There's an app for that

By Laura

For most people the smartphone is an essential and ubiquitous tool. It goes everywhere and does everything, doesn't it? It probably does, but when looking through the Google or iOS app store, it’s easily to feel a bit overwhelmed. There’s so much choice, and for everyone who says that an app changed their life, there’s someone saying how it ruined theirs. Everyone has their favourites, and naturally everyone wants you to use what they recommend.

So rather than just recommend specific apps (although I’ll do that too), I thought it might be more helpful to think about what you want the app to do, rather than change your life to fit around it. 

Brain dumps

Do you just need somewhere to record everything that’s in your head? Some people seem to be able to carry around everything they need to in their memories. They never forget things, and they magically get everything done without even trying.

Actually, I’m lying. Those people don’t exist. For most of us, we need somewhere to put down all the things we need to as we think of them. They can be sorted out later, but if we don’t write them down in the moment, they’re lost forever.

For this kind of thing, notes apps on phones can be great, but if you want one that's everywhere, you need to pick one with that functionality. When you move from your phone to your computer, it's helpful if your notes can follow you. Things like To Do (made by Microsoft), are very useful. It’s multiplatform, you can have it anywhere, and it’s a great place to just ‘scribble’ things down and come back to them later. Look out for apps with good web interfaces, like Any.do or Remember the Milk, so you get the most out of them. But above all, for this kind of app, choose something you like the look of. If it hurts your eyes every time you open it, it's not going to be too much use!

Reminders

In general, I have the memory span of a stunned goldfish. Time gets away from me easily, and if an appointment isn’t written down, it doesn’t happen. To make sure I do the right things at the right time, I’m a big believer in the Reminders app in iOS, or using Google Calendar or Keep on Android. For reminders, I think you want something simple and quick to use, but also that you always have with. A web-only interface is no good, as the idea is the reminder should come to you. If you could remember to go to it, you wouldn’t need a reminder!

I’d particularly recommend one with good voice interface, so that when you’re halfway to the shop and you remember you need to buy something, you can just say “ahoy, telephone, in three minutes remind me to buy chocolate cake.” I’ve honestly found this transformative for my productivity, and I don’t know how I remembered anything before I had my phone remind me of things.

Habits

Habits take about 30 days to make, and are all too easy to break again. Using an app to keep track of how many times you’ve done something can help keep you motivated. No one wants to break that streak! You can either go for a fairly straightforward tracking app like Productive, or try out something a little more whimsical like Habitica, which turns the whole thing into more of a game, complete with its own artwork.

Lifestyle

If you’re looking for things that are more of an ‘all in one’ solution, you’ll probably have to pay out for them, but they can be worth it. Once you buy into a system, it can be a really powerful way of running your life, and keeping everything in the same place certainly reduces your chances of forgetting things. Apps like Todoist and Evernote are fairly good value, but the Big Daddy is Omnifocus. At $9.99 a month, it’s a real commitment, but there’s no doubt it’s a powerful tool. You can do pretty much anything from saving documents to setting time tracking.

Try before you buy

A word of caution on these 'complete solutions', though. It's easy to get sucked in by the impressive feature list and influential recommendations. Many of them will claim to clear your skin, water your crops and raise your grades. But if you're someone who has a habit of grabbing too much information, sticking it in a file/folder/database, and never looking at it again, these tools can be a bit overwhelming. Concentrate on what you need, not all the wonderful things the tool does. It's a much better way to get value for money.

If you’re thinking of paying out for an app, check whether they have a free trial first. Particularly if it’s expensive, you want to make sure it works for you before committing. Just because it was the answer to someone else’s problems doesn’t mean it will solve yours. Everyone’s brains are different, and it’s worth playing around with your set up until you find what works for you.