We all snoop. Admit it…glancing at computer screens, inside windows, and yeah, the occasional medicine cabinet.
We want to see what other people are doing (and see if we’re keeping up with the Joneses).
In today’s episode, we’re letting you peek inside our phones and see our most used apps so you can feel better about the apps you’re using AND see what you’re missing out on.
Get your peepers ready!
[powerpress]
TL;DW (Too Long; Didn’t Watch)
Our top used apps live on our home screens and use up most of our battery. They serve to both entertain and educate.
Here’s our favorite apps to get us through the week…
Dave doesn’t get it. Justin’s all about Reddit (and according to his phone, he uses about 5x more than any other social media app).
The tagline of Reddit is, “The frontpage of the internet.”
It’s a place to curate links from across the internet, where other users (redditors) vote on what’s good quality and relevant.
It’s kinda like Facebook, except instead of an algorithm, the top posts are voted on by actual people.
Where Reddit really gets valuable is the way it’s split up by topic. These topical splits are called “subreddits.”
There are subreddits for hobbies, interests, careers, storytelling, TV shows, apps…if there’s an interest, there’s a subreddit for it.
Here are just some of Justin’s subscribed subreddits:
- Academic Bible
- Better Every Loop
- Concealed Carry
- Marvel (of course)
- Shower Thoughts
- Technology
- True Christian
Reddit is so curated and customizable, you have more control over your “feed” than any other social media platform.
So you can lurk around, find some subreddits you like to follow, and sign up for an account and customize it to your own liking.
Mile IQ
When you need to track mileage for your church (or other reason), Mile IQ is an easy way to keep everything organized.
Mile IQ is freemium, but you get quite a bit for free.
Watch the video for a brief demo, but basically it tracks where you drive and lets you track when it’s a business or personal trip.
When you track business mileage, it will give you an estimate for reimbursement following the exact route you took. So if there’s a shorter route you can’t take, you get billed for the actual miles, not the shortest distance on a map.
What’s really cool are the reports too. When you need to prove your mileage to your administrator or for taxes, you’re covered in detail.
Podcast Apps: Overcast and Pocket Casts
Podcast apps are like diets, everyone has their preference.
Justin enjoys Overcast. It’s iOS only but gives you many, many options:
- Speed settings and Smart Speed (automatically adjusts speed based on pauses and cadences).
- Storage and deletion settings customizable per show.
- Pulls from the iTunes podcast library, so if it’s on iTunes, it’s in Overcast.
- Syncs with a cloud player so you can pick up your podcast on another iDevice or web browser.
Dave enjoys Pocket Casts. It’s available for any device and also gives you many options:
- Sync podcasts with others around you (creepy, but actually kinda fun).
- Organize podcasts by your own listening priority.
- Storage and automatic cleanup settings.
- Easily favorite episodes to retain and pull up long-term.
Google Keep
We talked briefly about Google Keep in our must-have productivity tools, but for Justin it’s more than a tool, it’s his brain.
Rather than relying on memory or post-it notes, everything Justin needs to remember goes into Google Keep.
And on Sunday, it’s all about his Bible App and Keep. Sermon notes go in, promotion opportunities, tweetable statements, and even an archive of hashtags to pull from.
This way, no one has to remember everything. It’s all backed up and stored on Keep. Which coincidentally also backs up and syncs to Google, so the info is available anywhere.
WhatsApp is a ubiquitous communication platform…fancy words for messaging app that works everywhere. It’s cross-platform and works on virtually any device.
Here’s what Dave loves about WhatsApp:
- Works anywhere (have we covered that enough?)
- Group texting is easy, expandable, and customizable
- You can record voice messages instead of texting all the time
- Encrypted messaging so no one in the middle can snoop your messages
BONUS: Rocket Player
Rocket Player is an Android app that will scan your device for all audio files and puts them in one place.
While it can do music, podcast, and audio books, Dave recommends it for audiobooks.
It has all the customization options you need in an app such as speed, EQ, storage, playback, and more.
Conclusion
“We become what we behold. We shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us.” ― Marshall McLuhan
Seeing the apps we carry around with us will hopefully give you a little push to build yourself up. Either by relaxing with some entertainment or building yourself up with some knowledge.
The point is to always be on the lookout for ways to improve your tools and therefore yourself.
So pick one of the above apps and download it to your phone. Don’t bury it inside a folder on your 5th page…put it on your main screen and see how you can use it over the next 30 days.
What app are you going to try? Let us know in the comments below!