Y'all know I'm obsessed with paper planners and like doing a lot of things the old school way, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to the joys of technology. I'm not someone who has a billion apps on my phone, but I do have a good number and there are a few that are great little short cuts that help me out often. So I thought it'd be fun to feature the ones that I find extra helpful.
1. Pocket
Not sure if this one is lesser known, but it's necessary for me. Am I the only one who ends up with 13 million tabs open on my browser? Arg. I see an article I want to read on Twitter or Facebook, and I open a tab. But I don't have time to read it just then, so it sits there. And then I'm left wondering why my computer is getting slow when I have 13 MILLION TABS OPEN. This is where Pocket comes in. I can hit a little button on my computer (or phone) and it saves it in the Pocket app for me to read later. BUT this isn't the only helpful thing. Pocket also sends out a weekly newsletter of curated articles that they think you'll be interested in, and they are always really good. Like there is always something I want to read in that email. Usually more than one thing. I look forward to that email--which I can't say about many newsletters. So I'd get the app for the newsletter alone even if it didn't do the other cool thing.
2. Pensieve
This is a recent find. Someone in my planner group recommended it and as soon as she said what it did, I was like--I need that! So this is a super simple app but it lets you send a quick email to yourself without having to type in email addresses and such. You just have a little open box, you type your note and hit send and it automatically goes to your email. (You only have to enter your email the very first time when you set it up. After that it remembers.) I am constantly emailing myself little notes or reminders when I'm away from my computer and this makes it super quick and simple.
3. GIF Keyboard
Okay, I don't know if this is "helpful" per se, but it certainly is fun. I have it on my phone and computer. This gives you access to a GIF database instantly. You just search and then click the picture and it automatically copies it so you can paste into text messages. You can install it as part of your keyboard on your phone, but I chose just to get the app and open it when I need it because I didn't want it in my keyboard. Either way works. But it's loads of fun to be able to grab GIFs quickly.
Want to know if a movie or TV show is available to stream/rent/purchase from one of the many services out there? This app has the answer. It will tell you which services something is streaming on, where you can rent it, where you can buy it, and/or if it's available on DVD from Netflix or Redbox. It covers the major movie stations, iTunes, YouTube, Amazon, Google Play, Xbox, Sony, Hulu, Crackle, Vudu, etc. Very comprehensive. It also lets you set up alerts to let you know when something become available on a certain service. Really helpful if you have a lot of different options for streaming and don't want to have to individually search each one.
5. Sleep Pillow
Need white noise to go to sleep? Sleep Pillow has SO many different sounds to choose from. Box fans, open car windows, city noise, wind over the plains. I use this a lot when I travel and need to block out all those unfamiliar hotel noises.
Note: I'm on an iPhone so I'm sure if all of these are available across platforms.
So those are a few of my favorites. What are some of your favorite apps?