So many of us use our phones to grab quick information at any time. If it's a recipe on Pinterest, a link to the kids' school calendar, or maybe the Google Doc sign up sheet for snack day- accessing it quick and easy is life.
I personally have everything stored on my phone in one way or another. Google Drive is my best friend (if you don't use it yet- you need to!!!) but also the million Apps that make things user friendly. My phone would be filled with screen swipes of Apps on top of Apps if I didn't organize what I needed in 2 quick steps. Let me share with you how my precious little technology lifesaver keeps me sane...most of the time. ***this is for iphones.
Step 1: MAKE FOLDERS! If you do not have folders on your phone, how do you even find anything?! Maybe this is a bit more for those OCD prone mamas but a phone screen without folders is just pure chaos. It's like having a room full of piles of folded laundry that never get put away. Folders help you keep the socks with the socks, the pants with the pants, and so on. Check out some of my folders below. I make separate ones for Apps I need to access for the kids, my businesses, eating out, banking, etc.
How to make a folder: hold down on an App until it starts to shake, then drag it on top of another App you'd like to combine it with. A folder will pop up for you to name and viola, you have your first folder. Hold and drag any other Apps you want to add to that folder and repeat for as many folders as you want. You can also drag a whole folder so you can re-arrange them where they make best sense to you.
Step 2: Now that you have the Apps where you want them, let's add in other website pages and documents you want to access quickly. How many times have you went to look at the kids' school calendar and you type in XYZ school calendar into Google, wait for it to load, click on the right link, then it brings you to the webpage and some times you even have to click through more links to bring you to the exact page? Or maybe there is a sign up sheet going around but you always have to find that email it's attached to, click on it, then it opens in your browser or opens in another App to edit. Well, this is my favorite trick to get you to those spots in just 1 click!
How to make those web pages or documents into clickable buttons on your homescreen by doing this:
- For webpages-open the page in your browser like usual. Click on the box with the arrow facing upward on the bottom of your screen. Choose Add to Homescreen on the list of options. You can then title it whatever name is best for you and click Add. Close out of the browser and you will see a little box that looks like an App on your homescreen. Hold that down then drag to the appropriate folder and now you have a direct button to the webpage you want to access quickly.
- For documents you may have been emailed or created on a computer-you will open the document and click on the box with the arrow pointing upward. Then choose Save to Files. Your Files folder App will open and this is where you need to organize your document. Scroll down to where you see On My Phone. Click the Folder with the plus sign on the top right and title your folder whatever you'd like. Then click Save and it'll drop a copy into that folder for you to access on your phone at any time. **For my Apple Experts...if you have a computer that's linked to your phone, you can also save a document to your iClould Drive and link it to your Desktop so you can access the document from your phone or computer!
- For Google Docs/Sheets/Forms/Slides it'll just take a few clicks. Open the document and click the three dots on the top right. In that screen, choose Share & Export, then click Copy Link. Go to your browser and paste the link in the url bar. Once the page pulls up, click the box with the arrow pointing upward at the bottom of your screen and choose Add to Home Screen. A window will open to name it whatever you'd like and then press Save. Close out of the browser to find your new button, hold and drag to the appropriate folder and you're all set!
Do you have more phone hacks that make mom life easier?? If you do, let us know! We'd love to share and help eachother.
XO,
Jen