Today is hump day mix and match time. That’s where I do a mashup of hubris and facetiousness. Me? A Mac power user? Puhleeze!

I know my way around Mac probably a bit better than most but when something goes a little wonky I resort to the tried and true. Reboot. Lately I’ve been on a kick to recognize my mortality while trying to improve my efficiency.

That means more Mac apps that do more with less effort. Take LaunchBar, for example. It’s a Mac launcher so it works like the Dock which is built-in, drop dead simple to use, and free. So, why would I invest money and learning curve time in LaunchBar?

Navigating and using a Mac by keeping hands on the keyboard is more efficient than removing hands from the keyboard to use the trackpad or mouse.

LaunchBar attaches a few simple keyboard shortcuts to a long list of options.

Keyboard shortcuts in LaunchBar make it easier to send email, upload a photo to Twitter, grab and store a snippet of text, review the Mac clipboard’s history (the multiple clipboard operation is worth the price of LaunchBar alone), search the web, calculate, manage iTunes, open Contacts or Calendar, as well as move, rename, compress files or create folders.

All that without touching the trackpad or mouse.

Command-Space on the keyboard brings LaunchBar to the front of the Mac’s screen. Start typing and LaunchBar figures out what you want with a list of choices that is reduced as you type. That makes you more efficient, more productive so you get a little more done each day while you’re a guest on planet earth.

Any caveats? Other than price (you must be committed to LaunchBar), a few. LaunchBar drops down from the middle of the Menubar. I’d like to be able to move that closer to the center of the screen. LaunchBar does not use Spotlight so its ability to refresh file and folder locations is a bit slower.

Other than those few nits, LaunchBar gives a Mac user a little more productive power, hence the power user monicker.