With so much on the go, and only 24 hours a day, how do you make the best of your time? How do you simplify your life and make it easier, while still completing all your tasks and finding some time to enjoy your life in the process?

As smartphones have already become an inevitable part of our lives (and that is something one cannot fail to accept), they have revolutionised the way we work, play and communicate with one another. Whether they’re free, already come with your phone, or charge a fee, you want the app to change your life for the better by doing something no other app can. The good news is that many apps do go to work for you. From simplifying your routine to clearing your mind or just helping to bring you joy.

With thousands of apps to choose from, I thought I’d share the apps I use daily which have really helped me simplify my life and in the process made my life easier.

Notion

I LOVE this app – I’ve got my entire life (as far as I’ve envisioned it) planned there. Notion is a freemium productivity and note-taking web application developed by Notion Labs Inc. It offers organisational tools including task management, project tracking, to-do lists, bookmarking, and so much more.

Journey – Diary, Journal

Embark on the journey of self-improvement towards better qualities of love, life and health. Record your daily events, gratitude, and secrets, and relive those beautiful moments with Journey. Trusted by millions of users, Journey is your perfect journaling companion that keeps your private memories for a lifetime.

Capsule – Free Podcast Player & Podcast App

A beautiful private, minimal and free podcast player. It’s ad-free and can be customised.

Live a Well-Designed Life Podcast — **LISTEN TO:** ‘Live a Well-Designed Life’ Podcast

Google Calendar

Use the Google Calendar app for your smartphone, tablet and laptop to save time and make the most of every day.

Different ways to view your calendar – Quickly switch between month, week and day views.
Events from Gmail – Flight, hotel, concert, restaurant and other reservations are added to your calendar automatically.
To-dos – Use Tasks & Reminders to create and view to-dos alongside your events.
Goals – Add personal goals, such as “run 3 times a week”, and the Calendar will schedule time for them automatically.
Quick event & task creation – Smart suggestions for event titles, places and people save you time when creating events.
All your calendars in one place – Google Calendar works with all calendars on your phone, including Exchange.
Personal tasks & events – Meal-planning, workouts, morning & evening routine etc.

CHECKOUT: How to make the most of Google Calendar

ASANA Rebel

Asana Rebel is a healthy lifestyle app for anyone who wants to get in shape, have more energy, sleep better, and increase their productivity.

Meditation Studio

The mind is complicated, but meditation doesn’t have to be. Untangle your mind with Meditation Studio. Get a diverse selection of over 200 guided meditations featuring different teachers and styles. Focus on your intention or dive deep into a meditation topic with exclusive collections and courses.

Creating your own Meditation Practice at Home — **RELATED:** Creating Your Own Meditation Practice at Home

Kindle

The Kindle app puts over 1.5 million books at your fingertips. It’s the app for every reader, whether you’re a book reader, magazine reader, or newspaper reader — and you don’t need to own a Kindle to use it.

YouTube

YouTube – see what the world is watching — from the hottest music videos to what’s trending in gaming, entertainment, news, and more. Subscribe to channels you love, share with friends, and watch on any device.

Pocket

Pocket is a great bookmarking app – your place to quickly save, discover and recommend the best, most interesting stories on the Web.

Google Drive

Google Drive is a safe place for all of your files that puts them within reach from any smartphone, tablet or computer. Files in Drive – such as your videos, photos and documents – are backed up safely so you can’t lose them. Once there, you can easily invite others to view, edit or leave comments on any of your files or folders.

Tide

Tide lets you get things done by breaking up individual events among discrete intervals, separated by short breaks. It helps you stay focused on work and study. With one tap, you can easily start a focused and peaceful time accompanied by sounds from the natural environment. Combining the most popular time management method Pomodoro Technique with nature sounds, Tide makes your time more productive and organised.

Mobile Banking

Whichever bank you bank with, has got a mobile app – which makes it so much easier to get an overview of your finances, pay bills, transfer money etc. – all on the go.

Important:

To find the right app, create a list of areas in your life you would like to simplify and then do the research. Most of us look for free versions, but sometimes it’s worth investing in some apps if you know they will make your life easier (do test the free version first though to see if it meets your expectations).

It’s a common quip that technology was designed to make our lives easier, but it often does the opposite which gives us a reason to go on a Digital Detox.

NOTE: This post is regularly updated! The last update was on the 3rd of May 2023.

ALSO, CHECK OUT:

Feel free to sign up to my Sunday Morning Letters HERE! It's like having a cup of tea and a chat with me on Sunday mornings - a strong dose of inspiration and encouragement to help you Curate & Live a Well-Designed Life; Consciously, Intentionally & Wholeheartedly. I want you to live your life fully - each day, less on autopilot and more on purpose - living a life of meaning ♡