5 Apps for a More Productive Partner

If we are the sum of the five people we spend the most time with, consider the value of the four humans and the technology you hold in your hand. How well do they encourage, teach, and support? Let's consider the relationship you likely spend more time in than any other - your phone partnership.

There is an over-abundance of all things technology in the marketplace making it challenging to focus. As a fan of the Steven Covey 4-quadrant system for priority and importance analysis. I believe daily we have to step back and assess what we plan to do with our time. It seems that just going to the Apple App Store or Google Play can take the easily distracted among us down paths that we can't afford to engage. So, the following are five tools for your consideration and my recommendation to make your most intimate and omnipresent partner work harder for you.

1. If knowledge is power, then we start with what you do with your time. RescueTime is power. Knowing how you are spending time gives you the ability to mold it into the best use possible, and still be able to let your "wild child" look at the latest Kardashian tidbits. Free option for computer and Android. iPhone app check for current availability. Paid version - cheaper than a pizza monthly by far ($9 or $72/yr) Here's a story you might like.

2. Because if you own your finances, you also own your destiny we bring you the app for how you spend your money, ClarityMoney. This app will help you organize, keep you on track, help you simplify and save. It's a winner and available for ios, android, web for free.

3. How are you talking to yourself? Even the most gritty, gifted with high EQ, and successful need to focus on a positive message. For ios, it's PepTalk to find those winning reminders. For Android, there is a Pep Talk app but suggest looking closely at the options.

4. Where do you keep random thoughts and inspirations? The practice of making mindmaps has been personally helpful and gratifying. Taking a random question, idea, comment, thought and then being able to expand it logically and share it is powerful. No sticky notes, napkins, or memory needed. Mind Meister is available for web, ios, and android.

5. Now to taming your email, I love Newton. For ios, android, and desktop has some great features to pull it all together. I have spent far too much time wading through my seven or more email addresses to find out where someone has sent something. According to the company, "Works with Gmail, Exchange, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, iCloud, Google Apps, Office 365 and all IMAP accounts. *Sign Up Once, Use Everywhere* Your Newton account keeps your email accounts, preferences, read receipts, snooze info, scheduled emails and subscription status synced across all your devices. No need to set up your email all over again on a new device. there is a cost after a 14-day free trial.

Obviously, there are more apps than either of us could assess regardless of the time we have. I have found it works well to introduce one or two well-recommended apps and delete the ones that have outlived their usefulness. Too many apps and you will do more to slow your speed than help, so be an "app snob."

Additional Information:  
Meaningful quotes about the positives of technology here.
Media use - "Always On..."