There’s an app for everything. However, some would argue that not all apps are created equal. Many help “waste your time” in really fun ways (what PokemonGo level are you at?!), while few actually make your life easier. Fashion School Daily teamed up with advertising student Jenny Troung to share five free apps that help with efficiency and productivity.
Research suggests it takes a minimum of three weeks to form a habit. From quitting smoking to devoting more quality time to loved ones: this app treats your real life like a game and offers rewards and punishments to motivate you to tackle whatever you want. Getting up earlier? Committing to regular wellness sessions? Learning another language? Pick a case or few and build your new positive habits alongside a million and a half users who form an inspiring social network. Get Habitica: iPhone | Android
A unique guided planner that helps you evaluate a previous year and make plans for the year ahead in multiple areas of your life. It’s a fun mix between a diary, an annual report, a wish list, and a to-do list. Sometimes we can get hard on ourselves missing out on key accomplishments or experiences, while being overly ambitious for the immediate future. This helps keep things in perspective. The Year Compass comes in 19 languages, so you can get on the same page with all your international classmates, colleagues, and friends! Get Year Compass.
Financial stability is very important for personal and professional well-being! Have you ever caught an odd charge in your bank statement? If you use multiple accounts, chances are high to miss crucial information or payment deadlines. Prosper Daily allows you to link all your credit cards and debit cards to the app, so they will show you all the charges in one place. You can monitor how much you’re spending and what you’re spending on. They will even flag any suspicious activity for your review. Staying in control of your money just got easier! Get Prosper Daily: iPhone | Android
This is an increasingly popular way to share money decisions with people you trust. For example, most creative professionals frequently eat out with friends or colleagues in the course of a busy week. Dealing with the split check afterwards can be a challenge. Add to that miscellaneous “spotting” each other for a coffee here or a cab ride there, plus small fees for odd freelance jobs. Who owes what to whom when?! Square Cash enables you to send or request money instantly. Its user-friendly interface is simple and straightforward, so there’s no confusion, ever! Get Square Cash: iPhone | Android
Between classes, part-time jobs, freelance assignments, startup endeavors, and personal projects, our time flies by too quickly. Using a timer with loud alarm is not the most efficient idea! This app offers a proper way to log your working and studying hours, so you can bring structure to a seemingly chaotic schedule. The Hours Tracker app lets you set up your hourly rate(s) and then clock in-and-out between different sessions when you work on them. For the extra curious, the app calculates how much you’re making by the minute! Get Hours Tracker: iPhone | Android
Staying organized has never been easier or more fun. Which productivity app is your favorite? Let us know!
Text by Jenny Troung, BFA Advertising student. The piece originally appeared on “Ad School Burnout.”
