Introduction
You have heard the experts take a deep dive on big topics, now access a segment more valuable than Bitcoin. Our panellists offer exclusive digital hacks they use daily to better their life.
Podcast host, Fleur Anderson is joined by:
- Suzanne Aitken, General Manager, Project Delivery Services Technology Services at Services Australia
- Alex Nitschke, Data Integration Delivery Assurance and Strategy at the Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Sofia Athanasopoulos Digital Designer at the Australian Government Department of Veteran’s Affairs
Listen to Episode 2 on:
Transcript
Introduction:
Welcome to the Digital Profession Insights podcast - Digital Hack minisodes.
You've heard the experts take a deep dive on big topics, but here's your access to the segment more valuable than Bitcoin. We're asking our leading digital experts what is the digital hack that they use on a daily basis to make their lives better? Let's hear what they have to say!
Fleur Anderson:
This is where we ask our digital profession leaders about their daily digital hack. And this is something that you can use at home or at work, but it's a thing that saves you every single day. So I might start with you, Sofia - what's your daily digital hack?
Sofia Athanasopoulos:
My daily digital hack would be to strategize your notifications. So when I say that, I mean my phone or my computer is always popping up, lighting up with some sort of notification. And I found that once I started to think about how I can maximize that to be a more productive thing as opposed to a distracting one, it made my days run so much smoother. So that meant getting rid of notifications that would come up with ads or random posts from social media and instead subscribing to things like digital design blogs that would come up with, you know, articles about trends and things like that to really harness the technology that we have at our fingertips.
Fleur Anderson:
That's a great tip - I might have to get you to show me how to do that on my phone. Alex, what's your daily digital hack?
Alex Nitschke:
This one's quite similar to Sophia's. We use a shared calendar, it's called Cozi - C-O-Z-I. If you haven't seen the app and everything we do is managed through there, it tells me exactly where I need to be, when I need to be there, and who I need to have with me. So when you've got four little ones running around the house, it's essential that we know that and particularly that I know what I'm supposed to be doing. And keeping that running as a family has been a huge save for us.
The other sort of digital hack, I suppose, is not necessarily day to day, but over the course of time is, um, you have to think about where... what you're doing creates information, creates data. So if you're doing things regularly, whether that be through sport or through study or anything like that, there are different apps and tools out there that can help you to log that and keep track of that. I'm a mad keen golfer, and I use a couple of different apps throughout my golfing to know exactly what I'm doing, where I'm going. And you might think one thing is happening, and then you look at the data that's been collected in some of these apps, and you don't have to be a statistical genius - it can tell you - it can show you visually what's going on.
But basically, I think there's insights and the data that you create each day through living that you can then use to improve your life, whether that be through sport or anything really. So just keep an eye out for it, look at what's out there and keep on trend with what's out there to help you, you know, live your life basically.
Fleur Anderson:
Great - good advice! I'm going to look up that Cozi one... and Suzanne, what's your daily digital hack?
Suzanne Aitken:
I'm laughing when you're saying it's valuable as bitcoin - I'm not sure if this will be. I did think about the question and I'll reply to it in threes.
So it's kind of ironic that my biggest digital hack was a number of years ago I decided to come off social media. I really questioned the value that it was bringing, so I find different ways of connecting with friends and family that are not in Australia. But I would say that's my number one hack - how to give yourself back time. Don't be sitting scrolling is, is my view. So what that allows me to do is have more time, so full time working mum of two, um, the amount of time available and even less than probably what Alex has got himself, is limited. I love iBooks and that's for reading as you are traveling a lot, so you've got it digitally, but also the audiobook. So finding the ability to be able to tune in - I love learning and that opportunity that it gives me just to optimize my time either via audio or via um, on the fly as I'm traveling.
And then my other one would be notes - really simple. The one thing that I find that I use multiple times a day to empty my head so I'm not carrying too much around and constantly going back to find them. So whether it be meditation mantras that I like or things that you just seen or to do notes that you're constantly thinking oh, I forgot to do that for the kids. So I would say off social media, iBooks and the ability to learn on the go and on the fly and constantly making notes for myself.
Fleur Anderson:
That sounds wonderful actually - I think I do most of those myself as well. Getting off the social media though is definitely a bit of a break for the mind, isn't it? And spirit!
Suzanne Aitken:
It is. My friends hate me for it, because I'm always missing events and things like, 'Get onto Facebook!'. No.
Outro:
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