Podcasts Education 034: Smartphone hacks

034: Smartphone hacks

Published: Sept. 23, 2020, 3:26 a.m.

This episode will help transform your smartphone into your biggest productivity weapon to make your life admin easier.

Most Australians hang on to their smartphone for more than three years, so it's really worth your while to learn your phone’s features and install must-have apps to minimise and optimise your life admin.

Mia and Dinah’s top hacks are:

  • Clean up your home screen so that the apps you want to use the most are on the first screen you see when you unlock your phone, so your environment supports good habits.
  • Set up text replacement shortcuts in your settings for your frequently typed information such as your email address
  • Use Do not Disturb including the automatic features for turning it off when a meeting finishes or you leave a location
  • Use your phone’s camera to scan documents and add them to your cloud storage so you can eliminate paper
  • Use Shared albums to collect photos of shared experiences from multiple users to create photo books etc.
  • If you use the Reminders app (iPhone) for To-Do Lists, add smart alerts linked to your location or your contacts to nudge you to perform the task when you arrive or leave somewhere, or when you're messaging a certain person.
  • Use Screentime (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing (Android) to limit the time you spend on social media or games, so you can use your time in ways that align with your values.
  • Use the Notes app (iPhone) for Reference Lists and to scan documents
  • Use the Timer (iPhone) in the Clock app on your phone to set a time limit that automatically turns off music or a podcast when your time is up: perfect for time boxing life admin tasks.
  • Set up mobile payment capability, like Apple Pay or Google Pay so that you can pay for things on the fly
  • Set up a password manager like Lastpass or Keeper to be able to securely access your passwords on any of your devices, wherever you may be.
  • Use the Tripit app to store your holiday itineraries
  • Use the Pocketmoney app Spriggy to take the hassle out of managing pocket money
  • Customise Google Maps with your frequently visited locations
  • Download apps for your favourite catalogues to reduce paper clutter. Mia uses the Loop app to buy books for her kids, which raises funds for their school.

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