10 Apps to Organize Your Life
We use our phones for most everything—sharing photos, staying in touch with loved ones, reading the news—so why not turn your go-to device into an all-around assistant for #adulting? These mobile apps will keep you organized in all aspects of your life, from consolidating your financial information to saving that A+ interview outfit for your next big meeting. You'll feel better organized after just a few downloads.
1. MANAGE YOUR FINANCES WITH MINT.
Owned by Intuit (the financial services firm behind TurboTax and QuickBooks), this secure app is like a digital financial planner. After entering your banking and credit card information, Mint keeps tabs on your transactions and sorts all your purchases into categories. Tabulate budgets with a few clicks, set goals for savings (pegged to, say, a vacation), and even keep an eye on your credit score.
2. MAKE NOTES YOU WON’T LOSE ON EVERNOTE.
Simple and streamlined, Evernote began as a notepad of sorts, but it’s expanded to include the ability to set reminders, snap photos (and store them with notes you’ve made), record audio, and sketch diagrams or jot down quick notes with your fingertip. Plenty of professionals use Evernote as their primary organizer, and for a monthly fee you can upgrade to the Plus or Premium levels ($3 and $6, respectively) for additional perks.
3. SATISFY YOUR CRAVING FOR A CLASSIC TO-DO LIST WITH ANY.DO.
For those who get a kick out of crossing items off a paper to-do list, Any.do will give you that same sense of accomplishment. Each time you complete a task, simply swipe right and the app strikes through the item and moves it to the bottom of the list. Just shake your phone for completed tasks to disappear.
4. NEVER FORGET A PASSWORD AGAIN, THANKS TO LASTPASS.
This mobile app stores all of your passwords in one place, so you need only remember one code—your last pass—to access virtually anything. Add any password-protected sites, apps, or accounts to the vault, and LastPass will automatically log you in with the new, unique passwords the app creates. (Note: Your master pass better be on point … and one you won’t forget.)
5. AVOID DATA ENTRY ON WORK TRIPS WITH SHOEBOXED.
Business travelers can snap photos of receipts, keep track of mileage, and even put together expense reports with this mobile app, which has legs far beyond the office, too: Self-employed folks can easily keep track of purchases and save records for tax time. Or, if you’re traveling with a group, this is an easy way to keep tabs on who bought what, so you can level the bill later on.
6. BECOME A KNOW-IT-ALL IN THE KITCHEN WITH HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING.
Ever wondered, as you surveyed the fridge after a long day, “How should I cook that?” Don’t just Google it—you’ll waste time scrolling through results and likely come across plenty of sub-par ideas. Instead, turn to How to Cook Everything, the app based on Mark Bittman’s bestselling cookbook. Search for broccoli or chicken if that’s what you’ve got on hand, or explore tried-and-true techniques and preparation ideas.
Get it: Apple
7. SAVE OTHER DINNER IDEAS—AND MORE—ON PINTEREST.
You probably already use the site to pin crafts you’ll never make or outfits you’ll never have. Try using the app for saving totally doable recipes, which you can pin to specific boards you need, like “On-the-Go Breakfast” or “Quick and Easy Dinners.” This way, you can actually find them when the time comes. (And, sure, you can pin those aspirational home design ideas, too.)
8. BOOKMARK STORIES YOU WANT TO READ LATER WITH POCKET.
Don’t have time to read that article or watch that video—but want to make sure you can find it later? This mobile app lets you do just that with links, videos, and news articles, saving the content in the app so you can access it when you have time (like on your commute or while you’re waiting for friends at a restaurant).
9. AUTOMATE YOUR WARDROBE WITH STYLEBOOK.
Stylebook Closet App Introduction
from Stylebook App on Vimeo.
For those who look in their closet and think “I have nothing to wear,” this $3.99 gem puts your clothing to work. It does take a little legwork—you snap photos of each item of clothing you own and sort them into categories—but then you’ll have a snapshot of your entire closet at your fingertips. Save outfits you love, or plan what to wear on a calendar. If you go through the trouble of entering information for certain items, the app also calculates cost-per-wear—an easy way to see which pieces you should invest in and justify spending a little more on, for instance, a fab new work bag.
Get it: Apple
10. ORGANIZE TRAVEL ITINERARIES WITH TRIPIT.
Compile all your on-the-road details in one place with this mobile app. All you have to do is forward your flight confirmation, car rental and hotel reservations, and whatever else you’ve planned to plans@tripit.com and the app will piece together a day-to-day itinerary for your vacation, which you can access anytime. You’ll never dig through your bag for print-outs or stress about that lost confirmation number again.