No matter what kind of phone you personally have, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you use it daily. Most of us depend on various apps on our phones to help us with various tasks during the day, such as checking the weather before getting dressed, routing the fastest way to work or school, or even just staying in contact with friends and family online. Throughout the years of my personal phone use, I have come across a few apps that benefit my day-to-day productivity and organization; read on if you’re looking for some new apps to incorporate into your life!
1. CNN
As a young person living in 2019, I try to remain on top of current world issues and major news events. The CNN app provides a feed of news stories that can be filtered by location, time, or content. The app also offers push notifications to alert you as breaking news occurs – you can choose from a regional or worldwide scope, and you can also tailor how many notifications you wish to see each day or week. I love the notification feature because even on days I am too busy to open the app and read the headlines, I’m still somewhat informed regarding major events that have occurred that day. In current times, there is controversy surrounding almost any major news network. If you have a personal issue with CNN, there are plenty of other networks with similar apps to try out!
2. Clue
With its subtle name, no one would ever know this is a period-tracking app unless they open it. This app provides a host of features you can use to track symptoms surrounding periods and pregnancy, which is super helpful when it comes to planning for trips or just your upcoming week. There is also an in-app reminder to take birth control or other medications, which can be customized regarding specific times and repeat patterns.
3. Stocard
This app is perfect for virtually storing the thousands of loyalty cards that are currently stuffed in your wallet. Stocard allows you to scan each card, and holds a virtual copy of it—ready for use in seconds even if you forgot your wallet at home. This app is a personal favourite of mine because before I used it, I would tell store workers not to bother scanning my card out of pure laziness. Now, my wallet is clutter-free and I can still earn rewards with all my purchases.
4. Dropbox
Even though most people have probably heard of Dropbox (or currently use it), I only recently realized it offers a mobile app in addition to the online version. I love having the Dropbox app on my phone because it gives me access to my computer files even if I am away from my laptop, and it serves as a backup for important documents in case anything happens to the original files.
5. Sleep Cycle Alarm
Sleep Cycle Alarm is a great app to try out if you’re interested in learning more about your personal sleep patterns, or even if you just have a hard time waking up in the morning.My boyfriend showed me this app and I’ve loved it ever since. Sleep Cycle Alarm requires you to set an alarm range for the earliest and latest times you need to get up at. The technology then tracks your sleep cycle by picking up movement and sounds in order to judge which stage of sleep you are in at every point throughout the night. When it is time to wake up, the alarm sounds during your lightest sleep stage in the time frame you identified. This promotes an easier start to your day, in hopes that waking up during your lightest sleep stage will make it easier to get up and get moving. An additional feature I like to look at is the chart of your nightly sleep cycles, showing the points of deep sleep contrasted with lighter sleeping stages. This feature gives insight to how I personally sleep, which is interesting when tracked over time to see any changes that occur.
In current times, most of us depend on technology to help us through many tasks on a given day. By utilizing the various productivity apps available and trying out some which may aid in various facets of your life, you can make the most of your time and help to improve efficiency.