6 apps busy professionals need on their phones

Notifications and consequently, incessant distractions might be the order of the day, thanks to the app economy. But like all things life and work, the power to make the app economy work for you lies by and large in your hands.

It is important to think purposefully about which apps should be allowed to distract you from the task at hand. But more importantly, be purposeful about which apps you have in your phone in the first place. There is no getting away from the usual Facebook, WhatsApp and work mails given how much we now communicate or are expected to communicate on-the-move. But if you choose carefully, the right apps can help you manage your time, stay physically and emotionally healthy, remember personal milestones and family occasions, and do much more.

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Here is a list of five apps every busy professional should have on his or her smartphone.

Get more mindful with Headspace

Rated highly by regular meditators, Headspace has become synonymous with modern day meditation. Coincidentally, the app was co-founded by a Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe. He spent one decade training in the science across Nepal, India, Burma, Thailand, Australia and Russia. He was eventually ordained at a Tibetan monastery in the Indian Himalayas. Together with Rich Pierson, who was looking for a solution to offset the work stress in the advertising industry, Andy came up with Headspace. If the background is anything to go by, Headspace is perfect for busy professionals looking for a convenient yet effective way to meditate regularly.

The app lets you access meditation basics for free. It also has paid subscription that gives users access to bite sized meditation solutions as well as customized meditation for stress, anxiety, sleep etc.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Set and track goals with GoalsOnTrack

The journey towards well-rounded lives begins with setting achievable goals that fuel better work-life balance. GoalsOnTrack uses psychology and personal development best practices to help users set and achieve professional and personal goals. This means that whether you want to complete 15 books in the year, go on five treks, or complete three online courses for career development, GoalsOnTrack will help you keep track of all of them.

It allows users to track goals, develop customized plans and timelines to achieve them, checkmark completed tasks, and more. The app also has an inbuilt journal, which allows you to record progress in a visual format.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Curate your online reading with Pocket

With Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, Outlook and more at your fingertips, inspiration can strike anytime, anywhere. But the click-and-move-on culture our busy lives have brought upon us also means that you sometimes miss the most inspiring stories because your WhatsApp group buzzed with a new joke or you got a client call you could not put off. Pocket is a handy bookmarking app that allows readers to manage reading lists for later reference. It comes integrated with over 500 applications including Twitter, Flipboard, Pulse and Zite. It can save several formats including text, pictures and video, making it even more functional for the new wave of information distribution and consumption.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Save time everywhere you can with Workflow

Winner of Apple Design Award and Best of App Store in 2015, Workflow is a powerful and increasingly popular personal automation and time management tool rolled into one. It allows users to customize their phone to bypass tasks that are a waste of time. It can get you a taxi just in time for your next meeting, post travel pictures on Instagram, update your blog, and even call your parents in the middle of a busy day. Workflow allows you to complete any activity you choose at the click of a button. Download and customize Workflow to save time on the mundane and use it on doing bigger ideas and tasks that truly need your time and expertise.

Available on Apple App Store

Record thoughts and idea on the go with Evernote

The best thing since your pre-teen journal of thoughts and ideas, Evernote is a freemium suite of software designed for note taking and archiving. It lets you record inspiration and ideas, to-do lists and more on the go. It also syncs seamlessly across devices. You can also use Evernote to present notes in full screen and scan PDFs and images.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

Manage your money with Mvelopes

Busy lives could often mean impulse expenditures too. Mvelopes, a personal finance and budget tracker app, makes it easier to track and record expenses. The app allows you to break down monthly budgets (based on income) into smaller categories like food, phone, entertainment, travel and savings. Once a user exhausts a spending envelope, they can either wait till the next month to use money from that category or transfer money from another category. This real time interface ensures that users know how they are faring against their monthly budget plan. The free version of MVelopes allows up to 25 categories. It also syncs up to four accounts, helping users track online transactions and expenses.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store

There you have it. You can either use apps for endless distraction or to positively impact the quality of your life and work. Choose wisely.

Read Also: Combine apps with behavioural changes to boost your productivity