This may come as a surprise but smartphones are capable of so much more than just taking selfies posting photos to Instagram. And while the handful of content creators and social media gurus out there might think otherwise, us regular folk are stuck trying to get the most out of these magical pocket-size rectangular supercomputers. It’s truly magnificent when you think about it – the sheer capability that contemporary smartphones have. Which is why whenever we hear of someone claiming there’s no way to keep track of their day-to-day activities or work assignments, we begrudgingly shake our heads in dismay.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way, for there’s a seemingly endless ocean of applications out there that will help you organize everything from that laundry list of grocery items to client deadlines, to helping old habits die while giving birth to new more fulfilling ones in your life. Sounds lofty we know. And it is to a certain extent, for these productivity apps don’t do the work for you. There is a bit of commitment involved here. But, without a doubt, just a little bit of commitment can go a long way these days.
Blinkist
Here’s an obvious ticket to self-knowledge and growth. Reading. And if you’re the type of person who feels the itching sensation to pull information from multiple resources at once, then Blinklist is the ideal app. Simply put, the app distills insight from over 2,000 bestselling nonfiction books into worthwhile 15-minute reads or listens for bite-sized consumption. What better way to spend the daily work commute?
Buffer
This option is for social media marketers and startup business owners looking to get the word out without dumping a bunch of ad dollars into social media campaigns. It’s Buffer, the quick and easy way to manage all your social media accounts all from one easy to use dashboard. The app lets you schedule future posts for peak hours, helps you build a following, and analyze past performance of previous posts helping you adjust for future success.
Clear Todos
What’s more satisfying than marking something off a checklist? If you’re an organized individual you know exactly what we mean here. Now, there’s a way to bring the antiquated checklist into the digital age with Clear Todos. Simply map out a schedule, to do list, or whatever it is that needs to get done and the app will organize it all for you in chronological order. Anything from a movie watch list, to a wishlist, to a daily workout routine, to what needs to get done at work that day are all considered fair game.
Evernote
Need help organizing your personal an professional projects on a day-to-day basis? Evernote is here to help you accomplish simple tasks such as taking notes, creating to-do lists, and checklists through their easy to navigate interface. The app also lets you sync everything automatically across any computer, phone or tablet and gives you the tools to share and collaborate with others as well.
Momentum
One of the key factors for success is to keep up momentum moving forward. Ironically, that’s exactly what the app by the same name attempts to do. Through the app’s easy to use interface, you can set reminders while boosting your willpower to help you achieve goals and aspirations. The system works with anything from work habits to exercising to potentially even loosing weight.
1Password
Oh passwords, how easily you are forgotten. And with so many online secure logins these days how are any of us supposed to keep track of all our different passwords for each platform. Well, there’s now an app to take care of all that for you. 1Password magically remembers all these passwords for you, keeping them safe, secure and locked behind one password that only you know by heart. Think of it as a master lock for all your other ancillary passwords.
Photo Math
As writers, we’ll happily admit that numbers certainly aren’t one of our strengths. So when we came across this handy camera calculator built for the mathematically challenged we were ecstatic, to say the least. Here, simply point your camera toward a math problem and the answer with be displayed alongside detailed step-by-step instructions on how to achieve that answer. It’s pretty much a portable math tutor.
Remember the Milk
As one of the more self-explanatory apps on this list, Remember the Milk is, in essence, a productivity app designed to function as a grocery list of items that need to be accomplished within a certain amount of time. Check off to-dos as you accomplish them, get reminded via text or email about upcoming events and simply organize your busy eclectic life with ease. You’ll be glad you did.
Slack
Working to bring team communication and collaboration to a whole new level, Slack is the ultimate messaging tool to help keep in touch both at the office or while out on the road. Thanks to their streamlined approach, you can sign into any and all workplace accounts with one email address, upload docs, files, images, or easily share links with your team. The app also sends push notifications to keep you in the loop and it’s easily one of the most intuitive multi-purpose messaging apps around.
Spark
For those of us who get literally hundreds of emails a day, sorting through all the garbage in search of something work-related or worthwhile can be a 40-hour a week job all on its own. Fortunately, Spark is a super fast and easy way to manage hundreds of emails from multiple platforms all in one place and automatically batches them together depending on if they’re personal, professional, newsletters, or junk. Easy right?
Strides Habit Tracker
Everyone has goals, aspiration, and habits. The key, however, is being able to track all these aspects of self-improvement simultaneously. Sound impossible right? Well, with the Strides Habit Tracker, it doesn’t have to be. Here, you can track practically anything you want; from workouts per week to personal finance to how much water you’re drinking a day. It’s like having a personal assistant along for life’s journey wherever you go.
Trello
If your job requires participation or management of multiple projects at once, even if they’re not related at all, Trello does a fantastic job of keeping you organized and on target with deadlines. Through its user-friendly interface, the app allows you to create boards to organize everything you’re working on, customize your workflow on different projects, attach files, and create checklists among many other handy tools make sure a deadline is never missed again.
Best Apple Watch Apps
Got an Apple Watch? Why not take full advantage of what these nifty smartwatches have to offer with a little help from these premium apple watch apps.
