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10 must-have apps to hack your productivity in 2020

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Jenna Meade

Posted January 31, 2020

10 genius apps to help you hack your health, productivity and even your coffee break.

You need look no further than your pocket for help with your personal development, productivity or budget planning this year. No matter the goal, there’s a smartphone app to help get you fit, focused and financially healthy. Whether you want to read more books, save money or skip the morning coffee queue, these handy digital tools will help you hack your you time, finances and even your eating habits.

10 of the best apps to hack your productivity, motivation and inspiration
 

Fitness

Download: Daily Workouts Fitness Trainer

Ready to step it up and get into a regular fitness routine? Meet your in-pocket personal trainer. Daily Workouts Fitness Trainer serves up sessions ranging from five to 30 minutes – all which can be done at home away from the grunts and groans of the gym. You’ll be guided through randomised video workouts by a personal trainer who targets major muscle groups. Get ready to feel the burn.

Focus

Download: Forest

Struggling to stay off your screens? Whether you’re at work, studying or socialising with friends, Forest helps you stay present by putting your phone down and focusing on what’s more important in your life. For every 30 minutes you don’t use your phone during your designated times, you will begin to grow a virtual forest. The best bit? You’ll earn virtual currency that goes towards planting real-life trees. 

Budgeting

Download: Pocketbook

Yearning to grow your nest egg, or just straighten our your finances? Pocketbook simplifies your system by automatically organising your spending into categories like clothes, groceries and fuel. As well as seeing where your money is being spent, you can set budgets for each category and be reminded when you’re inching near your limits. A handy bonus is setting up notifications for upcoming bills, including whether or not there’s enough in your account to cover them.

Food

Download: Ritual

Need a pick-me-up but don’t have time to pick it up? Use Ritual to piggyback on a coworker’s order and have your coffee or lunch brought back to the office for you. You can repay the favour and be the office hero by doing the pick-up when they can’t get away next time. Orders are placed separately so there’s no messing around with change or bank transfers – or being the one always stuck footing the bill.

Travel

Download: arevo

Running for a train only to touch on your myki and realise you have no money? RACV’s journey planner app, arevo, allows you to top up with the click of a button, so you’ll never have to miss a train because of insufficient funds again. Simply sync your myki card with the app and you can top up from the convenience of your couch. If you’re planning a trip, trying to figure out how to get to work during train disruptions or tram strikes, or looking for the best place to park near the MCG, the app also provides real-time information on public transport services, road closures and even where the nearest parking is so you can arrive your way, hassle free.

Woman listeining to a podcast

Many successful apps are designed to help you organise, plan and achieve your goals.

Eating

Download: Liven

Love eating out? Get paid to do more of it with Liven. The eatworthy app encourages would-be restaurant goers and cafe dwellers to choose from a curated list of the coolest cafes, restaurants, bars and even gelaterias in your chosen city. So eat up, pay using the app, et voila, you earn Liven cash to spend on your next date night or family dinner. And there are plenty of delicious options to choose from – with big names the likes of Messina, Movida, 8Bit, Biggie Smalls, Schmucks Bagels, Industry Beans, Gazi, Jimmy Grants, Ajisen Ramen, Richmond Oysters, Palermo and Love Pho among its mouthwatering lineup.

Wellness

Download: Habit Guru

Seeking something to keep you accountable in your quest to eat better, run a half marathon or floss your teeth daily? Habit Guru can step in to help you stick to good habits – or smash bad ones. Choose up to nine tasks, and follow your progress with tracking, statistics and reminders. Non-daily habits, like remembering to call your parents, can be adjusted for set days so you don’t break your streak.

Education

Download: Blinkist

Can’t find the time to get around to reading that book? Blinkist has your back, helping you fit reading into your life. Rather than divulging an entire book, you’ll be given key takeaways and insights that you can stomach in 15 minutes. With the focus on non-fiction this is not the place for a bite-sized serve of War and Peace. There are more than 3000 titles to get you started, with about 40 new books added each month.

Motivation

Download: Daily Fix Me

Looking for a little extra nudge in the right direction? Set goals and keep yourself on track to achieving them using Daily Fix Me, a free motivational app designed to help you better manage your time, and your mental health, so that you can work towards achieving the things that matter most to you. Wake up to an inspirational quote every morning, as well as fresh articles and ideas to give you the extra push you need to get up and seize the day. The app even uses colour therapy to help enhance your mood and instill and sense of calm and balance.

Inspiration

Download: Notes from the universe

Prefer to take your guideance form the universe? There's an app for that. The free Notes from the Universe app features brief messages from 'The Universe', personalised with your name, and, depending on how personal you feel like getting with the mighty milieu, even tailored to your hopes and dreams. Notes from the Universe started as simple messages of positivity that were sent out to 38 email addresses in 1998. Now the daily love notes are delivered to more than 7000,000 subscribers across the globe.