These 4 free smartphone apps are all I need to stay organized

I’ve been described as organized, however the actuality is that I really feel like I’m wading by way of chaos each day. Between deadlines, errands, and the manager dysfunction that comes with ADHD, I need to lean on know-how to assist me handle my every day duties.

You’ll suppose that this implies I’m an influence consumer of a giant productiveness suite or depend on an arsenal of one of the best productiveness apps. However the fact is I’m typically overwhelmed by simply what number of options a few of these apps have, in addition to the concerned setup they require. That’s why when it comes to staying organized, I handle to get by with these 4 free apps thanks to their simplicity and ease of use.

When it comes to making easy notes that I can maintain monitor of throughout units, Google Hold is my go-to. I don’t have the psychological bandwidth to navigate by way of a number of menus and buried settings, so an app that primarily gives digital sticky notes is the right answer for me.

I need a spot the place I can jot down quick notes, separate from my Google Docs folder, with perks like cloud syncing. It’s this simplicity that makes Google Hold work. I use it to write down article concepts and create outlines for subjects relating to work. When it comes to my private life, I use the app to maintain monitor of procuring lists and what to pack for in a single day journeys.

The easy sticky observe interface makes it simple to pin a very powerful notes, letting me color-code the notes that I need to simply spot. These notes do construct up over time, however the search perform makes it simple sufficient to discover one thing particular.

TickTick is a free job supervisor app that has some extremely helpful options. I have an account in order that I can sync duties between the cellular and net apps, however you’ll be able to really use TickTick with out an account.

What makes this app stand out for me, particularly as a Google Duties different, is the flexibility to snooze reminders to particular instances in order that they repeat later. You’ll be able to maintain snoozing them till you lastly take care of a job. If you happen to don’t examine off an overdue merchandise, the app will remind you of the duty and supply an summary of all the pieces that’s overdue.

I’ve used it as a behavior tracker app by setting duties to repeat every day, in addition to for normal to-do objects that I battle to keep in mind. For instance, I set it to remind me about sending particular emails or finishing an errand.

I’ve tried a number of to-do apps through the years and solely TickTick has managed to maintain me on prime of my behavior of procrastinating consistently. When I’ve tried apps like Google Duties, my fixed snoozing leads to the duty disappearing and falling to the wayside. However TickTick retains an amazing report of overdue duties. If you happen to use an app like Notion to handle your life, you’ll be able to import and combine it into TickTick.

I can’t overstate how helpful I’ve discovered TickTick — for me, it’s one of the best job supervisor on the market.

Most smartphone working methods include their very own calendar app, however I use Google Calendar as a result of it isn’t reliant on a particular OEM. That is necessary as a result of I typically swap between Android units from varied manufacturers.

I principally use Google Calendar for maintaining monitor of occasions, conferences, and deadlines. The mixing with my Gmail account is especially helpful for conferences, with the app together with nice options like routinely changing the time zone. I’ve additionally set the app to remind me in regards to the occasion half-hour earlier than it takes place, giving me ample discover if I handle to get distracted.

The Gmail integration can also be helpful when it comes to maintaining monitor of flights, as Google Calendar can routinely add emails with flight particulars to your upcoming occasions. Since most of my conferences are held on Google Meet, I can use the hyperlink offered in Calendar to entry it simply.

Including the Google Calendar widget to the house display screen of my system has additionally significantly improved my capacity to maintain monitor of all the pieces, as I get an summary of all the month on a display screen that I have a look at frequently. This fashion, nothing catches me off guard.

As soon as once more, the simplicity is what makes this app so interesting to me. I’ve tried Google Calendar alternate options, in addition to some platform-specific calendars. However on the finish of the day, Google Calendar manages to meet all my wants.

Asana is a challenge administration app that helps maintain me organized by maintaining monitor of labor assignments. I’d argue that the typical individual wouldn’t need it, however for those who’re a freelancer or have a whole lot of duties to monitor each day, then Asana is a superb match.

I’ve used it whereas working with a number of corporations that incorporate the platform into their workflow. For the occasional deadline, I’ll simply use Google Calendar to set a reminder. However when I’m doing quite a few duties weekly, Asana makes managing a number of deadlines a lot simpler.

It’s much more advanced than the opposite apps on the record, however I maintain it easy by specializing in the tab for my duties. It has loads of customized fields you’ll be able to add to duties, comparable to due dates, completion standing, and related hyperlinks. Nonetheless, the app does lock sure options behind a paid plan.

As well as to the workspaces for the businesses I work with, I additionally created a private workspace the place I can maintain monitor of different duties. Since I’m utilizing the free plan, I don’t have entry to the strong templates that corporations use, however the accessible fields are greater than sufficient for me.

The largest disadvantage to Asana is that the app is usually a bit annoying when it comes to notifications, particularly when each electronic mail and cellular notifications are enabled. Fortunately you’ll be able to handle your notification settings to stop notification fatigue.

Whereas I’ve invested in paid task-tracking apps and tried extra superior productiveness apps, I’ve discovered that this small assortment of free apps is all I need to stay organized. Google Hold is nice for easy notes, whereas TickTick is a persistent job administration app. It’s thanks to Google Calendar that I really keep in mind my weekly conferences, whereas Asana gives oversight and monitoring for my work deadlines.