TECHNOFILE
Time to get ‘appy
Beyond the pocket version of MS Word, Excel
and Outlook, consider these apps as essential
tools for the office professional.
THE EXPERT
Tech expert Tim is the
technology writer for
Executive PA Media. He
can be heard on talk
radio in Australia and
is a tech presenter who
speaks at conferences
and trade shows about
technology’s impact on
work and lifestyle.
Projects
Whether it’s a small board event, or a major sales
award ceremony, superior project management
software can relieve the stress, monitor progress
and improve team collaboration.
Trello: Great for work, a side project or even the
next family vacation, Trello helps the team stay
organised. Basic services are free, with differing
offers billed monthly or yearly. trello.com
Monday: monday.com is a cloud-based project
management solution that caters from small to
midsize businesses across various industries.
This solution helps manage different projects
and facilitates knowledge-sharing amongst team
members. Free trial period.
Communication
Old fashioned phone communication is well and
truly challenged by VOIP (voice over internet
protocol) offers, many of which are more secure
and some even offer video calling.
Skype: An oldie but a goodie that also
allows you to call real phones, and create your
own local number too, for a fee. Skype still
enjoys professional popularity for worldwide
communication, but is slowly being superseded
by more user friendly alternatives. skype.com
WhatsApp: Great for keeping in touch locally
and internationally. Users must have a regular
phone number in order to register, but this service
remains free (excluding any data costs) to make
encrypted voice and video calls. whatsapp.com
Wickr: For when you need to keep your text
messages really, really private. Wickr uses military
grade encryption to ensure your communication
cannot be intercepted. It’s super sneaky and
popular with weapons dealers and politicians. You
can also decide how long the message remains
readable on the recipient’s device. Free, with a
26 Chief of Staff | Issue 2 2019
The year is in full swing, but have you
done a recent device audit to ensure you
have the most productive apps at your
fingertips? The key to supercharging your
efficiency is in the palm of your hand with
these suggestions from Tim Stackpool
pro version available. wickr.com/products/personal
Messenger: Born out of a feature on Facebook,
the reliability and convenience of Messenger is its
greatest strength. Considering the high incidence
of Facebook installed on mobile devices around
the world, Messenger is the second most reached
for internet telephony service in use today after
WhatsApp. While not ‘corporate-savvy’ the
standalone app no longer requires callers to be
Facebook users, and you can even close your
Facebook account, while still using Messenger
and keeping your contacts. messenger.com
Inspiration
A few apps to stimulate our thinking can generate
creativity, our own natural resource when it
comes to being efficient, clever and productive.
Kindle: Believe it or not, having the Kindle app
installed on your phone gives you access to some
of the most inspirational writing ever published.
The app itself is free, and while there are always
some new titles available at no cost (generally
as an introductory offer), the world’s leading
motivational speakers and authors have their
secrets available for download, readable on your
phone or tablet during your commute or lunch
break. kindle.com
Day One is designed to capture your own
inspiration. This popular, award-winning
journalling app keeps track of every chunk of
your memory in a convenient and secure way.
And it’s versatile too. It can be your calendar
journal, memory journal, travel journal, work
ideas journal, and it’s great for both business and
personal interests. dayoneapp.com
Headspace is a popular personal guide to health
and happiness. It helps users focus, breathe, stay
calm, perform better, and get a better night’s rest
through the life-changing skills of relaxation,
meditation and mindfulness. There’s plenty to
love about an app that improves ourselves by
having you merely sit back, relax, and breathe.
www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app S