Beat Procrastination with These 10 iPhone Apps
At some point in our lives, we've all been victims of procrastination. Sometimes we either don't have a clear objective in mind or just don't feel like working on that specific day.
Whatever the reason, procrastination is productivity's number one enemy. While some people can quickly beat procrastination, some of us really struggle with actually getting things done. If you're that kind of person, then you might need a bit of help.
Fortunately, your iPhone has everything you need to beat procrastination. All you need is to get the right apps installed. There's a whole range of apps designed to help make you a more productive person through the use of technology. They're great and easy to use, but they can't do the job for you; you'll still need to work hard and be sure to try to become more productive every day, but remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint.
If you don't know where to begin, then read on for 10 of the best apps to get you started on your road to improved productivity.
Todoist: To-Do List & Planner
Todoist is one of the best apps to keep your work and personal life organized. At its core, Todoist is a to-do app. You can create different to-do lists, set reminders, and keep track of all the things you need to get done.
However, it's also a great planner for those big projects you don't even know how to start. The best part is that you can share your projects with other people so everyone knows what they need to do, and they can share their own progress, too.
Todoist is used by over 30 million people in the world, so you know they're doing something right. Even if you only use this app for free, you'll have all the basic tools you need to get the work done.
Trello: Organize Anything!
Just like Todoist, Trello is another project-management tool that can help you beat procrastination.
With this app, you can create different projects called boards. Each board can represent a big project or just different aspects of your life. That way, you know what you need to do during work hours and what you need to focus on once you're home.
You can also share your boards with other people so they know how a big project is coming along. This is great if you're a freelancer working with a team or just want to share your progress with a client. What's more, you can also use different tools, like an extra calendar, on each of your boards.
Trello offers a subscription service, but the free version has more than enough to organize your life and beat procrastination.
Habitica: Gamified Taskmanager
If you're a gamer or someone who wants to turn productivity into a game, Habitica will be the perfect app for you.
Just like any other productivity app, you can use Habitica to stay on top of your to-do list and see your daily progress; however, where this app shines is that it turns your life into an RPG (role-playing game).
In the app, you can create your own character and customize it however you want. Once in there, you can join other groups of people who are looking to beat procrastination and then go on quests together. You can save the princess one day and enter a dungeon the next.
The goal is to keep pushing to finish your quests. And how do you do that? By completing your tasks, of course. Each time you complete a task, you'll help yourself and your teammates inside the app.
Each time you make progress, you'll gain experience points to level up in the game and even in real life (kind of).
Forest: Focus on Productivity
Forest is a really unique app that can help you and the world around you.
With Forest, your job is to plant trees in the app. Each tree you plant will grow or wither, depending on how many tasks you accomplish.
As you complete your to-do lists, your trees will grow, and you'll have a digital garden to show your accomplishments. On the other hand, when you don't work, your trees will die.
What's great about this app is that the people behind it are also planting trees in real-life. They've already planted millions, and it's thanks to the help of people like you who are looking to improve themselves and make the world a better place.
Pomotodo
There's this thing that people call the Pomodoro technique. It's a very popular method to help you manage your time more efficiently by working during set time intervals.
Usually, the goal is to focus completely on work for 25 minutes. Then you take a five-minute break and work again for 25 more minutes. You do this for around three to four hours and then take a longer break of up to half an hour.
The method is really simple but effective, and the Pomotodo app is the perfect app to keep track of all of this.
With this app, you can set the timers and customize them however you want. For more insight into your workflow, you can also take notes and see weekly reports of how long you worked during the week.
If you don't want any extra features, this simple but effective app will help you beat procrastination with an equally simple and effective method.
Mindly (Mind Mapping)
Sometimes, what makes us procrastinate is not having the right map to guide us. That's where Mindly comes in. This is a pretty simple app that lets you create "mind maps" that you can share with anyone.
You can use Mindly to create and brainstorm different ideas or to start creating the structure for a big project. You can even use it if you want to have notes ready for a big presentation.
Once you have your mind map ready, you can export it as a PDF, OPML, or an image, so it's easy for everyone to see it.
Study Bunny: Focus Timer
Do you hate studying alone? Well, your new partner is here to help. Study Bunny will stay with you during your studying sessions and help you keep track of the time while you focus on the important stuff.
The more you use it, the more coins you'll earn, which you can then use to buy your bunny some cool stuff from the store. You can also see your stats and keep track of what subjects you've studied and for how long.
Overall, this app is pretty simple, but if you like cute characters and want to find a simple way to gamify your to-do list, Study Bunny is the bunny for the job.
Toggl Track: Hours & Time Log
Sometimes, if you want to become a more productive person, you need to understand where your time is going. And that's where Toggl Track comes in.
This app is one the most popular time trackers online and for a good reason. It's easy to use, pretty effective, and you can use it on pretty much any aspect of your life.
You can create activities and start tracking them during the week. By the end of it, you'll know exactly where your time is going and what you need to change to beat procrastination.
You also get reminders to start your timers, and you can even use the Pomodoro technique we talked about earlier.
What's more, this app works on pretty much any device you own, so you can keep track of your time on your iPhone, Mac, Windows, or Android devices. It's also got a cool shortcut for the iPhone 14 Pro's dynamic island, so it's easier to stop your timers.
Rocket 135: To-Do List & Tasks
Another simple method to beat procrastination is called the 1-3-5 rule. This rule says that you need to plan your day ahead and focus on just nine things. These nine things should be one big thing, three medium things, and five other small things that may or may not get done.
This is a great method that'll help you prioritize your life. Moreover, it can also help you see what you really need to get done and what things you can put off.
And Rocket 135 is a great app to help you keep track of everything on your iPhone.
You can plan your days and even weeks ahead of time and keep a to-do list with all your nine important things for that day. If you forget about it, you can also set up reminders to help you stay focused.
There are also reports and other statistics you can see by the end of the week to make sure you're staying on track.
Freedom: Focused Screen Time
It doesn't matter how productive you really are; if you're iPhone is distracting you, you'll never get anything done. That's why apps like Freedom are so helpful. They let you focus your screen time so you can focus better.
With Freedom, you can create different block lists to help you during specific parts of the day. For instance, you can create a block of allowed apps for when you're working out, like Spotify or Apple Fitness, and then create another block for when you're working, so you only see apps like Trello or Pomotodo.
Besides apps, you can also block websites. And this works on all your devices, so you won't have any way of getting distracted when you need to get the job done.
If you're really craving your favorite apps, there's a Lock mode you can use to pretty much block your iPhone entirely for a set period of time. It's a bit extreme, but it surely will be helpful.