It's 2019, and our motto now is, "Work smarter, not harder!" There's no reason to put in double the time and effort to handwrite and organize data when an app can do it for you. There are, quite literally, thousands of apps available to assist you with list making, idea tracking, scheduling, you name it. Here are some apps that will make your work-life flow much easier to manage.

Polling Apps

Chances are, if you work for a big organization, there is always an issue that needs the input of everyone involved. There are tons of apps and websites to assist with this, such as Survey Monkey, DoodlePoll, and even Slack or Instagram. What app you use will depend on how anonymous or secure you need this information to remain. To quickly find a ton of polling apps, do a quick search for an online voting system provider, and find one that fits your criteria.

To-Do Apps

Life goes at full speed these days, and there's barely any time to slow down and get everything organized. Keeping information jotted down on paper, planners and sticky notes is a thing of the past. Apps like Trello, Wunderlist, Evernote, and One-Note have features that allow you to set reminders, check off tasks you've completed, schedule tasks for the future, and more. These apps sync across multiple devices, so you never have to worry about forgetting your planner at home.

Collaboration Apps

If you work on a big team, you'll want a way to quickly and easily involve everyone without the hassle of sending emails back and forth. Text message groups are too disorganized and can get messy quickly. The alternative? Group chat apps! Slack and GroupMe are great collaboration apps that keep your chats organized. Within Slack, you can have multiple groups with different members based on what project you need to talk about. All the documents sent in the app are stored and saved for later access.

Calendar Apps

This is all about making your phone or computer do the work for you. Most smartphones and laptops come fully equipped with great calendar apps already, so why aren't you making use of them? In these calendar apps, you can color-code events (i.e., red = meetings, blue = fun, green = free time, etc.) and block off free time. This way, you know exactly whether you can go to that friend's dinner party, or whether you conveniently scheduled a meeting for 8pm that night instead.

Mindfullness Apps

This might sound counterintuitive: we're searching for apps to make you more productive, not chill, right? However, mindfulness has been proven to increase productivity and increase quality of life. Learning how to manage stress better will subsequently make you more productive in your workplace. Apps like Headspace, Insight Timer, and Breathe2Relax can help you find ways to manage your inner stress. With guided meditations and short lessons, you're bound to find a method that works for you.

Don't Take on Too Many

Apps are an amazingly efficient way to boost your productivity at work and home. From tracking your to-do lists to scheduling appointments, there is undoubtedly an app that will get you to where you need to be. However, don't spend so much time downloading a ton of apps that you end up getting overwhelmed and never using them. Take a few minutes to think about what you need help with the most: is it keeping track of all your commitments, finding a way to creatively brainstorm, or keeping in touch with all your co-workers?

After you decide what you need an app for, then take a few minutes to do some research to find the one that is best for you! Make apps work for you, not the other way around!