As young adults, we spend copious amounts of time on our phones every day. Even more so now that we have spent over half the year socially distancing. Regardless of whether your life is packed with driving around and hustling or staying at home and chilling, there are some apps that can significantly improve your daily living. The first app that can do this is called Forest.
- Forest
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I’m sure many of you have heard or used it before, but if you haven’t let me explain: Forest is an app that incentivizes you to stay off your phone by planting a small tree in a virtual garden. You can decide what type of tree it is and decide on how much time you will be off your phone for. Once you have clicked the plant button it will start a countdown timer and you will have to stay off your phone until your tree is fully planted. If you leave the screen, you will have 10 seconds to return, otherwise your tree will die, and you will have a dead tree in your virtual garden.
The best part of this app is that for every tree you successfully plant, the creators are planting in real-life. This means you are staying off your phone for a good cause. This app is one of my favourites because it can be used for studying, socializing or simply time-off. Also, the harder you work, the cuter your little garden becomes!
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The second extremely important app I think one should have on their phone is Pinterest. I find that whenever I want to get creative all I need to do is type my idea into the search bar and I find hundreds of ways of doing whatever I feel like doing. I do not necessarily use this for creating boards or uploading my own images, but rather use it as a source of inspiration. If you’re a creative like me, and you’re constantly making things then I suggest you download this app onto your phone.
I also use Pinterest as goal motivation. If I need motivation, I always search up images of my dream house, dream car or even dream holidays just to ground myself and stay focused on my vision. It is far more productive and inspiring than scrolling through Instagram or Facebook trying to unwind. Next time you catch yourself on a scrolling binge, make a quick swop to Pinterest and you’ll find that it makes you feel more energized rather than drained. Another good app you can hop to when you want to get off social media and just unwind is Google Podcasts.
- Google Podcasts
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Google Podcasts is my new thing. And let me explain why. Normally when I’m cleaning my room or reorganizing my cupboard, I’ll play some background music to motivate me. But I’ve found that podcasts are just so much more enriching and informative. I enjoy podcasts from entrepreneurs and influencers that get ‘real’ with their audiences. A few on my podcast list for you to try are The Adventure Continues – By Gal and Mariah Ezra (great for relationships and friendship and general life advice!). Mastery Sessions with Robin Sharma, the author of The Monk who Sold His Ferrari. And The Gary Vee Audio Experience for a morning motivation that’s filled with entrepreneurial insights.
There are so many different podcasts to choose from. I suggest you take your favourite artist or writer or influencer and search to see if they have any podcasts that you can listen to while you work or clean or even while you sit in traffic. It is a great way to stay learning new life skills even on days when you feel like you don’t want to.
- Easy Equities
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While on the topic of learning, a great app to have on your phone is Easy Equities. Easy Equities is an app that allows you to deposit money and put it into stocks and properties. You load the money onto your Easy Equities account (can be as little as R100 savings) and you can buy whatever amount of whichever stock you find most attractive.
I do suggest that you go onto their site and watch their videos to see how every inch of the app works. But to explain it simply: The app lets you read up and follow the stock market as it moves while allowing you to put specified amounts of money away every month (on whatever you want). I highly suggest this for people who are just getting into their 20’s and have a small amount of extra income each month. If you aren’t growing your money already, you should start now.
- Leap Fitness Group
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If you’re investing your money, you might as well start investing in your health and fitness as well. The best free workout apps are made by Leap Fitness Group. If you search for them on the App Store you will find multiple applications made by LFG for different target areas of your body. These are not intense workouts, but rather small, 15-minute exercises that keep you moving even when you don’t want to go into the gym.
The app tracks which days you’ve been working out and which days you should be resting. It gives verbal instructions so you can listen to your music and zone out while it tells you what to do. I’ve gone through a lot of fitness and workout apps, but this is one you need to have on your phone. Even if you just want to use it as a morning stretch routine, it’s definitely worth it.
The Apps mentioned above- Forest, Pinterest, Google Podcasts, Easy Equities and the Leap Fitness Group are all important and add value to your daily lifestyle. I am not one to enjoy spending time on my phone, but if I must, these are the apps I feel are most important to have and to work with.
A few more great apps that you should download on your phone are:
- Monefy: A great app for monthly budgets and understanding where your money goes.
- Headspace: Free guided meditations for if you’re feeling stressed or anxious.
- Truecaller: A safety app that shows you who is calling even if you do not have their number (super important for girls!)
A final note- don’t forget to turn your phone off at least once a week so that you have some time to clear your head and not distract yourself with whatever is in front of you. Phones are incredible devices and we can learn so much while using them, but they can also cause a lot of unhappiness and stop you from being present in your daily life with your family, your partner or your friends. So, don’t forget to take time off and enjoy your life as it is happening.
Keep grinding and stay safe.
N