Having a smartphone in your pocket means having access to a near-infinite amount of information and distractions. For a productive life, you may imagine that ditching the phone for a technological cleanse is the best option, but there are a number of apps you can use to help you manage time and stay productive.
Trello
Available both as an app and as a desktop site, Trello makes organizing your days and weeks fun and easy. From checklists to notes, this app allows users to create a visual representation of their schedule and enables them to drag items around for easy reorganization. Trello is also collaborative, which means users can communicate directly on the app regarding shared projects and meetings.
Buffer
Another program available both on mobile and desktop, Buffer is a useful tool for maintaining your social media presence. Rather than spend time each day posting for yourself or your business, you can instead schedule social media posts ahead of time. The free app allows you to schedule 10 total posts across up to three profiles and provides resources like content creation tools and link management.
24me
For individuals with multiple calendars and busy schedules, 24me serves as a consolidation tool with personal assistant capabilities. 24me incorporates A.I. that assesses and analyzes your tasks to help you manage your time. The app will remind you of birthdays in advance and relate tasks to external apps and programs for your convenience. As a general task management system, this app allows you to organize your schedule and plan ahead.
Forest
Smartphone apps contribute largely to the average five hours Americans spend on their phones each day. With addicting games that feature enticing rewards systems, the compulsion to spend time playing on phones increases. The app Forest capitalizes on this tendency by encouraging productivity and unplugging to get work done. By setting a timer and setting aside your phone for the designated amount of time, a digital tree grows; if you interact with your phone before the time ends, the tree dies. Allowing the tree to grow to its full height earns you digital coins which will go towards efforts to plant trees in real life. With the digital incentives and environmental factor, Forest provides a fun way to be productive.
Taking advantage of smartphone apps will help you manage your work and personal life. By utilizing apps like the ones described above, you can improve your time management and organizational skills to ensure a productive 2019.