NEWS • 10 February 2016

6 Apps to Increase Your Productivity

As a Project Manager, it’s my job to be organised. As a result, I’m forever on the hunt for ways to improve efficiency and productivity. Add to that my love of all things app (I have an app for everything), it only seemed fitting that I set myself on a quest to find the ultimate productivity app. Whilst I haven’t quite found the holy grail just yet, I have come across some gems along the way that are productivity game changers. If you’re not already using them then you need to download them right now!

Pocket App

How often do you get interrupted while you’re engrossed in an article or about to watch a video? Pocket lets you save the thing you want to read or watch later to one place, so you can come back to them anytime on any device. You don’t even need wifi to use them! We all use Pocket here at The Web Kitchen to keep and organise our web inspiration in one, easy-to-access place. poket

Coffitivity

This is my go to app when I need to concentrate. Coffitivity blocks out all of the distracting noises around you and fills the silence with the ambient sounds of a coffee shop. Yep, you read that right. Coffee shop noises. It sounds counter-productive but actually, research shows that a moderate level of ambient noise is conducive to creative cognition. So, whilst I love the eclectic mix of hip hop, pop and house music that often gets played in the office, when I really need to focus I just plug in Coffitivity and go.

coff

Clear

Lists, lists everywhere! On my desk, on the back of my hand, emailed to myself…sound familiar? Then you need to download Clear. Yes, you have to pay for it but trust me, this app will help you declutter your life and keep you focused on the important stuff. It’s simple and intuitive design make it all the more delightful to use. Once you start using it you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!

clear

Headspace

One of the best weapons in my productivity arsenal is a clear mind. Sometimes we get so caught up in how much work we have to do that we find it difficult to focus on the task at hand. The best way to achieve a clear mind? Breathe. Headspace offers you a guided course of meditation and breathing techniques to help you stay focused and relieve stress. The best part is these courses start from 10 minutes, making them easy to fit into into your day. So the next time you’re feeling overwhelmed or don’t know where to start in the mountain of work ahead of you, try Headspace.

headbalanced

Colorfy

If 2015 was the year of the colouring book then 2016 is the year of the colouring app! There is something extremely therapeutic about colouring in. Focusing on staying within the lines forces your mind to pull away from any anxiety and instantly relieves stress. The fact that you can now colour in on your phone means instant stress relief is just a couple of clicks away. With hundreds of canvases and varying levels to choose from trust me, you will become addicted in no time.

Colorfy

1 Password

Have you ever forgotten a password? Of course you have. I have so many passwords for so many different things it’s hard to keep on top of them all and it becomes all too tempting to always use the same password which we all know is a big no-no for security. 1Password allows you to save and manage all of your passwords in one secure place so you only ever have to remember one password to access them all. This means less time waiting for “I’ve forgotten my password” emails and more time focusing on the task at hand.

1pass

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