A Day In the Life of My iPhone Part 3: Takin’ Care of Business

Part III: Takin’ Care of Business
Apps Used: Mail, Speakeasy, Evernote, Omnifocus, Calendar

The iPhone is quickly become a serious tool for me in handling my day to day business. iPhone application developers are really knocking it out of the park with some of the applications being submitted. I would like to share with you some of my daily workday routine which involves the use of the default calendar and mail apps and then give mini-reviews for a few apps I find irreplaceable.

I usually start my day by processing emails. I use the inbox zero concept to go through and empty my inbox. Every email in my inbox gets moved to 1 of 6 folders: now, later, process, review, archive and trash. The “now” folder is for emails that need to be looked at ASAP. The “later” folder is for mail that is not time sensitive and can be read at a time of my convenience. The “process” folder is for those emails that may have attachments that need to be filed and saved to my hard drive. The “review” folder is for emails that have information that requires my review before moving forward. The “archive” folder is for those emails you just want to keep a record of. Finally “trash” is self-explanatory.
After processing emails, I check for voice notes. I use a voice recording application as an audio to do list throughout my work day. There are times when it is not practical for me to make calendar entries. There are times when I am driving and need to compose an email but for obvious reasons, can’t. This is where speakeasy comes into play. It’s easy to use interface and the instant record upon app load option make it a favorite productivity tool of mine. It dosent let me forget ANYTHING!
Second, I have to express my love for Evernote. This application helps me keep my life paperless. this application, along with my scanner, keeps records of anything. Whether it be check stubs, deposit slips, credit card statements, or letters from friends or birthday cards, Evernote is an easy and efficient way of keeping digital copies of it all. Using categorized notebooks and tags, it becomes a virtual filing cabinet for EVERYTHING!
It also has a desktop companion and keeps a record of everything on a server for online access anytime you need it. Evernote comes with an OCR function that will search and find text within each individual note after syncing with their online servers. Best of all, Evernote provides the application and their service for FREE!
Last, but defenitely not least of my favorite 3rd party productivity apps would be Omnifocus. Omnifocus is a project manager on steroids. it is a GTD application that is set up using a Capture, Organize and Do system. You use Omnifocus by emptying your brain of anything that you need to get done by putting it in the inbox so that you can prioritize what is most important to you. Then finish projects one action at a time. It allows you to sort your projects by folders, priority and even context. Using the location finder (GPS) on your iPhone, it will help you complete projects by letting you know what tasks need completion the next time you are at the office, on your Mac or PC, or even on your iPhone. One way I use Omnifocus, is as a shopping list. The next time I am at the store, I can hit the context button and instantly a list pops up of what I need at the particular store I am at using the iPhone’s GPS.
The above mentioned applications along with the iPhone’s default calendar app round up my list of essential business tools in my average work day making my iPhone my portable office space.

Below are some screenshots of the iPhone’s default mail and calendar applications.

Below are some screenshots of the voice recording application: Speakeasy

Below is a screenshot of Evernote showing off the many ways notes can be captured.

Omnifocus screenshots below:

Coming up next…

Part IV: Why get the daily newspaper when you have an iPhone?