Constantly feel like you're buried under a pile of crap you need to do?
Constant deadlines, emails that pile up, chores that *never* get done...
If this sounds all too familiar, whip out your phone or computer and start downloading these apps that'll help you actually get stuff done and let you LIVE YOUR LIFE.
1. Freedom (free, iOS, Android, Mac) blocks distractions on your phone or computer.
Curb your phone addiction by planting a seed in Forest and watching it grow into a tree over the next 30 minutes. If you relapse, you'll kill the tree. Sad.
As you spend time away from your phone, you'll watch your forest become bigger and bigger! There's also a free Chrome and Firefox extension, through which you can blacklist certain time-sucking websites and watch your tree grow while you stay away from them.
3. Create your own recipe of ambient noises at Noisli (free, web) or listen on their pre-made productivity and relax mixes.
4. There's also Noiz.io, a free Mac and iOS app.
6. Plan (free, web) forces you to MAKE TIME for the things you need to do.
7. If your life runs on to do lists, use Todoist (free, iOS, Android), a powerful task management tool.
It's an app that's clean and simple, which is exactly what you need when your to do list is a mile long. You can create subtasks, share projects, delegate items (amazing for co-grocery shopping with roommates), set notifications, and, most importantly, access the list from essentially anywhere.
Todoist is available on mobile (iOS and Android), as a browser extension (Safari, Firefox and Chrome), and on desktop (Mac and Windows).
Most of my favorite features are unlocked by Premium. You can upgrade ($29/year or ~$2.40/month) to get search capabilities, labels, location reminders, and more. It's a steep price for an app, but if you really rely on your to-do list to get things done, it's worth it.
8. Pomotodo (free, iOS and Android) encourages you to take breaks every 25 minutes, which will boost your productivity.
The technique is a time management method that uses a timer to break down your working session into 25 minute intervals (called "pomodoros") with short breaks in between. Every four pomodoros, take a longer 20- or 30-minute break.
With this app, you can create a to-do list while running the timer. It'll record how long it took you to do each task and remind you when it's time to take a break. To unlock more timer sounds and advanced to-do functionality (like sub to-dos and repeats), you'll need Pro, which costs $3 a month or $30 a year.
It's also available as a free Chrome extension, as well as Mac and Windows app.
9. Doo ($5, iOS) turns your tasks into a stack of cards, so you can focus on just one thing at a time.
10. If email is your Everest, try Sortd for Gmail (free, web) which transforms your inbox into a drag-and-drop workspace.
11. Speaking of email, Gorgias (free, Chrome) allows you to send email faster with templates and keyboard shortcuts for Gmail.
14. TaskRabbit (free to download, iOS and Android) has a team of "Taskers" on hand to help you with any one-off chores: from waiting in line at a restaurant to helping with spring cleaning.
Basic tasks cost about $30 an hour. Services are currently available in 19 cities including L.A., San Francisco, New York City, Austin, Chicago, and London.
15. Magic (free, all platforms) is a text-based concierge service that can fulfill almost any request.
