I don’t consider myself to be an avid app user, but currently I have 63 apps on my iPhone. Out of that number, I might use five or six of them on a daily basis. With the growing number of apps that are launched annually, how do you choose between the various types of timers, schedulers and productivity programs? Here are a list of apps that actually are effective, different and might work for you.
For the night owls who want to regulate their circadian rhythm:
Most people have a tendency to sit in bed with their laptops, tablets, or turn on the TV to whine down. If you’re in the events industry, this tends to be an endless cycle as corporate and social events accrue in your weekend slots.
This is not good because the blue light emitted from your electronic device inhibits melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleepiness. Instead, it increases cortisol, the hormone used to keep you awake.
In f.lux and Twilight, users are able to choose their wakeup time, turn the app on/off as needed and choose the intensity/dimness (degree of blue light reduced throughout the day). Downside? When the app nears your bedtime, the screen begins to “redden”in response to the reduction in blue light; a small tradeoff when you’re trying to get the most of your sleep.
When you want to show your visual portfolio, but don’t have it on you:
Monogram
Whether it’s on your laptop or in a woven binder, not everyone carries their design portfolio work with them on the regular. Monogram, a creation by MOO Business Cards, seeks to provide a solution for everyone to see what you do on the go!
Users can categorize, upload high resolution images, add context to the visuals and share without wi-fi on any device. Monogram provides an easy outlet for users to share their work with others in the Digital Age.
For those that get distracted by birds/consistently answering emails/laundry/[insert miscellaneous activity here]:
Pomodoro Time
As someone who wants to accomplish it all, it’s not so easy when you want to do everything and anything under the sun. Named after a cute little tomato timer that Francesco Cirillo used in college, the Pomodoro Technique was developed to increase productivity and improve concentration when tackling extensive projects and events. The Pomodoro Timer gives you shorter work periods to accomplish more with breaks in-between. Instead of doing a marathon, you’re doing mental sprints to help maximize efficiency and work towards finishing any project you have in front of you.
Other Options: Marinaratimer, Tomighty, Focus Time and ‘the ever so classic’ tomato timer.
When you want to sync up with your team and see what everyone is up to:
Slack
Although the app has already been turning heads, Slack is the ultimate communication tool for teams. Entirely unbiased of my our experience with Slack, you can create multiple channels based on the subjects you want to communicate on, add links/images, reactions to comments, tag teammates to get their attention and assign/check-off tasks.
When you want to interact with your website visitors:
Olark
When someone views your business page, you want to be able to talk to them about the Lincoln Logs you’re selling or cute dog toys. Am I right? Olark allows you to interact with your customer through the internet on any webpage in your website. Want to see what their keep clicking on or what how long they viewed your contact form page for? Olark is like your friendly, quiet buddy who doesn’t get noticed much, but always invited because they’re cool, nice and non-threatening.
For those Instagram mavens and social media planners:
Planoly
Formerly called Planogr.am, Planoly is one of the first Instagram management platforms where you can plan/schedule images, rearrange images to fit brand theme, review feedback and user engagement metrics. Pricing is a little bit on the higher side, but is accommodating based on your degree of Instagram interaction.
When you’re exhausted and hangry in Austin:
Dinner Elf
After a long work week, all-day event or just driving during rushhour on Mopac, you just want to come home, relax and eat a good meal. Dinner Elf wants you to make that happen by bring ingredients and supplies to your doorstep, cooking the meals in your kitchen and cleaning up afterwards. Subscribers are able to choose when Dinner Elf arrives to their home and have direct oversight on how meals are prepared.