App Recommendations: Productivity

Ironically, I waste a lot of time searching for the perfect productivity apps. Today, however, I am happy to report the fruits of my labor. What’s more, they’re FREE!

Any.DO made my post-it notes obsolete. This is, without contest, the best app for managing your to-do’s. With a clean, minimalistic layout, Any.DO does everything from setting deadlines for your tasks to categorizing them into a limitless number of folders. Any.DO also syncs to all your devices so you’re never at a lost for what’s to do next. Perhaps the best feature of all is the ability to sync to your Google calendar. With just one glimpse, I get to see the events I have scheduled as well as all the tasks I have ahead. This gives me a really good idea of whether I’d have enough time on any given day to finish my tasks. If I don’t, I can re-prioritize and move tasks to later days with a swipe of my finger.

AnyList echoes the minimalistic layout of Any.DO and simplifies the task of organizing grocery lists, project breakdowns, etc. Simply type in an item and AnyList will do the rest. It automatically categorizes, i.e. asparagus is listed under “Produce”. AnyList allows you to share your lists, any list, with anyone on your Contacts. Since our new home is not situated near oriental grocery stores, Thanh and I share a grocery list. He adds items, they automatically sync to my phone, I cross off items as I get them from State College, and he gets notified that modifications were made to our shared list. Everything is in real time! As alluded to above, AnyList is not just for your grocery needs. Thanh and I also share a list of blog topics for Consult the Couple. :) I plan on creating several project-based lists and share them with my research assistants to facilitate my supervisory role from home.

We Say
These apps are absolutely necessary for those who like to keep organized in a chaotic and hectic world. They’re free and take very little space on your device. Really, you have no excuse but to download them!