Five Smartphone Uses To Make Your Life A Little Easier
During my time as a Speech Therapist, I worked with people with cognitive disabilities following brain injuries or strokes. Some of those deficits included impairments in attention, memory, organization, and time management. Many people complained that they suffered in their jobs and home lives because they couldn’t “keep it all together.” Because brain injuries can be lifelong impairments, we would often focus on strategies to make it through their day-to-day tasks along with activities to improve their overall functioning. Frequently, we spent a session or two determining how they could use their Smartphones as an organization, memory, and focus tool to make their lives a little easier. I’ve shared many of these strategies with coaching clients that came to me for assistance with improving their focus and organizational skills which helped improve their lives.
Here are some specific apps and tips that I have used myself and suggested to clients:
Genius Scan App
This is an app I used, particularly during my time as a speech therapist. Many rehab therapists understand that when you start a new job, the companies you work for will ask for tons of things, including your firstborn and the kitchen sink! Ok - so I exaggerate a little but seriously - they wanted A LOT of information. Genius Scan is a free app on iOS and Android that allows you to scan several documents simultaneously and put them into a PDF that can be sent off as an individual file via email, text, WhatsApp, etc. You can even print scanned documents if your phone is set up to a printer.
As mentioned, I started using this when I worked as a speech pathologist; however, I’ve found it helpful in many situations. For example, my brother is intellectually disabled and lives in a group home. I share guardianship with my father and his group home frequently emails documents requiring a guardian's signature. After printing and signing the items, Genius Scan allows me to scan and send the documents back within a few minutes. If you don’t pay for electronic signature programs, this is a wonderful and free tool to get signed items where they need to go.
Your Phone’s Camera
Yup, I know this sounds weird but hear me out. Every summer, I meet a group of friends at the horse track. My friends typically pay to park but not me! It's a weird little pet peeve of mine to pay for parking, so if given the option, I will typically walk a few blocks to avoid the fees. We are usually at the track for several hours, which means that at the end of a day spent in the sun and heat, I might forget exactly where I parked. In comes the camera. I now find the closest intersection and take a picture of the signage so I can remember the street I parked on and the nearest cross street so I know exactly which block the car is on. You can also use Google Assistant for this but you need to keep “location” turned on for this.
In college, I had a professor that used his camera to take a picture of our class holding name tags to help him remember our names. Ironically, this professor studied brain injuries and memory strategies but always told us he couldn’t remember names for the life of him.
To help with organization, use your camera to take pictures of the contents of boxes or other storage methods. Label the box with a QR code that will direct you to the pictures. No more opening every single box looking for that one item you need! Here’s a link to a video that will show you how to do this, along with other QR code tips.
Budget Apps
According to Nerd Wallet, there are several apps that can help with budgeting everyday expenses, with Mint and YNAB (You Need A Budget) being two of the most popular. Budget apps can help you keep track of receipts so you don’t have tons of paper lying around. They can also help you determine if you are staying within your spending. I have used budget apps to set spending limits within specific categories which will alert me if I’m getting too close to that limit. Tracking your spending and savings in one place will increase your awareness of your habits and patterns, which could help you save money.
Timers
Timers are a great way to help maintain focus when working on a bigger project or activity. There are many timer apps out there. Oprah Daily suggests using Time Timer to have a visual countdown to increase focus. I use Interval Timer, which is actually designed for interval workouts (another great use for this app!), but I use it when I want to create content. In conjunction with the Pomodoro Technique, which states you work uninterrupted on one task for 25 minutes and then take a break by getting up and doing something else for 5 minutes. After 4 rounds, you take a longer break which gives you a total of about 2 hours of focused work time during one session. So, using my Interval Timer, I set up a “work time” timer for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute timer labeled “get up and move.” I then set it up for 4 rounds giving me my two-hour session. After the two hours, I take my long break and when it's time to return to work, I simply hit the “start” button on the timer. You can even set it up so that each timer has a different color and its own sound upon the completion of the timer. I have set mine up to be idiot-proof of what I’m supposed to do at the end of each timer. It literally says “work time” and “get up and move now.” Whatever works - right?
Calm App
Calm is an app that helps you take a breath and, as the title suggests, calm your mind. Why is this here on an organization list? Have you ever tried to organize or memorize from an overwhelmed, overworked, agitated state of mind? Did it work out for you? I can answer this for myself. It does not work at all. It’s typically easier to get to a place of organization from a peaceful state of mind and that’s where Calm or any other meditation/relaxation app comes in. Calm has several applications for guided meditations, calming sounds, and programs to improve sleep. A few of my clients love the Calm app for getting into relaxation when they have anxiety around organizing. I have not personally used the Calm app but have used a similar app called Better Sleep. I enjoy it because it allows me to choose from several sounds that are relaxing for me. My favorite sounds are water sounds and I can simultaneously overlap several different water sound choices. When I wish to meditate or have some soothing background sounds, I hit play to listen to a babbling brook during a rain storm. Added bonus: research suggests listening to water can help with focus.
Life is busy enough so try some of these apps and strategies to help make things just a little easier for you while navigating your way in our overworked society.