With the coronavirus leaving us with a ton of free time to ponder over our life choices, I’m sure a lot of us have been trying to get our shit straightened out. And I, in typical millennial style, came up with the only logical solution for my problems: Scour the interweb for productivity apps. Before you roll your eyes at me, hear me out.
Your iPhone and iPad can do a lot more than just help you keep up with friends, take photos for the gram, and generally keep you entertained. They’re also little powerhouses that can help you organize your life and get things done. I know that with the tornado of productivity apps out there, it can be difficult to find something that actually works for you. So I went through the trouble of curating a list of the best apps to organize your life in 2020.
Evernote
If you want a note-taking app that takes your productivity up a notch, Evernote is the best place to start. The app lets you record your thoughts in a variety of different formats (including images), sync your notes across devices, share them, and search within them to find what you’re looking for easily. The edge that Evernote has over the competition is that it seamlessly integrates a whole host of other apps, helping it fit in with the rest of your workflow.
Spendee
Yes, you guessed it. Spendee is a budgeting app. If you’re like me and have no clue how to manage your personal finances, this app is a lifesaver. It’ll track and display all of your spending habits in a selection of beautiful graphs and charts, and it can even handle multiple currencies for when you travel abroad (if that day ever comes). Your data will also be synced across your devices for easy access, including a browser version and an Apple Watch app.
Todoist
When it comes to to-do list apps, Todoist is one of the classics. And it’s still got plenty going for it. Your tasks can be broken down into sub-tasks, shared with others for collaboration, colour-coded for priority, and even set to recur. The app’s paid add-ons include attachments, labels, filters, and reminders. Add to that Todoist’s attractive minimalist design, and it’s pretty easy to see why it’s stuck around for so long.
But that’s not all. The app is available across ten different platforms, allowing you to track your work on every device you own, online and offline.
Forest
This app is a bit different. In that, it doesn’t really do anything. It doesn’t take notes, set reminders, share documents, or anything like that. But it could, theoretically, help you get better at staying on top of things.
The idea is quite simple; when you start a task, you plant a tree in the app. If you can stay in Forest for a set time, the tree will grow. But if you get distracted and open Instagram, the tree will wither and die. The more you stay on task and resist distractions, the bigger your virtual forest. Yes, it’s a bit silly, but there are worse ways to keep yourself motivated. So give it a go!
If This, Then That
Yes, that’s actually the name. It might sound like the developers just gave it the first name that popped into their heads and sent it out into the world, but the app itself is pretty cool.
IFTTT lets users create ‘applets’ that combine the features of a variety of apps under certain conditions. For example, you could set your music to start playing when you get home or track your work hours with Google Calendar, among other things. The app claims to work with over 360 other apps, plus the developers are regularly expanding its selection to allow you to automate even more of your life. The best part? It’s free.
Habitica
If you grew up in the era of RPGs (role-playing games), you’ll absolutely love Habitica. It’s another motivational, habit-forming app but with a crucial difference—the whole thing is 16-bit RPG-themed! It turns tasks and chores into quests, making everyday life just a little more interesting. You can set real-world rewards like getting to Netflix and chill for a while, or eat a treat, level up, unlock new gear, and even team up with friends to defeat monsters in the app by generally being productive in your everyday life. A great way to make brushing your teeth every night a little less mundane!
And that’s all I have for today! If we’ve missed any other great apps or if you want more recommendations for the best apps to organize your life in 2020, hit us up in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
