Sebastian Paasch: The smartphone of a consulting expert

In the “Homescreen!” series, we present the homescreens of people from the social media, marketing, media and tech industries – including app recommendations and tips for everything from to-do lists to small games for in-between times. Today: Sebastian Paasch, founder and CEO of AMX.

Sebastian Paasch: I’m always looking for tools that allow me to live my life professionally and personally in a way that makes the most of my time. My smartphone is my faithful companion, something like a personal assistant. It gives me access to numerous applications that allow me to save time and still pursue a whole range of interests without getting lost in them.

For the occasional thought

At AMX we work for customers from all over Germany, but also from some other countries. So I’m often on the go. In addition, our team is organized in a very decentralized manner. That’s why apps really help me to share my thoughts with the team – regardless of the situation I’m in at the moment.

For example, I like to send team members voice and video messages via Slack (for Android) when an idea comes to me while I’m on the go. I communicate with external contacts using Signal (for Android) and WhatsApp (for Android), but I rarely check WhatsApp for new messages during the day – even though most of the contacts are still there, the app is easy for me to use in my everyday work too much potential for distraction.

When I need to record tasks and reminders on the go, I rely on Smartsheet (for Android). The management tool keeps track of my to-dos for me. I can also easily add other team members to tasks that occur to me along the way, for example.

I record more complex trains of thought in mind maps on shared Miro boards. A really practical function of Miro (for Android) that allows me to quickly see at a glance what my current level of information is on a topic and immediately gives me food for thought if I want to deal with a topic again.

Structure in everyday life

My Google Calendar (for Android) is really essential for me. Usually every minute of my day is planned out, so I feel comfortable and confident that there is time for everything I want to experience. Blockers for friends, family and also my health ensure that I always make time for these important aspects of life.

I mark these blocks in a different color so that I can see at a glance whether a week had the balance I wanted. To ensure that I actually look at the calendar, the alarm clock app alerts me every hour three minutes before the hour – so I don’t miss any meetings and I am more aware of the time that has passed.

Another constant in my calendar and on my smartphone is the 5 Minute Journal app (for Android). Journaling lets me start the day in a good mood in the morning. In the evening I use it to clear my head and reflect on the day. I also manage to empty my head every now and then with Headspace (for Android). I would like to do exercises with the meditation app every day, but I can usually only do it every three or four days.

Free time is often learning time

During the periods of the day that are unexpectedly free and when I’m not processing ideas, I try to learn new things or at least stay up to date. With Brilliant (for Android) I have found an app that really makes learning fun and makes it easy for me to stay on track.

If I’m too tired or have to do other things at the same time, the YouTube app (for Android) is also a nice source for further education: I like the many helpful channels that cover complex topics such as AI progress, economic connections, etc to clearly summarize the latest findings in space travel. The apps from Der Spiegel (for Android) and Handelsblatt (for Android) provide me with daily news.

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