Tech Stuff Tuesday * Get Off Your Lazy Butt and Do Something

I'm a woman that loves her efficiencies.  I hate wasting time (I'm pretty sure I've had this rant before on the blog). Hate. Hate. Hate. But with all the technology we have out there, I do a much better job of scheduling my time than I used to back in the day. Like back when you had to stop at a pay phone to call the office and see if the fax you were waiting for had come in. Much better job. But I'm always looking out for ideas around how to improve.
So, when I got an email from DailyWorth giving the the 4-1-1 on nine new apps to help me be more productive, I was hooked. All nine may not work for your sitch, but I guarantee that at least a few of them will. 

1. Workflowy Think of this app as a really fancy to-do list on your phone. You can nest items (like: Shopping then grocery and Lowes) and it will allow you to cross off each task as you complete it. And we all know that's why we really keep lists. So we can see how much we've done.

2. TinyScan Pro You're out and about running errands, getting ready to drop off that contract that you had motorized at the bank and you realize you have no way to keep a copy. Oh but you do. This app is all about scanning your documents. That's it. It will scan in color and everything is password protected. You work out of your car? This is for you.

3. Eishenhower No. Not the dead President. This is another to-do list of sorts, but it's organized differently for those who's brains are organized differently. It will break your to-do list into quadrants (do first, schedule, delegate, don't do). But there's a twist. There's a clock that ticks down for 30 minutes, reminding you to tackle those "do first" tasks and avoid splitting your focus. It's almost like having your mom look over your shoulder. But better. 

4. Clear This app is for you visual thinkers. Another task manager, but this one is color coded. Red means get off your butt and do this. Yellow? Well, that can wait a while. And green? Good job!  You actually did something. 

5. Due Due tracks your daily tasks (think recurring, like take the dog for a walk or remember your thyroid meds) and it intentionally doesn't integrate with your phone's calendar, so you don't have to have the daily tasks getting confused with your conference calls or teacher conferences. Due is so concerned with your day, you can even set it to remind you to get up from your desk and move around. Yes, even I have those days.

6. Mindnode Another app for the visually focused, this one is fun and more "big picture" kind of stuff. It's kind of like a flowchart for your crazy ideas. And you can email them to The Hubbs to see what he thinks (or not). Great if you're starting a business or always trying to stay ahead of the curve at work.

7. 30/30 Mom? Is that you? This app breaks up tasks into 30 minute chunks to keep you focused. Which is great if you get easily distracted like me. Or you just need a gentle push to remind you to make the time to get something done. Like clear out your email inbox. Just without the nagging.

8. My Minutes Ever wonder where your time goes? Yeah, me too. Every. Day. My Minutes can help you answer that questions. Workout every day and want to be sure you're getting your recommended 30 minutes in each day? You can ask it to track events you do every day, or just on certain days of the week (like, write one chapter of your book on Friday evenings, Wendy?!?). 

9. Asana Part of a team? This app is all about virtual teamwork without the endless email strings (although it can sync to your email if you want it to). You can split tasks up into "personal" or "workplace" to differentiate between that bake sale you agreed to help out with at the middle school and your next team meeting at work. And you can sync through a browser, so you want to see your tasks on the big scree (i.e. your laptop). No problem.
Ok, you should all be hitting the download store and planning what to do with all that extra time you're going to create.  Have apps that you use all the time to stay productive? As an efficiency junkie, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below. And you're welcome.