WFH woes: Icertis founder's phone screen time increased from 30 to 39 hours a week

Monish Darda, co-founder, Icertis, reveals his technology leanings and how they help keep him organised:
Trusted gadget
“The two gadgets I use a lot are my Oculus Quest, the VR headset from Facebook and my Microsoft Surface noise-cancelling over the-ear headphones. The Quest keeps my travel urges in check. This is the first time in 20 years that I have spent so much time in Pune at a stretch. It keeps me entertained.”

Phone facts
“I use the iPhone 11 XS Max — the Max because the large screen helps when I forget my glasses. I was a Windows Phone fan when it existed, and then switched to Apple and have been on it ever since. It is a beautiful piece of engineering that keeps my life organised and fun. I do take time off it — when I am playing video games.

"I also splurged on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Yes, another phone, but this time a foldable one. Before the lockdown, I used to clock about 30 hours a week on my phone (excluding my laptop screen time), and that has increased to 39 hours now. Then there is the new gaming PC I am building — looking forward to that.”

Apps of choice
“The top apps I use are Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams on the iPhone, which keeps my email, calendar and teams organised. The third is J&J Official 7 Minute Workout by Johnson & Johnson — it keeps me in shape together with the Apple Health app. Apple Health is not a phone app, but a Microsoft Office 365 add-in called My Analytics. It tells me how I am doing with my tasks, schedule, downtime, time with family, focus time.”

Fitness trackers
“I have been using fitness trackers for well over a decade now. Timex and Seiko had some pretty interesting devices then. I have been using the Apple Watch to track fitness, upgraded from series 2 to series 5, ever since I switched to Apple. Now with a SIM in the watch, you don’t have to carry the phone everywhere. The mot ivat ion for fitness has to come from within, the watch only assists after that.”