Ideas for Work

Amplify My CommuteTips and tricks to turn your downtime into uptime

As a society, we’ve been set free by mobile technology that enables us to live and work exactly where, when and how we want. And that’s amplified our power as individuals – with social media, online services and apps like WhatsApp and Uber revolutionising the way our lives flow, in and out of the office.

As a result, many workplaces are becoming more flexible, allowing staff to manage their priorities more fluidly and not insisting on a rigid 9–5 working day. Thanks to remote working, some organisations don’t even ask staff to go into the office every day.

But commuting is still the norm. Most of us still have to travel to

a physical workplace most of the time, and still need to have face-to-face meetings – even if it’s just occasionally. So how can you make the most of your travel time – using it to help you plan your day, get ahead with work, or learn something new? We’ve pulled together a guide to the best apps, services and devices to help you get your day off to a more productive start.

Transform your travel time

Make your commute work better for you

Whether it’s for your professional or personal life, or both, use your time on the bus or train to plan out what you want to achieve from the day, week or month ahead.

Create your to-do list

Evernote* by Evernote Corporation

Recommended apps

A great app for organising your thoughts, ideas and to-do lists. Bookmark things on the web that inspire you, make text notes or record voice memos and categorise them with different tags. You can even share your notes with friends or colleagues.

This free app gives you a dedicated place to keep everything from shopping lists to records of daily work tasks. It’s easy to add tasks and rearrange them as your priorities change, create sub-tasks for larger projects and set reminders. You can also share lists, send files and delegate tasks to colleagues or family members.

Wunderlist**by 6 Wunderkinder GmbH

* Registered trademark of Evernote Corporation ** Registered trademark of Wunderlist

Make your commute work better for you

Use your downtime to expand your mind. Ever wanted to learn a new language, refresh your knowledge of particle physics or just learn a new skill? Seize the opportunity to learn in bite-sized chunks each day – using just your smartphone.

Learn something new

Recommended apps

A free app that gives you the opportunity to take courses and classes from over 120 top universities and educational organisations – you can find a variety of free and paid courses for everything from mindfulness to robotics.

Coursera*by Coursera

Duolingo**by Duolingo

A free service that can teach you to read, listen, write and speak a whole range of European and World languages at all levels. They claim that 34 hours of learning on the app are equivalent to a whole term of education at university level.

* Registered trademark of Coursera Inc. ** Registered trademark of Duolingo

Make your commute work better for you

Clear your inbox before you get into workIt might seem obvious, but travel time presents a great opportunity for you to get on top of commitments before you get into work. Nobody likes an overflowing inbox, so you might want to clear the backlog of emails before you arrive in the office.

Recommended apps

Included as standard on the Samsung Galaxy S7 as part of the Office365 package, this app gives you the familiarity of Outlook adapted specifically for mobile.

Inbox by Gmail**by Google Inc.

Microsoft Outlook* by Microsoft Corporation

This new app from Google only recently came out of beta, and aims to totally redesign the way you prioritise your emails. Sorting messages in bundles rather than just conversations, it lets you easily navigate, read and archive emails as you see fit.

* Registered trademark of Microsoft ** Registered trademark of Google

Make your commute work better for you

Incorporate exercise into your commuteWhether you incorporate a walk, run or ride into your commute, or use your time on the train to set your fitness goals, adding some exercise to your routine will help you feel more energised and refreshed.

Recommended tech & apps

This free app is designed to help new (or lapsed) runners to gradually build up their fitness, with the end goal being to run 5 kilometres. Plug in, listen to the instructions about when to run and when to rest, and even run along to your favourite music or playlists.

Gear S2from Samsung

Use the in-built S Health app to manage your health and fitness goals. From monitoring daily activity levels, step count and heart rate to tracking your water and caffeine intake, the S2 has it all covered so you’ll know how you’re doing.

Couch to 5k (C25K)* by Zen Labs Fitness

* Registered trademark of Zen Labs

Make your commute work better for you

Catch up on news & blogs

Use your commuting time to catch up on everything from the news to the financial markets, or just read reviews and blogs.

Recommended apps

A well-designed feed app that helps you subscribe to the RSS feeds of your favourite blogs and news providers, so you can organise, read and share the content that interests you most.

Save webpages and online articles so you can read them offline – great if you’re taking the tube or going to a meeting deep in the countryside. You can even get the app to read the articles to you if you don’t mind the robotic voice.

Feedly*by Feedly Team

Pocket**by ReadItLater

* Registered trademark of Feedly ** Registered trademark of Read It Later, Inc.

Make your commute work better for you

Do some reading

While reading is certainly not a new pastime, there’s a whole range of new ways to access the written word through your smartphone. There’s even an app to help you read your eBooks or catch up on meeting notes faster.

Recommended apps

One of Android’s most popular eBook readers, this app supports a whole range of digital book formats, enabling you to read your favourite books on your Samsung Galaxy S7 or TabPro S tablet.

Whether you’re trying to cram in some last minute prep for a meeting or you just want to get through a book more quickly, this app uses a technique called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to help you read faster.

Aldiko Book Reader*by Aldiko Limited

Speed Reader**by P Garrison

* Registered trademark of Aldiko® Limited A Feedbooks company

** Registered trademark of GitHub, Inc.

Make your commute work better for you

Be inspired

Take the opportunity to stimulate your mind. Watch some talks from thought-leaders, academics and professionals on a whole range of subjects or get lost in a series of informative or thrilling podcasts.

Recommended apps

Download the TED app from the global non-profit conference organiser to tune in to video recordings of all of their lectures and talks. With over 2,000 talks, you’re sure to find something that piques your interest.

As one of the most popular podcast managers on Android, this app will help you subscribe to a whole range of informative, exciting or entertaining podcasts for every mood.

Pocket Casts**by Shifty Jelly

TED* by Ted Conferences LLC

* Registered trademark of TED Conferences, LLC. ** Registered trademark of Shiftyjelly Pty Ltd.

Make your commute work better for you

Set yourself goals and check on your progressUse your business travel downtime to set goals and monitor your progress. Great for managing your career, sticking to resolutions or learning new skills.

Recommended apps

The free version of the app allows you to upload your goals and keep track of your progress. Choose to self-coach, open yourself up to community feedback or choose to purchase a private coaching programme.

Coach.me*by Lift Worldwide

* Registered trademark of Lift Worldwide

Google Calendar comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy S7, and its Goals feature can actively help you find time in your busy schedule to work on things that are important to you. Simply set your goal (run three times a week, for example) and answer a few questions and your Calendar will scan your schedule to work out the best time to fit it in.

Google Goals**Part of Google Calendar

** Registered trademark of Google

Gone are the days of needing to carry around different devices for work and play. Samsung KNOX is installed as standard on all new Samsung devices, letting you keep all your work-related and private apps and data on one device, while ensuring your work and personal worlds are kept completely separate and secure.

My KNOX offers a quick and simple way for you to secure your mobile device, without even needing to involve your IT department. Use the familiar Android operating system to protect your work email, data and apps, while safeguarding your personal data at the same time. Swap between the two worlds at the tap of a screen, and use the My KNOX User Portal online to remotely back up, find, wipe or lock your device.

Samsung KNOX can help you keep work and life separate

If your organisation wants to offer a more comprehensive business-wide security solution, or take advantage of KNOX security features to build and support their own apps, there are a whole range of options available.

Find out more at samsungknox.com.

Visit our business site to find out how Samsung technology can empower you to live and work more effectively, wherever you are. Head over to our LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube pages for more tips and tricks to help you perfect your work/life blend.

samsungatwork.com linkedin.com/company/samsung-at-work twitter.com/samsungbizeu youtube.com/user/SamsungAtWork

Live and work the way you want