12 Ideas For Making Your Life Easier, Just By Taking A Photo

By Simone McCallum, July 24, 2012

I saw a post on Facebook over the weekend asking people what they take photos of on their mobile phones. Having a smartphone with you nearly all the time means that there are countless opportunities to take a quick photo to help you remember things for later – when previously you were scrabbling round trying to find a pen and a scrap of paper.

There were some great ideas in the post that I have curated and added a few more of my own so I could share them with you.

1. Grab a photo of your car when parking in a carpark building or big mall so you remember where to go when you return. Especially good at airports when you are travelling!
2. Snap a picture of the label on a bottle of wine you like at dinner or out drinking so you can find it when shopping - when you are sober(er).
3. Take a photo of local maps when you are travelling overseas as its cheaper than using your precious roaming data for Google Maps
4. A photo of your car number plate is super handy when signing at an office reception and you can never remember the number but don’t want to get towed.
5. A pic of your checked in luggage when travelling is invaluable if it goes missing while in transit so you can show airline staff what it looks like.
6. Take a screen shot or a photo of your computer or phone settings before you change them!
7. Photos of library books will help when it comes time to hunt them down to return them. Especially if they are from the school library!
8. A photo of your fridge contents is useful when going to the supermarket so you know what you need to stock up on.
9. Take a photo when you lend your diving gear or book or chainsaw to your mate. Then you both know who has it when you go to find it months later.
10. Take a picture of business cards you are given and use an app like CardMunch that will convert the image and import the numbers into your phone Contacts.
11. Long serial numbers or license keys are good to have an image of rather than digging out the original document/email/license disk.
12. Moving house? Take a photo of all the cables behind your TV/stereo/computer etc so you know how to reassemble it when you unpack.

In your face Post It Notes!

6 Responses to “12 Ideas For Making Your Life Easier, Just By Taking A Photo”

1. Mark Lincoln July 24, 2012

   Love it. I’ve done quite a few of these! Another good one is a photo of an ingredients list from a recipe in a book for when you go shopping.

   Reply
2. DK July 24, 2012

   Nice ideas here – I used to get the guys I employed to take photos of receipts and travel tickets then upload them to flickr.com as evidence for the tax man / reimbursement expenses

   Reply
• Simone McCallum July 24, 2012

  Great suggestion DK – I have taken a photo of a paid carpark ticket as the machine gobbles it up when you insert it upon exit leaving you with no receipt!

  Reply
3. Amber July 24, 2012

   My numero uno photo tip – vacuum cleaner bags. Photograph the packaging. Nerdy, but handy.

   Reply
4. Aditya July 25, 2012

   Nice ones. Will certainly use the phone/computer settings one. A few others I often use – 1. Photo of scratches/marks on rented vehicles when hiring. Handy when returning the vehicle, to show you didnt create them. 2- Photograph everything at home for the Home Contents insurance – including when you buy new stuff

   Reply
5. nickwallen May 11, 2013

   I haven’t checked it out yet, but this from Evernote could convert all those images into searchable text! http://www.macworld.com/article/2019709/review-evernote-5-0-for-mac-improves-an-already-indispensable-service.html

   Reply