Today (at the time of writing) is September 26, 2022.
I’ll take note of every single app I use today and exactly why I use it (I’ll list each app once for the sake of simplicity).
This is a completely unfiltered view of the iPad apps I use in a day:
GoodNotes - 5:42 AM
Specific Use Case
After I woke up, I realized that I had forgotten to send a document to my debate team.
Given a list of 10 mock Congressional bills, I was asked to select 5. Thanks to GoodNotes, I was able to edit the pdf to select my top 5 bills.
Due to some issues with the debate team, however, I decided to hold off on submitting the pdf. At some point, I forgot about the pdf.
Today, I remembered to send the list to my team. Using GoodNotes, I exported the pdf to the next app on the list.
General Use Case
I usually use GoodNotes for classes, though the pdf functionality makes it useful in other cases.
In class, I take almost everything I do on paper and do it on my iPad. This includes:
taking notes in class
working on hw assignments
scratch paper
annotating documents
reading pdfs
Discord - 5:44 AM
Specific Use Case
After exporting the pdf, I went to Discord to send the file of topics to my teammates. Using Discord helps me talk to everyone in the leadership group without having to use a “green bubble” group chat.
General Use Case
Like most people, I generally use Discord to connect with groups of friends and interest groups.
My main use of Discord revolves around debate, though I also use it for projects I run, projects I’m involved in, and school.
Safari - 6:05 AM
Specific Use Case
I needed to research potential fundraising opportunity for my debate team, and one idea we came up with was selling t-shirts.
Using Safari, I researched the pricing for custom t-shirts based on a POD and a bulk printing model.
General Use Case
Unlike many others, I actually like Safari on iPadOS. It’s my favorite browser by far.
Notion - 6:38 AM
Specific Use Case
At this time, I opened Notion to keep track of the apps I used and the times at which I used them (the times prior to now are estimates based on the time I sent messages in Discord).
General Use Case
I use Notion for almost everything: college applications, journaling, this blog, debate, studying, etc.
Todoist - 7:21 AM
Specific Use Case
I looked over my tasks for a day.
General Use Case
I recently wrote a post where I said that Sigma Planner was becoming my main planner app.
While it’s still a solid app, I learned from a comment on the post that the developer will no longer update the app.
Initially, I still wanted to stick with Sigma Planner. After I started to dive deeper into Todoist, however, I changed my allegiance.
For now, I’m still testing out both apps, but I’m considering a full conversion to Todoist for all of my tasks.
Settings - 8:34 AM
Specific Use Case
The WiFi at my school can be a little weird sometimes - I constantly have to mess with Settings to get the internet to work.
General Use Case
I don’t think I need to elaborate here.
SmartCards+ - 8:39 AM
Specific Use Case
I used SmartCards+ to make flashcards for my AP Psych class (flashcards are required as a homework assignment).
General Use Case
I usually use SmartCards+ as a flashcard app for memorization-focused classes, like AP Psych and AP Spanish.
Spark - 9:09 AM
Specific + General Use Case
I combined my specific and general use case here because there’s only one use case for Spark: checking your email.
Pearson+ - 9:16 AM
Specific + General Use Case
Like Spark, I use Pearson+ for one thing only: reading my Linear Algebra/Differential Equations textbook.
Dark Sky Weather - 10:30 AM
Specific + General Use Case
I apologize for following this format once more, but Dark Sky Weather (as the name suggests) is mainly used as a weather app.
I was sad to hear that Dark Sky Weather will be put out of service, but glad to hear that Apple Weather will feature the same information from Dark Sky and much more.
Apple News - 11:20 AM
Specific Use Case
We had some free time during a class, so I decided to take a quick glance at F1 news. I’ve started to become a fan of the sport, and it’s been fun to keep up with the drama (thoughts on Piastri?).
General Use Case
I usually use Apple News to check up on F1 updates, but I occasionally use it to read about global politics.
Cricbuzz - 11:26 AM
Specific + General Use Case
This is another one of those “specific + general” apps - Cricbuzz is primarily an app to check cricket scores and read cricket news.
Files - 2:47 PM
Specific Use Case
As a Boy Scout, working on merit badges is a key step to the goal of becoming an Eagle Scout (the highest rank in Scouting).
Today, I had to print out a merit badge workbook I edited in GoodNotes, and I used Files to print it out.
General Use Case
I use Files to manage files.
Apple Music - 3:32 PM
Specific Use Case
I was working on a homework assignment for my math class, and some of the problems were taking me 30+ minutes to do.
I felt extremely tired, and I needed some source of motivation to keep going. For me, this source is usually movie soundtracks (for some reason, it’s what works for me).
Using Apple Music, I played the study music in the background while I worked on my homework.
General Use Case
Since i use my iPad for “work” and my iPhone for “play”, I mainly use Apple Music on my iPad while I’m studying.
Procreate - 4:03 PM
Specific Use Case
The math homework I worked on was exhausting - I needed something to relax.
For me, that meant creating a wallpaper on Procreate.
General Use Case
For the most part, I use Procreate to draw cool wallpapers. Occasionally, I’ll also draw illustrations for this blog.
Final Thoughts
“We can’t ever forget that the Internet now is just a staid utility. The exciting platforms are software applications that are very, very, simple” - Mark Cuban
Thanks for reading!
Adi
Piastri is a W choice by McLaren, too bad Ricciardo will be out of a seat. Great post Adi!