FranklinCovey Consultant Blogs | Todd Wangsgard | Iphone
Todd’s Latest Mobile App Recommendations
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Is technology your servant or your master? Here are some tech solutions that make my life easier. These are some of my favorite iPhone apps (there is usually a Blackberry or Android counterpart) out of the 97 currently on my phone. Some relate to what I teach. Others help me stay on top of things while on the go. I’d love your thoughts and feedback, after you load and learn one or more of these!
Mint – Complete financial budgeting. Syncs with all your bank accounts and credit cards. Free.- Flight Control – Okay, so it’s technically a game. But it’s an amazing lesson in our ability (or rather inability) to truly multi-task. Execution facilitators: Think “land one at a time.” Addicting! Free.
- Melody Bell – Electronic, and very real-sounding, hand bells. Creative way to bring small group discussions/exercises back to focus on you. $.99.
- PresenterPro – A fantastic follow-up for Presentation Advantage participants. Includes video demonstrations and self assessments. Free.
- Google – This is not just another web search tool. The voice search is indispensible. Don’t type what you want, say it! Free.
Tango – You can literally videoconference over the phone network or Wi-Fi (unlike Wi-Fi-only FaceTime). I regularly videoconference with my family from 30,000 feet! (Be careful not to annoy the guy next to you in 13D.) Free.- Whistle – Even though your smart phone is, well… a phone, Whistle allows you to make calls when you have Wi-Fi but no phone signal. Again, lets you make calls from the air. This is not using your phone (radio) while in flight. This is simply using the plane’s Wi-Fi signal to send and receive data that happens to be your voice. Free.
Bump – Easily share contacts, pictures, apps, etc. from your phone to someone else’s. Think back to the days of ‘beaming’ your contacts with the Palm Pilot. Free.- AutoPilot – By USA Today. Let’s you enter your flight itineraries and it gives you up-to-the-second updates on gate changes, delays, cancelations. I have found myself at the gate asking about a delay that the agent doesn’t even know about yet. You can even see a map of the flight’s progress – very handy when you’re waiting for family or a client to arrive. Free.
- LIVESTRONG – Sharpen the Saw – physically. Lots of apps out there that do this, but I use LIVESTRONG to track weight, food, fitness. Let’s you set a weight goal and pace – then tells you how many calories you can consume each day and where you are as you enter your food/activities. Free or $2.99 for calorie goal calculator and online support.
TriEssential – Daily motivational photographs (high-res), practical tips, and inspiring quotes for triathletes or anyone needing some encouragement to get faster and stronger. $.99.
Are You Lost or Just Learning?
Upon leaving my client earlier this afternoon, I found myself in the middle of a long 2-hour drive back to the Baltimore airport, growing hungrier by the minute since I had not yet eaten lunch. I randomly pulled off an exit in the middle of Maryland that displayed a Chik-fil-A sign – one of my favorite fast food outlets. The road to the restaurant wound around for a couple of miles before I came upon my destination. I decided to go in and stretch my legs, visit the restroom, and order at the counter. The cashier no sooner gave me my order when it occurred to me; I had no idea where I was.
I sheepishly told the woman helping me that I had a rather unusual question. Then I asked her, “Where exactly am I?”
“Hagerstown, Maryland!” she promptly replied.
There I was, making good time on my trek to the terminal. The rainy, foggy weather wasn’t creating any insurmountable travel issues. In checking my iPhone along the way, my flight appeared to be on time. And now I had lunch. Everything was good, right? Everything, except the fact that I didn’t know where I was.
Dr. Stephen R. Covey once commented on what a shame it is in life for one to be climbing the ladder of success, quickly arriving at the top, only to discover the proverbial ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. My situation was a little different, however. I knew where I was headed. I knew that my overall path would get me there. However, I took a brief detour to satisfy a need, and in the process got “lost.”
Here’s what I learned from this experience:
- It’s okay to make a wrong turn every once in a while, as long as you aren’t too proud to ask for directions. Feedback is your lifeline; do everything you can to create feedback systems at all levels in your organization.
- Everyone’s path to success will be slightly – if not dramatically – different. All roads lead to BWI. Be deliberate about drafting and living by YOUR mission.
- Constantly evaluating your progress will ensure you learn from your mistakes and allow you to more quickly realign your efforts with your mission. Be relentless about your weekly and daily planning routine.
Arguably the best take-away from this experience is knowing, I’ve got a friend in Hagerstown! Perhaps deliberately getting lost should be part of every journey…


