Randall Dean directly addresses camera:  Hey, do you have an iPhone or an Android or maybe one of these? And, does this sound like you? You get a smartphone, and you haphazardly assemble a large number of apps, some that will help your productivity, and some that, frankly, will distract you from being productive. I've got a solution.
      I'm Randall Dean, the email sanity expert, with Randall Dean Consulting and Training in Michigan. Let's take five minutes to discuss creating a central productivity panel on your smartphone or tablet. I will show you how to create a remote office from your device.
      First, what do you use for your primary email address and calendar? If you're using Gmail, you might want to focus on the Google Workplace suite of products. If you use Microsoft Outlook, you should probably focus on the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity tools. Why stick with one platform? First, these tools are designed to work together, so you'll have an easier time going from one app to another and one device to another. That will save you both time and money.
      For example, if you're paying for Evernote and Microsoft 365, delete Evernote, as Microsoft OneNote has the same capabilities. The same thing could be said for Zoom and Teams – they both allow you to hold video meetings – why pay for both?
      Since my time is short, let's focus on the Microsoft 365 remote "office on your phone" setup (and yes, you could build a very similar mobile office using the Google Workplace apps instead.) The Microsoft Outlook app is the first one you should download. It gives you access to your email, calendar and contacts -- one app that gives you access to three critical tools!
      I also recommend the OneNote app and Microsoft To Do. To Do is the app to sync your tasks on your phone and computer and OneNote syncs your notes on both. You will also want OneDrive so you can save, store and even share all of your documents and files in one place, giving you access anywhere you have internet service.
      Now let's talk about the apps for Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint. By using the OneDrive app, you don't have to pull up these three apps continually. When you attempt to open a document, the OneDrive app will automatically launch the correct app to open the document.
      Next, I recommend Microsoft Teams. Beyond video meetings and chat, you can complete some sophisticated project, team and client management in Teams, with multi-person collaboration and sharing.
      Finally, the last app that I think is essential if you're a Microsoft user is called Office Lens. This app allows you to turn your phone into a scanner. You can take a photo of a document out in the field and this app converts it to a usable PDF file. Not only that, but because it's a Microsoft tool, you can auto-save it to a folder in your OneDrive account.
The key to building your phone and tablet-based remote office is consistently storing your information in the cloud, making it accessible from anywhere. In addition, the safety and security of your data is vital. If something goes wrong with your computer or phone, having everything stored in the Microsoft Cloud and OneDrive will prevent a business-ending event.
You could build a similar remote office using Google Workspace, and even possibly with Apple and other third-party app providers. That way, when you're in the field and need to get work done, your entire office can be found in the palm of your hand.