Between work, family, and free time, we often have to juggle a couple of things on a daily basis. It can be tiring to keep track of everything that we do and need to do. Thankfully, apps have been developed which do a great job of keeping track of activities and highlighting things we might have missed. If what you need is something to help you keep track of your health, there are apps for that. If you just need something to remind you when deadlines for important things are impending, there are apps for that as well. Here are five apps (for both iOS and Android) that we think can help improve your daily routine.
Todoist
App Store
Google Play
Todoist is a to-do list helper that balances power and simplicity. While the balancing of a to-do list app isn’t the most awe-spiring thing in general, this balance is exactly what makes Todoist do what it does so well. The app isn’t simple enough that Notepad is an alternative nor is it too complex.
Adding tasks to your to-do lists is easy due to the app’s natural language processing. Sentences can be parsed by the due date stated and the task associated with it. You can also sort and group tasks by priority, project, due date, and category. Todoist can also set reminders for various tasks so that you don’t forget to do tasks set in your to-do lists. With most of our lives being digital and Todoist’s alarms reminding you of tasks, you can be sure your future tasks you set won’t be like those sticky notes you forgot about last week.
GoalsOnTrack
Website
If you are pursuing not simple one-off tasks and projects, but rather a larger goal or specific daily habits, GoalsOnTrack is what you need. This app helps you to build and stay on track with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals as both a webapp and a standalone app.
The biggest benefit of this app is that it allows you to break large goals into smaller chunks and tracks your progress through that. It always helps when there is tangible proof that you are making progress towards your goals . You can also track how much time is spent on each task related to a goal, keep a calendar, view reports, and monitor your habits.
The final strength of this app is its journal feature that allows you to take notes about your experience. In tandem with the app’s other main features, the journal gives you an opportunity to reflect and manage your tasks more effectively. All of this is neatly wrapped up in a user interface that is delightful. Unfortunately, GoalsOnTrack has no free version. For iOS users, Strides is a free alternative.
MyFitnessPal
Website
Whether you want to become healthier or maintain your current fitness, MyFitnessPal is one of the best apps for you. It’s main draw is its role as a food-tracking app. The food diary in the app holds a database filled with the nutritional values of food found in various stores and restaurants. This allows you to see exactly what you are eating. Furthermore, you can track how much you exercise.
The app allows you to set personal goals and recommends which foods to eat and how much water to drink based on those goals. The app also allows you to make reminders to keep track of what you eat in order to stay on target. If you want to be more health conscientious, then this app is a perfect auxiliary to your daily routine.
Insight Timer
App Store
Google Play
Mental health is just as important as physical health. Insight Timer is not a therapy alternative or anything like that, but it does help with mindfulness. For a little respite from daily hassles, the app’s main feature, soothing audio, comes into play.
The app holds thousands of audio files ranging from music, ambience, and bedtime stories played through hundreds of filters that you can set to help you take a breather. This vast amount of audio and customisation means there’s always something for you, whether it’s a panic attack or daily stressors.
Guided meditation exercises can help you to slow down and the binaural audio makes it much easier to shut out any unneeded stimuli. Having trouble sleeping? Why not follow a simple exercise with calming waves crashing in the background and let it lull you to sleep.
Sleep Cycle
App Store
Google Play
Speaking of sleep, it is a vital part of anyone’s daily routine. Without enough deep sleep, most people can’t properly function – physically or mentally. Since sleep is most-often overlooked in regular health, what better way to remind you and inform you of your sleep habits than Sleep Cycle.
The app can track how long you sleep, the quality of your sleep, and other factors such as heart rate. It even tracks whether there are any noises or whether you snore or sleep talk. All of these factors can influence how much benefit you get from your sleep. Sleep Cycle allows you to understand why you’re not getting proper sleep.
Stemming from its ability to track your sleeping habits, Sleep Cycle can determine at which points in the morning it would be best to wake you up so that you feel fully rested. If you sleep longer and arrive late for work, you can always blame it on the app.
