Imagine having an assistant that prioritizes your tasks, stores all your important documents and even lets you know all the important birthdays or anniversaries you should not forget. Well, there are dozens upon dozens of productivity apps available that can help you do just that.
Recently at work, I was given an IPad Air so that I can have more functionality while I am on the road. I already had a personal IPad with several Apps to help me stay organized. I was excited to have received one for work because it meant I can go Paperless when I am visiting my stores.
With all the options out there, where do you start?
Here are some great apps available that can simplify your life.
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE:
1. EVERNOTE (Android, IOS, Windows phone, website)
There is so much hype about this application that one has to wonder whether or not it can live up to expectations. Well it does. One of the many reasons for its popularity is its simplicity and ease of use. Evernote allows you to collect everything from photos, web pages, files including PDF and audio files. It even has a great indexing service. What I save to my Evernote with my IPad Air, I can find on my personal IPad and laptop at home. It has a great Chrome Extension to make saving important information even easier.
2. GOOGLE KEEP (Android, Chrome Extension, Website)
Google Keep has a simple user interface that can easily create and store lists, texts and voice memos. It has a deep integration and can sync with the rest of your Google Products. You have the ability to store note-boards, snippets, checklists and photos, all backed up on the Google Drive.
3. PRINT TO PDF
Being able to get a PDF file is definitely something you cannot afford not to have. Print to PDF makes your life a lot easier no matter your tech savvy. Best of all, this software ensures that the quality of the PDF printer is top notch.
STORAGE:
4. ONE DRIVE from Microsoft (Android, IOS, Windows)
Keep all your photos, videos and documents in one place. One Drive comes with Office Online so you can easily create, edit and share documents regardless of the device you are working on. I save all my Word and Excel documents on the ONE DRIVE server so it can free some space on my laptop.
5. DROPBOX (Android, IOS, Windows)
Securely share, sync and collaborate very easily with Drop Box. My company uses Drop Box to share documents that would be too large for email. I also have a few videos that I can easily access on my IPAD by logging into my Drop Box account without using up available space on my tablet.
6. POCKET (Android, IOS)
Do you find yourself out of time but don’t want to lose track of those great articles or videos you found? Put it in your Pocket. Not a real pocket of course, but a virtual one. Pocket allows you to save just about anything for reading at a later time. You can even save directly from your browser or from apps like Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse and Zite.
If you are looking for more information on Dropbox and three of it’s competitors, there is a detailed article on Cloudwards.net.
TO DO LISTS / TASK MANAGEMENT
7. TODOIST (up to 15 platforms)
One of the most powerful and popular to do list management softwares. It has several useful features that allow you to customize your experience, organize your tasks and projects and even optimize your productivity. You can even create sub tasks and sub projects for those big tasks or projects that need to be broken down. For quick reference later, you can color code your tasks so priorities are easily found. You can share and collaborate, delegate tasks and discuss details on any device and platform.
8. ANY.DO (IOS, Android, Chrome Extension)
Another great, simple and easy to use design. Any.do is the winner of Apple’s Intuitive Touch Award and Android’s Best App of 2012.
9 Pocket list (iPhone and IPad)
A to-do list app for IPhone and IPad. This app syncs with third-party apps and services such as: Reminder app, Calendar app, Google Tasks and Toodledo.com. Easy functionality also allows for passcode-locked checklists, an archiving feature for hiding certain checklists and a copy & paste function for multiple to-dos at a time. You can send your checklists via email or quickly clean up any checklist by shaking your iPhone. There is even Twitter and Facebook integration.
10. IFTT (Android, IOS)
Is task management a chore? IFTT, short for “If this, then that” is the app for you. IFTT is one of the best websites for automating small tasks and it is extremely easy to understand and use. It also supports dozens of apps and services. You can automate just about anything. Example, “if” function could be taking a picture and you can set the “then that” function to backing up your photos on Facebook. So now every time you take a picture, it will automatically send a copy to Facebook.
11. NOZBE (IOS, Android, Linux, Windows, Web and Mac)
Prioritize and manage your incoming tasks. Easily get organized with Nozbe’s easy to use web interface working on any screen size. Forget email for managing team work. Share projects with team members and delegate tasks with a simple click. Provide feedback on project development by attaching comments to tasks or files. Nozbe can easily integrate with Evernote, Google or Microsoft documents and DropBox. You can even sync with Google Calendar.
GOAL SETTING
Goal Setting is one of the things that sets successful people apart. Writing your goals down is a key action that helps you achieve personal success. Now you don’t have to rely on just pen and paper. You can keep track of your goals with one of the following apps:
12. GOALS ON TRACK (website)
Make your goals SM.A.R.T with sample goal templates. Get the Right things done through prioritizing and Focus. You can use animated and offline time trackers no matter where you complete the task. Is journaling something you enjoy? Record your journey and map out your progress with Goals on Track. You can even see your progress in beautiful 3D charts. Review them anywhere with Outlook, iCal and Google Calendar.
13. LIFETICK (website)
What I love about LifeTick is that it makes you start by establishing your core values in life. It helps you determine what is important to you. This way you can be sure you are prioritizing your goals. LifeTick follows the S.M.A.R.T methodology and allows you to write about your experiences in your own journal. Need motivation? Capture your dreams that one day can become reality and chart your progress to see your achievements over time.
14. HABITLIST (available on ITunes App Store)
HabitList was created to help you create good habits and break unhealthy ones. It has a great tool called streaks to help you get motivated. The goal is to see how high you can go and then try to beat your personal best. There are even colored badges to keep you motivated.
OTHER COOL STUFF
15. Password Meter (Android, IOS, Windows, Chrome Extension, Website)
We hear about security breaches all the time. We are told to create different passwords for every site and try to make it as complicated as possible. Who has the memory to remember all these passwords? Well, you don’t have to. 1Password allows you to store all your passwords securely in one place and can even auto-generate difficult passwords for extra security.
19. TRIPIT (Android, IOS, Website)
For those who travel often, TRIPIT allows you to keep all your travel plans in one place, on any device. It also gives you real time alerts and can help you find alternate flights fast.
17. WAZE (Google Play, Apple App Store, Windows)
Waze is the world’s largest community-based traffic and navigation app. Join other drivers in your area who share real-time traffic and road info, saving everyone time and gas money on their daily commute
Let me know which APP is your favorite in the comments section.