Great apps can help you do more in less time, whether you’re getting ideas down, working with figures or simply trying to focus. Here, Craig Grannell shares seven of the best mobile apps for productivity.
1. MindNode 5
Mind maps are an excellent way to visualise ideas. You brainstorm outwards from a central thought, which often results in unexpected, exciting pathways. The problem is, you then have to organise and edit everything.
On paper – unyielding and fixed – this is a problem. But with MindNode’s digital mind maps, every thought and connecting node can be edited, and augmented with images and notes. There’s even a quick entry option for transforming a bullet-point list into a mind map with a single tap. On Android, try the broadly similar Mindly.
iOS
2. BFT (Bear Focus Timer)
This app provides a system to help you focus when you need to get things done fast – but not burn out. Utilising the basics of the Pomodoro technique (a time-management method that breaks down work into intervals), it splits your day into user-defined work/break cycles.
The timer starts when your phone is placed face-down – a psychological trick that ensures the phone doesn’t become a distraction, and also a visual indicator that you’re in ‘work sprint’ mode. As an added incentive, lift your phone when you’re supposed to be working and a bear scowls at you.
Android/iOS
3. Soulver
Many jobs require you to deal with figures. But commonplace tools often aren’t appropriate – calculators lack context, and spreadsheets are overkill. Soulver is a better way to play with numbers: a smart notepad that understands maths.
You write the sums you need to calculate, mixing headings, numbers, and in-context notes. Soulver then intelligently provides a total for each line. These answers can be used in subsequent parts of your calculation, and when previous lines change, all your answers update.
Soulver’s a powerful but intuitive way to create living, dynamic documents based around numbers. And at any point, your work can be exported and shared with colleagues.
iOS
4. Scanbot
The paperless office remains frustratingly out of reach but, armed with Scanbot, you can at least minimise the pile of receipts and documents you carry around. The app captures high-quality scans with a single tap, automatically cropping and optimising your image accordingly.
Scanned documents can be uploaded and shared to a range of services. The Pro version adds further useful productivity features, including editing and signing PDFs, text extraction and search, and automated quick actions that trigger calls and web searches based on content found in a scan.
Android/iOS
5. Noted
Minutes from meetings and conferences are useful for getting an overview of what was said, but can lack context. The idea behind Noted is to provide a combination of notepad and recording device, where accessing any particular point within the audio is as simple as tapping a button.
This is achieved by placing ‘TimeTags’ alongside any text or images added to your document. When later perusing your notes, tapping a TimeTag jumps the recording to the relevant moment, so you can listen again to everything that was said.
iOS
6. HabitHub
You’ll already have a calendar and scheduler for work-related tasks. But productivity isn’t just about goals directly related to a business – it’s also about personal wellbeing and good habits. HabitHub is designed specifically to track those.
You input habits using flexible scheduling, and try to build up streaks of successful days, thereby slowly ‘rewiring’ your brain. It’s ideal if you often forget to take breaks or need a bit of extra encouragement to get to the gym. On iOS, try Streaks for something similar.
Android
7. Workflow
Rather than wasting time performing common tasks on your smartphone, Workflow has you trigger complex chains of actions via the touch of a button. The gallery offers dozens of free workflows, such as receiving a reminder when you arrive at work, speed-dialling a business contact, or finding the quickest way home from a client meeting.
Saved workflows can be launched from the Home screen or Today view. And if the gallery items don’t do the job for you, the app’s drag-and-drop interface makes it a cinch to create your own workflows.
iOS
Craig Grannell is a UK-based journalist who regularly contributes to Stuff, TechRadar and other technology titles