Smartphone apps that will boost your productivity

December 17, 2014

With 2015 fast approaching, it's time to think about your New Year's resolutions for your personal life and your professional life. One goal that works for both parts of you is to improve productivity. Something that can tend to get in the way of conquering your to-do list, however, is your smartphone. This device is always by our sides whether we need to send a text, reply to an email or watch a funny video. Turn your smartphone into a productive tool by downloading the following apps:

1Password
Instead of spending all afternoon looking for a certain password or login domain at work, keep all of your important information stored in 1Password. When you log onto your computer or your smartphone, you enter your password for 1Password, and it unlocks all of the accounts and pages that you have stored on your device. This app even generates new secure passwords for you to ensure your information won't be compromised. Need a place to keep your credit card information, license plate number, bank account number? 1Password has got you covered.

Cue
Part of being productive means organizing your day. Cue is an app designed for those who frequently use various social network platforms. You can check in with Google+, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all in one place. The app looks at what might be useful to you, like trending topics or Facebook events that are coming up, and organizes the information into one easy to read snapshot. 

Sunrise
Having a calendar is essential for properly managing your life at home and at the office. From doctor's appointments and project deadlines to social outings and meetings, there's a lot to keep track of. Ensure you don't miss a beat with the Sunrise app. It integrates with your Google Calendar, iCloud and Exchange and provides alerts for when you have something coming up. You can even have the app remind you of something several times so you won't forget when you have something coming up. If you're traveling, Sunrise adjusts your meetings and appointments based on the time zone you're in.

Carrot
Jotting things down on your to-do list can remind you that you need to send out business birthday cards to your co-workers, practice for your upcoming presentation or pick up a gallon of milk from the store. Instead of using any old piece of paper for your to-do list, download Carrot. You get points for the items on the list that you accomplish. The more points you get, the closer you are to any of the unique 400 rewards the app provides you with. Of course, when you fall behind on your to-do list, the app comes back at you with sarcastic, snarky comments, motivating you to be productive.

CoBook
It's important to have an up-to-date contact list of all your co-workers, friends, family and neighbors. Whenever you need to mail out holiday cards for clients or party invitations, you'll have everyone's address on hand. This app also displays your contacts' pictures, email addresses and even their latest tweets. The best part? This app isn't connected to your regular iPhone contact list. This is good news because if you for some reason lose your contacts, they will all still be available in the app.