Everyone loves to find new ways to save time but it becomes especially helpful as the days begin to warm up. Why spend any extra time on work or other obligations when you can be outdoors enjoying a cookout or simply soaking up some of those warm spring sunrays? There are lots of ways to save time and be more efficient and with your smartphone the possibilities are endless. Here are 5 of our favorite time-saving apps that will help you spend more time in the sun and less time on busywork.
1. Ifttt
Ifttt stands for “if this then that.” It’s an app that syncs other apps of your choice and allows you to coordinate actions and streamline activities that you do frequently. You can come up with your own “recipes” or simply choose one of Ifttt’s automations. For example, you can have your new contacts instantly added to a spreadsheet, simultaneously update your Facebook and Twitter profile pictures, or have your IPhone pictures emailed to you the minute they’ve been snapped. The app is available for both iOS and Android and has an endless amount of time-saving abilities.
2. Evernote
If you haven’t heard of Evernote you may have been living under a rock or, at the very least, missing out on the productivity-enhancing qualities of this popular app. With close to 80 million users, Evernote’s popularity is obvious thanks to its ease of use and versatile functionality. You can sync Evernote across all of your devices from your desktop to your smartphone and it has an endless amount of functions that are seamlessly synced across all of them. You can create to-do lists as well as voice notes and even include photos for visual reminders. You can “tag” topics in your email and stay on top of all of your tasks and reminders in one centralized location. If you haven’t tried Evernote what are you waiting for? The time-saving possibilities are endless!
3. Pocket
Distractions are the number one cause of decreased productivity. Whether it’s a cool new website you just discovered or an interesting article that you just have to read, jumping from one interesting thing to the next online can really derail your progress. There’s always the option of emailing it to yourself or bookmarking the page but it’s easy to forget exactly where you saved it. With Pocket you can save all of the links and articles that you want to view in one place without any hassle. It’s the equivalent of sticking something important “in your pocket” for later. You can also send items to your friends Pockets for easy sharing and the best part is that you don’t need an internet connection to view your saved items so you can look at them whenever you have a free minute.
4. 30:30
It’s really easy to get distracted after a few minutes of working and a simple “break” can end up costing you quite a bit in lost productivity. However, everyone needs a break every once in a while and with 30:30 you can make sure that you keep yourself on track and complete your tasks without your much-needed breaks interfering. Simply create your to-do list and set it to a timer. The 30:30 app will keep you on task and moving swiftly from one task to the next without interruptions. This app is free and is available on iOS.
5. Sooner
Is a cluttered calendar causing you to miss important deadlines and appointments? With Sooner you can organize your calendar easily and efficiently and can rearrange things so that you’ll never miss another important event. This app costs $5.99 and syncs with your iOS calendar and arranges all of your events around an easy-to-use wheel making it a breeze to move things around on your calendar and categorize them by task.
As the temperature warms up and the beautiful spring weather beckons it’s a great time to find ways to increase your productivity so that you can enjoy as much of your free time as possible. At Ballantyne Executive Suites we love finding new ways to save time and increase productivity. If you haven’t tried any of these great time-saving apps why not give one a try today? That way you can be sure you’re getting everything done on time allowing you more freedom to enjoy the perks of springtime in Charlotte!
