In this day and age, there’s no denying that technology can be your best friend when you’re trying to stay organized, and whether you are among the millions who still use desktop computers, or one of those who proudly proclaim to have migrated all their computing to tablets and smartphones, there are plenty of applications that can help you make the most of your time. If you’re having trouble staying focused and just need a bit of a push, try out these apps:
1. For Desktop Users: RescueTime
Time is our most valuable commodity, and with so much information available on the internet, it’s not unlikely that you’ll end up losing more time browsing random websites than actually getting work done. RescueTime understands this, and it provides a good platform through which you can gauge just how much time you’re wasting on random websites. You load up the app on your computer, and it tracks which websites or programs you spend the most time on, giving you a great view of how you spend your time on your computer so you can adjust accordingly. If you pay for the app, you can even set RescueTime to block certain websites after you’ve spent a certain amount of time on them.
2. For Smartphone Users: 24me
According to the developers of mobile gaming website Spin Genie, growth in mobile internet is among the strongest trends on the internet landscape today, and while there were 1 billion smartphone users in 2012, this number is set to double by the end of this year. For many, their smartphones can be a distraction, but with apps like 24me, you can actually get more organized thanks to your smartphone. 24me doesn’t just send you notifications to remind you to pay your bills or to attend meetings or work on reports – if you sync your Facebook, it can even greet your friends on their birthdays for you. You can also create lists and easily share them with colleagues or family, allowing for easy collaboration.
3. For Both: GoogleNow
Whether you’re on Windows, Android, iOS or OSX, there’s a huge chance that you use Google, and knowing this, Google has created Google Now, an intelligent personal assistant that allows you to get the information you want easily from all across the web by integrating with different websites. It presents everything to users in “cards” which can be customized so you have easy access to all the information you could need, without having to manually do Google searches for it. It even has some fun and useful features, including barcode scanning, song recognition, and even the ability to store your boarding pass.