, each of my book titles is a snippet. My mailing address is a snippet. My speaking topic descriptions are a snippet and so is my bio. My polite “I don’t accept guest posts on this blog” email is a snippet (I get a dozen or so requests from people who want to write a guest post on my blog each week). The URL for this blog is a snippet. Even my full name - David Meerman Scott - is a snippet. ![Text Expander stats](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Text%20Expander%20stats.jpg?width=400&name=Text%20Expander%20stats.jpg)All I do is to set up a snippet enter the shortcut I designate (for example, for my bio I type dmsbio, and TextExpander drops the full text into whatever I’m typing – an email, this blog post, or anything else. My friend, [product management guru Steve Johnson](https://www.under10consulting.com), introduced me to TextExpander about 15 years ago. I don’t recall his exact words, but I like to imagine he said: “TextExpander will change your life”. If Steve said that, he was correct! [TextExpander](https://textexpander.com) has a neat “statistics” tab. In the past 15 years of using TextExpander nearly every day, the stats say I’ve expanded more than 47,000 snippets, have saved typing nearly 6 million characters which translates to nearly 250 hours of work. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/413105/e5b62938-97f3-40a1-9bc9-f10843b48ec1) [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. 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