It is without a doubt that Apple’s hold on the smartphone market has a lot to do with its juggernaut app marketplace. There are millions of apps on the App Store, which may sometimes make it difficult to navigate. You only have so much storage space on your Apple device, so you have to make every megabyte count. is here to help you dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to productivity…
1. CARROT To-Do
CARROT isn’t your ordinary to-do list. Her interface instantly recalls images of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I can assure you she can be every bit as sadistic and cruel if your productivity level fails to satisfy. She’s certainly, as her developer puts it, “a to-do list with a personality”. CARROT works like this: you keep her happy by completing tasks. If you ignore her for too long, her mood slowly drops from melancholy to downright irate, turning the interface from a happy white and blue to a hellish black and red that would terrify even the biggest slacker. As you complete tasks you also progress through levels, which unlock app upgrades such as reminders and edit options, as well as mini-games and a binary kitten. recommends this app not only due to its beautiful and user-friendly interface, but also because of its scarily addictive qualities. Soon you’ll be a productivity machine. After all, you won’t like CARROT when she’s angry… (Priced at £1.49 on the App Store).
Disclaimer: This is indeed, a paid app. However we feel that when it comes to quality, sometimes a small investment goes a long way. Especially when this particular investment prides itself on bullying you into productivity.
Download CARROT here.
2. Moment
Moment is a new iOS app that tracks your smartphone addiction. If you’re the kind of individual who considers your smartphone to be an extension to your body then this is definitely an app you should consider. If you think you are becoming dangerously addicted to playing 2048 on your iPhone, then use Moment to give you the wake-up-call you need to kick the habit. Kevin Holesh, the creator, said he created the app because he realised than his smartphone addiction meant he “stopped doing fun and productive things and chose the path of least resistance”. Essentially, you set a daily usage limit for yourself, and the app will run in the background and alert you when you’re going over it. Treat it as your guilty conscience telling you to get off Snapchat and get on with something productive.
You can download Moment here.
3. Pocket
I do not know what I did with my browser bookmarks before Pocket came into my life. Similar to ‘read-it-later’ services such as InstaPaper, Pocket saves articles, webpages and videos to your Pocket account for you to read at your convenience. It then syncs the articles that you have saved across all of your devices, so you can read up on your interests on your commute to work, or on your lunch break, or when you’re curled up at your window on the weekend with a cup of tea. We live in the age of short-attention spans, so this app is perfect for us to catch up on our intellectual (or non-intellectual) pursuits whenever we want to do so. That, and the fact that it has excellent app integration means that one can literally start reading something on the iPhone and move on to your desktop computer seamlessly. It also happens to have a beautiful interface. What more can one ask for?
Download Pocket here.
4. IFTTT
IFTTT stands for “if this, then that”, which is essentially a fantastic ‘hack’ for your iPhone that simplifies the steps it takes to perform actions on your iPhone. Confused? Take this IFTTT ‘recipe’, for example. You can direct it to perform an action such as “when my Facebook profile changes, update my Twitter profile picture”. Alternatively, you could also direct it to automatically tweet any WordPress blog posts you create. The app can just about combine any action, saving countless of minutes which you could use to well, do something else with your time. How did I live before IFTTT I’m not sure, but I shudder at the thought of having to manually change my avatars across all my social media channels. Automatic actions rule.
Download IFTTT here.
As a bonus, check out this handy list of 101 IFTTT ‘recipes’ compiled by PCmag. You’re welcome.
What is the one app you can’t live without? N.B. It goes without saying that Candy Crush Saga is not a recommended app for productivity. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
