PR life can be busy, hectic and challenging. But we love it. Now that mobile is the new desktop, apps have become our best friends. So I took an internal poll: What are your favorite apps that lessen your stress? Facebook and Instagram, we love you. But you were omitted since almost all of us use you.
One thing I learned is that MP&Fers are hardworking, multitasking and multifaceted. We love to track our fitness goals, navigate around the infamous Nashville traffic, check social media, manage personal finances, be entertained and manage to-do lists. Below is a list of the most popular apps.
Stay organized:
- Wunderlist – Very popular. According to Annakate Ross, “I have multiple lists going at any given time. I can even share them with people (grocery list with husband) to be efficient.”
- Mint – Set budgets and keep track of spending. It makes managing your personal finances as easy as spending your paycheck.
- Target – Keep a running list of what you need at all times!
- Hootsuite – A dashboard that allows you to schedule and monitor content for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and edit content on the go.
- Todoist – Leigh Lindsey said, “It lets me track tasks for all of my clients, teams and even my grocery list in one place. It’s basically my favorite thing ever.”
Stay fit and healthy:
- All Trails – Identifies and classifies (easy/moderate/difficult) trails near your location. Katy Varney used it every day on a recent vacation to find the perfect hike. Courtenay Rossi also named All Trails as one of her favorite apps.
- Skyfit – Lauren Ward swears by Skyfit, which acts like a personal trainer with good taste in music.
- Map My Run – Katie Coppens uses to track her progress while training for half marathons.
Other honorable mentions include these favorites: Class Pass, My Fitness Pal, Nike+ Running and Fitbit.
Photo editing and entertainment:
- Blink Buggy – Helps you capture memories. Kind of like an online baby book.
- Snapseed – Named one of the top photo editing apps of 2016 by Forbes.
- Audible – Transform your commute, workout or chores into listening times with this audio book. Productivity meets entertainment!
Other honorable mentions include TuneIn Radio and Spotify.
You’re so helpful:
- Waze – Brought up by several staffers as a go-to to navigate Atlanta’s … sorry, Nashville’s traffic.
- Dark Sky – Kelsey Hutchinson said, “It’s a weather app that gives all the usual updates, with some special perks. It has a really beautiful interface and is much easier to read than Weather Channel.”
- The Tennessean – Yes, its website is optimized for mobile use so you can easily read articles without the app; however, the app sends alerts whenever there is breaking news, along with traffic updates, world news updates and local news updates. I feel like I am always in the know.
- Vivino – Allows you to take pictures of wine bottle labels and then gives you ratings and information. The website says, “Let 20 million people help you pick your next bottle of wine.” I’ll gladly accept that help; I choose wine based on either the appeal of the label design or the price.
- Venmo – “My friends and I are always reimbursing each other for one thing or another, and this makes it so easy, especially since none of us carry cash,” said Ashley Heyen.
- Postmates – Because some days you just need lunch delivered to your desk.
Other honorable mentions include CamScanner (turn photos into PDFs), Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Most every aspect of our lives can be helped or shaped by the apps we use. Looking forward, what will the evolution of apps look like? We will just have to wait and see where the technology landscape takes us next. Virtual reality, anyone?