Okay, okay, I know there are enough reviews on phone applications that you may want to gag yourself or flog whomever keeps pumping the web full of these articles. Well do or say what you will about them, phone apps are changing the way we do things to say the least, so if someone stumbles Meditoupon an app they don't know about and find it useful, then I've done my job.
I know we are all about calming the nerves and relieving stress/anxiety around here, so you may be asking yourself why a productivity post on phone apps? While having too many apps can lead to app overload and result in less productivity, if you stick to some core apps that do their job good, they will not only make you more productive but also can help to reduce your stress and anxiety levels.
So I've narrowed it down to 5 apps that I use on a consistent basis. By consistent I would say bare minimum 3-5 days a week, while most I use multiple times a day.
5.) Evernote
My use: Daily
So I start with Evernote, not because it's my 5th favorite, but because it's probably the most popular app on my list so keep scrolling if your life has already been transformed by this powerful little app. For the rest of you, if you have any desire to keep up with ideas, thoughts, names, codes, or your dog's birthday, this is the cream of the crop.
Evernote is basically a note taking application on steroids. It makes it easy to create and organize notes, while also allowing you to easily search your notes for keywords to avoid having to find where you've stored it. You can also share and edit notes with friends and family to help each other to stay in sync. Other features include clipping website articles to have for later reading, and also storing photos with your notes. All of these features are great, but when it comes down to it, it does what it's made to do really well, make storing information easy and organized.
interface strength: intuitive
Create Notes fast
Create "Notebooks" to store related notes
Search for anything you have created and find it with ease
Share notes with friends or spouses to easily share information
Snap photos, clip web articles and save them
Syncs immediately with the web app so I use it at work then on the go
4.) Headspace
My use: 3 times a week
By far my favorite meditation app out there. If you haven't tried or started meditating, I highly recommend you do. It is beneficial to your brain and well-being in so many ways and can lead to a significant increase in productivity and decrease in stress levels.
Headspace is truly in a league of its own when compared to other meditation apps. These guys know what they are talking about and know the most effective meditation methods for both beginners and experts. Headspace creator, Andy, is an ordained Buddhist monk and mindfulness expert. He provides countless guided meditations that make the experience easy and enjoyable, you never feel uncomfortable or annoyed due to his natural relaxing and reassuring tone.
The application's strength is in its motivation to the user. It has numerous "levels" for you to complete that consist of different types of meditations. It is a great example of gamification at its best. In addition, the application has a remarkable web application for you to use on your computer. Rarely do you see phone applications of this kind have such a thing.
interface strengths: fun, beautiful
through "levels" the user progresses in a fun and motivational way
unlock new levels to begin different types of meditation
find motivation by meeting "buddies" near by
it's addicting and really makes you want to stay on track
the web application is phenomenal
3.) Lift
My use: 5-6 times a week
Lift is all about helping you create habits and reach goals. It makes tracking your habits quick and easy, helps keep you on track with timely reminders, and gives you extra motivation by linking you with other users trying to instill the same habits.
It's simplicity is where it thrives. You simply add something that you want to do X amount of times a week and it adds it to your list. Every time you've completed an item you simply swipe to check mark the item, keeping track of how many times you did the habit/goal that week. You may also click on the item to enter the community of other users with the same habit/goal. Here you can give each other support, ask questions, etc. This is a great way to discover different methods or ideas of helping you stay on track. For instance, I learned of Headspace through my Meditation group on this app.
Lift does a great job of making you focus on a single list of items. I think one of our biggest downfalls of not reaching our goals is our tendency of trying to do to much. Focus on a few key habits and the other things are more likely to fall into place.
interface strengths: simple, easy to use
connect with users trying to accomplish similar goals
motivate and support each, learn new ideas to help stay on track
use reminders, notifications to remember which items need to be done when
check-ins are quick and easy
2.) Wunderlist
Use: 3 times a week
For those who live and die by the to-list, this app is for you. You can create as many lists as you want, manage them with ease, and check off items joyfully every time you complete something.
The feature that pushes Wunderlist to the front of its class is the way the lists are easily shared and edited by multiple people. For instance, you create a grocery list which you share with your spouse. Both of you can add and edit the list as you please, making your lives easier and each other happier for not forgetting those items he or she reminded you to get the last 3 trips to the store. You can create all kinds of lists, such as places to travel to, business ideas, or gifts to buy the kids. If you're a list person you will be pleasantly surprised with this gem of an app.
interface strength: well structured, easy to manage
add as many lists as you want
check off / add item in a flash
share and edit lists with others
email or phone notifications
1.) Alarmed
Use: Daily
So I decided to save not the best, but the most important, for last. When it comes down to it, remembering what you need or want to do, is THE key factor to improving your life and reducing stress. While the above apps will help you get more organized, motivate and focus you on what you want to change, Alarmed will bring all of that together by reminding you to do these things at just the right times.
I know a reminder app is not some bright new idea, however the popularity and consistent amazing reviews for this app are not by chance. I tried it myself about a year ago and still use it to this day on a daily basis. So what stands out with this notification app? Well its configurability has no limits - you can set reminders to go off at whatever times and days of the week, helping you to be reminded at just the right times so that you are less likely to shrug off the notification. It also makes it quick and easy to snooze the reminder for specific amount of time until you finally do it. Some other cool features include 80 custom Meditosounds, add notes to your reminders, and cool timer feature that makes the default clock timer absolute.