Saying that “there’s an app for that” was a popular joke more than a decade ago, when applications just started to make their way into our daily lives. Apple even trademarked the phrase as a way to underline the fact that, yes, virtually any activity under the sun has an app to make it easier.
Ironically enough, there are so many activities we have to do on a daily basis, we might end up having so many applications that they end up disrupting those very same activities. You can blame that on the constant attack of notifications that battle for our attention and lead us to constant distractions.
So, it’s not a surprise that in 2020, businesses of all types have teamed up with software development outsourcing companies like BairesDev to build apps for making your daily routine more efficient, increasing your productivity, and helping you keep focused. Here are some of the best ones to help you with that.
1 – Cold Turkey
A lot of people swear that the only way to quit a bad habit is to drop it from one minute to the other AKA quitting cold turkey. That practice is what lends its name to this app, an anti-procrastination tool developed to keep you out from all those digital distractions you constantly find throughout the day.
At its most basic, Cold Turkey is somewhat of a website blocker to which you can add a list of sites that you want to block. Thus, when the app is activated and you try to access one of the blacklisted sites, you’ll see a motivational quote instead. If you want to fully concentrate on what you’re doing, you can block the entire Internet and just add the sites you need to work through a whitelist.
Websites aren’t the only ones you can block with Cold Turkey. You can also block other applications, which comes in handy if you have multiple social media apps or games that keep bombarding you with notifications. There’s more. You can completely block access to your device through the frozen turkey feature or you can set up daily limits that allow you to take well-defined breaks.
2 – Pocket
Once you start using this app, you won’t want to read articles in any other way. With this app, you’ll save articles that you stumble while you browse the web that you can read later on. The best thing about it is that you can sync it up across all your devices, including e-readers. That way, you can be sure that you’ll always have your list ready to go, whether you’re on your phone, your laptop, or your Kindle.
Having an app like Pocket by your side can do wonders for your productivity. How so? Because you won’t feel obliged to read something interesting you came across while you were working on other things. You can just save it to Pocket and find it later when you have enough time to read it. And though I’ve been using the verb “read” here, the thing is that this app can save other content as well, which means you can save videos and stories from your favorite sites and platforms.
And if you choose to go premium, you’ll have the possibility to customize your reading space as you see fit while also accessing the highlighting and library features to improve your overall experience. Pocket is a great ally for anyone that loves to read online!
3 – Notion
Probably the most comprehensive app in this list, Notion touts itself as an “all-in-one workspace” and, frankly, that’s precisely what it is. There are so many things you can do with its 100+ features but, at its core, is a productivity app that lets you create and track notes, tasks, and wikis, even within teams.
You can use Notion to create your very own encyclopedia, with main pages, subpages, indexes, and links between them. Thus, you can create a knowledge base of sorts that will provide you with easy access to things you need to work. The best thing is that you don’t have to start from scratch, as the app comes packed with templates that will help you create whatever you want, from a journal to a productivity planner.
Probably the standout thing about Notion is that it gets regular updates and new features according to the needs of its community. In that way, it’s highly likely you’ll find the feature you’re looking for sooner rather than later and without having to resort to a software development team for that.
4 – Standard Notes
If you take notes as much as you read, then you can’t live without Standard Notes. Self-defined as a “place for your notes, thoughts, and life’s work”, it’s much more than just an Evernote wannabe. This free app boasts completely encrypted notes that take your privacy to a whole new level, as you’ll be the only one able to decrypt what you write.
Its focus on privacy is probably its highest selling point. Standard Notes has end-to-end privacy through secure connections, which ensures that everything you write and store in the app is safe. Besides, the lack of advertising based on algorithms that collect and sell your data is the perfect way to keep your content secure.
Apart from all that, Standard Notes is as simple as you want it to be. That means that, in its most basic form, the app is easy to use and highly intuitive. But you can sophisticate its offering by using some of its powerful extensions, using its rich editor or adding the possibility of attaching documents as securely as you can possibly think.
5 – Focus Booster
Finally, here’s an app that uses a well-known method to take your focus to the max. Focus Booster is based on the Pomodoro Technique, which allows you to take short breaks of up to 5 minutes between longer working periods (of usually 25 minutes). The technique helps you keep your mind sharp and productive while also stop you from being overwhelmed.
The app works as easily as you can think of. You just have to define the amount of time for your work blocks and adjust the length of your breaks. Then, you just need to get started and follow the times proposed by the app. This will lead you to develop a healthy habit of using shorter but more productive cycles intertwined with breaks that will clear your head.
Focus Booster also has features to analyze how you spend your time, see how your productivity is doing, and check your daily activities in detail.
Of course, these aren’t the only apps that can get you focused on your daily routine. But if you’re struggling with doing so right now, then you should definitely check them out. They’ll surely change the way you work!
