iPhone Productivity Hacks Every Business Owner Should Utilize

We conduct so much business via our phones these days, and
with iPhone being the most popular handheld device, there are many people that
could benefit from learning simple productivity hacks to help them get more
done while they are ‘working’ on their phones.

From searching for information, to responding to emails,
there isn’t anything we really cannot get accomplished on the small screens.
The iPhone has advanced so much over the years that you essentially have an
iMac or MacBook in your hand.

There are plenty of ways to boost your productivity on the
device, from adjusting the built-in settings to downloading specific apps. Here
are some simple tips to help you get more done on the small screen devices.

Use Siri to keep your hands free.

When you are driving or pre-occupied with other things you
can still search for information or access phone apps just by asking Siri for
help. “It’s not always convenient (or safe) to type on your phone, so learn how
to take full advantage of its voice search capabilities,” advises Loren Taylor,
CEO of Soothing Company, a provider of indoor
water fountain tips. Siri is very beneficial for those that need to operate
his or her phone while driving. Learn to leverage Siri to remain as hands-free
as possible.

Siri takes a little time to get used to but once you learn
how to properly leverage ‘her’ you will find yourself using it more. It can be
very convenient, even if you just need assistance with finding directions to an
address or to dial someone. There really isn’t anything you can’t do via voice
command once you learn how to use it.

Set up your notifications to provide you with the
quick info you need.

Your notification screen can be a total mess and useless if
it’s full of things you don’t need to see. For example, while you might have
the ESPN app downloaded, you don’t need score updates and random team
information filling up your notification screen throughout the day. This just
blocks the more important stuff. Turn off notifications that you don’t need.

Then, make sure you have the most important ones set to be
shown on your screen. “Things like missed calls, text messages, emails and
work-related apps are ones you do want to be able to see at all times,” says Chris
Moberg of Slumber Search.
“Everyone has different needs, which is notification customization is a very
handy feature.”

Take advantage of ‘do not disturb’ mode.

When you are in a meeting or working on something with a
tight deadline the last thing you want to do is become distracted by phone
calls, text messages, email notifications, etc. Learn how to master the ‘do not
disturb’ settings and you will love it.

“When you sit back and think about it you would notice that
a large percentage of the notifications that pause or disturb your work are
notifications that were not important. A text from a friend. An email about the
newest Netflix releases,” says Corey Jensen DDS, a tooth implant
specialist. We are constantly bombarded with notifications that just suck up
our time and attention. This mode helps to block out the stuff that will pull
you away from your work.

Turn off social media notifications.

Social media can be the biggest waste of time if you let it
consume you. Notifications can get out of control if you have it set to notify
you every time you receive a new ‘like’ or message, and then if you check your
social media every time you are notified you can kiss your productivity
goodbye.

“The easiest way to stop this is to disable all social media
notifications and only check your social media apps a couple times a day,” says
Wissen
director Heinrich Wunder. There is no doubt that social media has become
addicting, so you have to be proactive if you want to prevent it from ruining
your productivity. Some people will even remove their social media apps all
together because they can’t resist checking them constantly.

Organize your apps using folders.

The more organized your phone, the faster you can accomplish
the things you need for your work. If you have a lot of apps it can be a pain
to scroll through multiple screens to find what you are looking for.

“Take advantage of the folder capabilities and break your
apps into groups. Folders like ‘banking’ and ‘credit cards’ can keep all
financial apps easy to manage, and then ‘messaging’ and ‘email’ are ways to
keep all of your instant messaging tools and email apps together,” offers Karen
Anderson, of The Probate law House, a team of probate lawyers.

Each person will have different needs, so get creative and
set it up in a way that makes it easy for you to get to what you need fast and
effortlessly.

Install the Google keyboard.

The standard Apple keyboard is fine for some, but once you
experience the Google keyboard you will realize how bad the Apple version is
and you will never switch back.

Go to your settings and locate the keyboard after you
download it. It makes typing so much easier and for those that are constantly
texting and replying to emails on the go will appreciate how it operates.

“You never know how much an improved keyboard can make your
day easier, but I promise you that once you try this you will never go back and
you will tell all of your friends about how this keyboard changed your life, as
crazy as that might sound now,” says April Gillmore of ClickFirst
Marketing.