055: Essential digital life admin tools

Life Admin Life Hacks

It's hard to keep up with best practices for technology and the latest apps, so in this episode we chat to expert Lynette Coulston to get her tips on essential digital life admin tools.

About Lynette Coulston

Lynette Coulston had a 30+ year career in software development and IT but in 2012 she left that all behind to create iTandCoffee, a business focussed on offering technology support and education to residents of her local area, through relaxed, social gatherings and individualised support - where technology topics could be discussed and explained in a friendly, understanding environment, over a cuppa!

Over the years this has extended to include support and training for those in small business, for parents struggling to manage the family’s technology, for those returning to the workforce or study, and for those who just want to better understand how their technology can help them manage their day-to-day life.

This episode is full of practical tips and recommendations including:

• the importance of having a digital filing system and understanding where your files are saved - this is important to teach kids too!
• using inbuilt functionality on your computer (eg Time Machine for a Mac) to make sure you backup your files
• using apps like Reminders to remind you of important life admin tasks
• making the most of Voice Assistants to add reminders on the go (Siri or Google Assistant)
• selecting a calendar app that works best for you - Lynette uses Fantastical and WeekCal
• when you are helping others with their technology ask them to read to you what they see on the screen or use the share screen feature in programs like Zoom
• setting up parental controls like Screen Time before you give children a device
• setting up a home router that can restrict internet access for each device to supplement parental controls
• making sure you have good scanning apps on your phone to scan straighten, crop, clarify documents - Lynette recommends Scannable, Office Lens, Adobe Fill & Sign and Photomyne
• making sure you have strong and different passwords to reduce the risk of phishing, Lynette recommends using a password manager (Last Pass, One Password, Dashlane) or a secure note.

We also discuss the curve of forgetting and how people can become easily frustrated when trying to use technology, particularly when they compare themselves to others. Lynette discusses the curve of forgetting and that it will be difficult to retain how to use technology unless you use it on a regular basis.

RESOURCES

IT and Coffee - Lynette’s support and training business

Time Machine - for backing up Apple computers

Siri Voice Assistant

Reminders App

Fantastical Calendar App

WeekCal - iPhone App

Setting up screentime on an iPad/iPhone

Parental control routers

Scanning Apps - Scannable by Evernote, Office lens, Photomyne photo scanning app