I'm always looking for ways to be even more efficient
in my life...for myself...and so I can share these ideas with you and all of my GON readers.
Here are 5 organized ways to be more efficient with your phone...I've used all of these just
this past week!
1. Photograph a recipe. The other day, I had the urge to make a recipe from one of my cookbooks. Rather than writing down all of the ingredients I needed to
make it, I grabbed my cell phone, took a photo of the ingredient list in the cookbook, and headed out to the grocery store. Quick and easy!
2. Record a voice message. While
laying in bed last night, I had a few ideas I wanted to put into action. But no way was I getting up out of bed once I was comfortable. I picked up my iPhone on my nightstand and recorded a voice message to myself using the VoiceMemos app. In the morning, I was able to listen to my message and begin implementing my ideas.
3. Use your phone as a mirror. Whether you're checking to be sure parsley isn't caught in your teeth or if you would like to reapply some lipstick, no need to carry around a mirror. Just use the camera on your cell phone. Go into selfie mode as if you were taking a photo of yourself.
4. Make small print larger so you can see it better. You're in a restaurant, the font on the menu is so small...and you forgot your glasses. Now what? Or, you want to see the teeny-tiny model number printed on a label stuck to your
dryer. No worries.
Grab your cell phone and use the magnifier app if it's equipped with one...most Apple and Android phones have it already installed.
By the way, on the iPhone, it's a hidden app. I know, dumb. But you can unhide it. Go to Settings and then Control Center. Scroll down and tap the green plus (+) button next to
Magnifier. You only have to do this once.
To see it and use it, swipe down from the top right of your iPhone (on Face ID models), or swipe up from the bottom of the screen
(on Touch ID models). Then, tap on the Magnifier control (the magnifying glass icon).
Alternately, you can take a photo of the menu, the bar code, etc. Then you can tap on the photo and "pinch and slide" to make a portion of it large enough to see. (Using one hand, touch the photo
with two fingers as if you're pinching the screen. Still touching the photo, slide your fingers away from each other to easily see that small print.)
5. Speak to someone in a
foreign language...kind of. The other day, I was in a situation in which I had to speak with someone who only spoke Spanish. Although I took Spanish in high school and can recall a few words and phrases, I am not fluent enough to hold a conversation with someone. My cell phone came to the rescue that day.
Many cell phones come with translate apps. I was able to open the app, set the language, and speak into the phone, and have the phone translate my English into Spanish...not only in text, but with my phone actually "speaking" to the person in Spanish. I then changed the app from Spanish to English, and the person was able to respond into my phone, and the phone told
me what she was saying, in English.
