They say failing to plan is planning to fail. In my instance, as a full-time creative, my days consist of rehearsals, meetings, performing and co-ordination of all types whether it be events, photoshoots, recording sessions or travel. I am always busy and need to have some sort of system in place to be able to work smarter, not harder. Feeling on top of all aspects of my life keeps me sane, on track and gives me a better night’s sleep.
Here are some practical ideas and apps that make your life easier and more productive without spending any money.
What apps do you use that help you live better? Comment below – would love to know!
Amazon Kindle
There are 1.3 MILLION BOOKS in the Kindle store and 76 thousand of them are completely FREE. That is a hell of a lot of information and resources to soak up! Whether you commute to work or love to chill at home and read you have the chance to expand your skill set and knowledge at the tip of your fingers. I personally love anything self-development or business related as I know I can always apply it to my state of mind and improve my current circumstances.
Dropbox
Having Dropbox on my phone has been one of the most convenient things for my music, creative and administrative life.
Sure, you can store stuff on your computer but if you haven’t backed up and your computer decides to crash and burn then your files will vanish into oblivion. Disaster. You can share files via bigfilesend but files expire if they are not downloaded within a certain time and Dropbox places fewer constraints: files exceeding X amount means you have to start paying from $ upwards.
You can create share folders that mean others can easily upload and access files in that particular files, or you can simply share a file or folders link for people to access or download. The fact you can access it anytime and from anywhere is one of the easiest and stress-free parts of this storage system. It outweighs any other storage systems, in my opinion.
The Sugar App
For those who want to improve eating habits the best thing you can do is start tracking your sugar intake. There is a plethora of information out there on the effects of refined sugars on the human body and how it is sugar, not fat, that is making obesity and diabetes rampant. This app is run by the creators of the 2015 doco I Quit Sugar and while you’re downloading the app you might as well check out this fantastic film to up your knowledge on health and nutrition. The best thing you can do for your mood, blood sugar, energy levels and body fat percentage is start reducing your sugar intake. (Fresh whole fruit is fine. But watch the documentary to truly understand it!)
Your Calendar (I know, so basic.)
I recently spoke to my brother about using a calendar for his personal life, to which he was absolutely mortified at the idea of it, when he uses a calendar all day at work. I couldn’t grasp his reaction, as my calendar is for both business and personal purposes. Without it up to date I’d be missing important shows and brunch dates with friends! Ain’t nobody got time for that.
A very basic first point but using your calendar on your phone will stop you from freaking out that you’ve forgotten something. Once it is in your calendar, you know you have a reliable source to refer to!
My Effectiveness
This app is for people who love to nut out their weekly plan, overall goals, and have somewhere to track themselves. There is also a notepad function. I am not as detail orientated (*crazy flighty creative*), and prefer to just have a note pad and a calendar to go between. For those looking for something more this is a free app that will introduce you to a whole new world of planning and feeling extra organised.
By far the most awesome, functional messaging and calling system I have ever used. But you’re probably asking, what could possibly be better about it than normal text messaging? Where do I start!
Need all these amazing shots from your friend’s phone? There is no compression or quality loss when you send images. You can send video snippets longer than normal texting. Your images and videos are stored and then backed up, so if you happen to get a new phone, your images and videos in your message log will be there ready to access.
If you are overseas and using a different SIM card, you can still use your whatsapp as per usual, so your friends back home can just text via whatsapp without having to know your new phone number.
The group messaging function makes it easy to communicate information, swap and change members, and you can name/edit the group name whilst still keeping the information all in one place.
OH and finally, because it runs off an internet connection, if you are somewhere with no phone service, it is still functional and accessible as long as you have wifi. As the saying goes, If you don’t have this app, “you basically don’t exist!”
Qi Gong Meditation Relaxation
The frustrating thing about many meditation apps are the subscription fees once you’ve used the trial. Often you don’t realise this because the app itself is free to download. If you’re like me and don’t want to have another recurring transaction fee (I have enough of them already!), here is an app that is actually completely free.
Meditation is a big key in mental health. It doesn’t matter if you are religious or not, or believe in any gods or not. Meditation is simply a proven and ancient method to calm your mind, relax your body, face your feelings, find where your dreams are hiding and gain clarity on certain things in your life. They say that your calling doesn’t always scream at you – it is more a whisper in between conscious thought. I have certainly found my intuition and awareness is heightened when I practice meditation at least a couple of times a week.
Your online banking app
If you are still going to the bank to transfer money, or using an ATM to check your account balance, or sending money via carrier pigeon – STOP THAT, STOP THAT NOW!
Seriously though – getting the banking app for your accounts is going to save so much time, stress and social awkwardness.
Role play: Oh, let me pay for this dinner, my very hot date.
*Goes to pay for dinner and card declines*
If you had the app you could’ve checked your balance before offering to pay and leaving your night on an awkward note.
It is also just a great way to quickly and easily transfer money to someone whether it be a gift, money you owe someone, an outstanding invoice or to check that a transaction has been received on your end. It can alleviate any confusion in a business or personal setting in many different cases. It will also save you time, petrol or bus tickets getting to the bank.
Public transport Apps
For the city dwellers and non drivers. Take out all the guess work, and get your time management in order! In my moments of laziness, I fail to check the timetable, get to the bus stop and have missed a bus by 2 minutes and have another 20 minutes to wait. This can be simply avoided by working out the best routes to get anywhere and be on time. A popular pet peeve is lateness and whether business or personal, people will get pissed if this is a habit of yours!
For my friends in Sydney, Australia – the app Tripview Lite is the best free app that let’s you co-ordinate bus, train, lightrail and ferry and view by map, stops and suburbs. This app is my life saver!
What city are you in and what transport app is the best?
Uber
Another one for city dwellers and the non-drivers. Uber will change your life. Taxis/cabs fail in comparison, with their outdated booking and paying systems. Uber lets you rate and review drivers, which eventually weeds out the bad/dirty/smelly ones and also tracks the booking via GPS which means you know when your ride is arriving and ensures they will take the fastest route to your destination. The free mints and water are an added bonus but otherwise the ease of an automatic payment transaction saves time, effort and brain power.
