Make your LLMs ready to hand

If you want to use LLMs more often, put them within easy reach. When you're working, they should be less than one second away.

On your smartphone

Easy: add the apps to your home screen.

On your MacBook

I'll describe a couple of different methods. Overview:

I strongly recommend taking the time to setup the "dedicated browser" method.¹

Method 1: Browser shortcuts

In your web browser, type Command + T to open a new tab. Type "cl" or "ch" and press enter.

If that doesn't work, go to chatgpt.com and claude.ai, and add them to your bookmarks (Command + D).

Rating: 2/5 stars—it's too slow. Several keystrokes are requried, and you have to wait for the app to load. It's also hard to find that tab again, if you're switching between the LLM and other tabs.

Method 2: Desktop apps

Download the desktop app for ChatGPT or Claude.

With ChatGPT installed, you can access it by pressing Option + Spacebar.

With Claude, open "Settings" and set the shortcut to Control + Spacebar. (N.B. Not the Command key).

Rating: 2/5 stars. The desktop apps have some major limitations. Critically: in ChatGPT you can't attach Google Docs. In both, you can't easily switch between multiple parallel conversations. This method doesn't give you easy access to Gemini and Grok. And you can't use BetterChat.

Method 3: Dedicated browser

1. Download a web browser you don't use by default (e.g. Edge or Brave).²
2. Open that browser and disable the annoying default features (e.g. AI chat sidebar, crypto stuff, news articles on the new tab screen).
3. Add ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok to the bookmarks toolbar.
4. Configure a keyboard shortcut to switch to that browser.³

Rating: 4/5 stars. Setup is a faff, but it's great once done.

Appendix 1. Keyboard shortcuts within ChatGPT and Claude

I've made a tool for that: BetterChat.

Appendix 2. How to memorise keyboard shortcuts

Put post-it notes on your screen, or add them to your spaced repetition app.

Why do this, instead of using the desktop apps?

• In ChatGPT desktop, you can't add Google Docs.

• I use many LLMs, including Gemini and Grok. They don't have desktop apps.