We’re constantly hearing about how we should use our smartphones less because they affect our productivity. But there are alternatives! You could actually use your smartphone to increase your productivity – if you use it well.
Smartphones are supposed to be smart, so you can actually use them to work smarter, too. Here’s how . . .
Use it to . . . be more focused
It’s amazing how you can go to pick up your phone and reply to a text, and then an hour later you’ve checked Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, read 6 Buzzfeed articles, and bought a new shower gel you didn’t even need. And you STILL haven’t replied to that text!
So instead of wasting that hour away when you could have been super productive and focusing on your tasks, download the app Freedom to stop you using your smartphone. You can choose what to block, when to block it, how long for, and you can even schedule blocking in advance!
Use it to . . . time yourself
It’s easy to get lost in a whirlwind of replying to emails or making telephone calls or having a chat with a colleague. And then a few hours later your important tasks still haven’t been accomplished!
Never lose yourself again by using your phone timer. Set a 30-minute timer for emails, a 1-hour timer for your phone calls, a 10-minute timer for your quick meeting, etc! The Pomodoro method relies on timing yourself, give it a try when you need to get stuff done. When your alarm goes off, finish up that task and move on to the next.
Use it for . . . inbox 0
You might have hundreds of emails in your inbox. We definitely do at Career Girl Daily! But some of those emails take only a few minutes to reply to – it’s just the sheer volume that are so time consuming and off-putting when there are other, probably more important things to do.
But replying to all emails is a really good business habit! Use your phone to reply to those pesky emails whenever you have a spare few minutes. Maybe on the commute to work (even if you have no signal, you can save drafts!), maybe while waiting for a friend to show up for a coffee, maybe while waiting for an appointment. The inbox by Gmail app lets you schedule emails to send and land in your inbox at certain times!
Use it for . . . to-do lists
I have to use to-do lists. Writing down my tasks means I never forget anything and gives me a really concrete satisfaction when I physically cross things off. But carrying around a notebook can be awkward and trying to shuffle around your bag for a pen is even more awkward.
But your smartphone is the perfect solution to that! Even though it’s called “Reminders”, it might as well be “To-Do”. The “Reminders” app on iPhones is the perfect place to write your tasks and to-do lists! You can create lists for different things (mine are work, home, and social). You can set reminders and even organize them according to priority! If that’s too fussy for you, just use a notes app instead.
Use it for . . . work!
Another brilliant way of doing work while out and about. At Career Girl Daily we use Google Sheets for our Editorial Calendar and accessing that while on the go is so useful, especially if an article needs writing last minute, hot off the press! Google Docs is also a great app for writing articles or general work documents.
You can also use the WordPress app to blog on the go, too. Next time you’re sitting idle somewhere, maybe waiting for a meeting to start or standing around in the lift waiting to go up 12 floors, instead of jumping on Twitter or Facebook, squeeze in some work time with some great office apps!
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