The invention comprises a method and apparatus for enabling a user of a personal wireless communication handset to define a macro for selectively operating a feature of the personal wireless communication handset and store the macro in the device's memory. The user can then playback the macro to effect rapid operation of the feature. The macro can be triggered by pressing a dedicated "hot key", by pressing an overloaded existing key on the keypad, or by pressing a "soft key" under a menu-driven user interface.