OFFICE ESSENTIALS
This issue , Sydney-based Bri Matkovich , an EA at 1835i , shares the apps and Google Chrome extensions that make her life easier …
CHROME EXTENSION : PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
CHROME EXTENSION : PRODUCTIVITY
Readme Available on all devices when used with Chrome
“ Readme is text-to-speech technology that works within your Chrome browser . I use it to listen to ( instead of read ) articles , blog posts , and other written content but I know EAs who use it to listen to their drafts aloud for proofreading purposes .
It has now integrated a summary function using ChatGPT so you can get a quick summary of any webpage . I find this helpful when compiling company information or research for my exec before a meeting . It ’ s also brilliant from an accessibility perspective .
It supports multiple languages , you can choose a male / or female voice and you can adjust the speed at which they speak . Just like a podcast , you can pause , skip ahead or go back to replay any section .”
Boomerang Available on all devices for Gmail and Outlook
“ Boomerang isn ’ t new but it ’ s fab ! It offers a variety of productivity tools but I use the ‘ follow up reminder ’ function the most .
I ’ m a big fan of ‘ inbox zero ’ but never want to forget about anything important . Boomerang will archive emails , removing them from your inbox until you actually need them . You simply choose a date and time for the email to ‘ boomerang ’ back to your inbox ; marked unread or at the top .
For example , I may reply to an email that requires follow up the following week . I then click ‘ boomerang ’ so it disappears from my inbox . It then returns to my inbox the next week as a reminder for me to follow up .”
APP : SPELLING AND GRAMMAR
APP : COLLABORATION AND CHAT
Slack Available on all devices
“ Thank goodness for Slack ! Internally , we don ’ t email each other – we opt for Slack ’ s more informal chat environment .
It is really easy to use , it can integrate with your calendar and it has a search function . I find Slack more user friendly in terms of user face and group chats , when compared to Google Chat or Teams .”
Grammarly Available on all devices for Google , Microsoft and social media
“ Again , Grammarly is an oldie but a goodie . For EAs who spend a lot of time writing newsletters , reports or emails , this is one of the best apps to quickly check your grammar and spelling . It also assists with style and tone .
It ’ s available for email ( Gmail , Outlook and Apple Mail ), as well documents ( Google Docs and Word ) and even Notion ( a productivity and note-taking web-based app ). You can also use it within LinkedIn , Facebook and Twitter .
24 Executive PA | Winter Issue 2023