5 Apps You Need in Your Life

By Ally Russell on October 26, 2016

With technology today, it is easy to get bogged down by the thousands of applications that can be found in app stores. They all do great things, or accomplish tasks that make it easier for their user, but not apps are created equal — some are definitely better than others.

Here is a list of five apps that have made my life super easy and get me through the day.

1. Honey

Honey is the app that I have most recently discovered and has become my new best friend.

Here’s what it does: when you’re shopping online, Honey will comb the entire web for active coupons and discounts and will add them during your checkout. They also have a rewards program where the money you save is equated to points and if you rack up enough points you can get coupons for your favorite stores.

Definitely helpful for shopaholics and perfect for the holidays that are fast approaching.

via Moneytips

2. Self-Control

Have you ever been in a situation where you told yourself you were going to study, but then got distracted by Facebook or fell into an endless YouTube binge? Self-Control is the perfect app that will keep you on track.

What does it do? Self-Control is an app that runs on blacklisting your favorite websites. Do you always get distracted by Tumblr? Add it to the block feature so that you won’t be tempted to log on. It also allows you to whitelist websites, so if your main Facebook feed is blocked for you, but you need to access a company’s Facebook page for research you can whitelist the address and you’ll be able to access it.

Note: Self-Control is only available to Mac users, but there is a Google Chrome Extension.

3. Flux

Honestly, I don’t know how I ever functioned properly without Flux in my life. I can genuinely say I can thank this app for rectifying my sleep schedule and getting me to actually relax after an intense study session. Have you ever heard the theory that blue light stimulates your brain and keeps you awake even if you’re extremely tired? Well, just like the Night Shift setting on your phone, Flux does that for your computer.

After the sun sets, Flux will adjust the brightness of your computer from a blue color to a red color. The change is gradual, and it’s barely noticeable until really late into the night. It also has settings like Darkroom and Movie that change the color of your screen to accommodate if you’re adjusting pictures in Photoshop or watching a movie on Netflix. What’s also cool about this app is that it will tell you how many hours until you have to be up the next morning. Shout out to Flux for giving me a decent night’s sleep during midterms.

4. Momentum

Screenshot is taken from my own Momentum tab

What is great about Momentum is that it customizes your tabs. It adds bookmarks, backgrounds, the time, and an inspirational quote at the bottom. It makes the tab homepage beautiful and functional.

My favorite part about this app? The fact that you can add your own to-do lists. I am always finding myself distracted and without focus, but with the to-do list function, whenever I open a new tab to go to a different website, I am reminded of what I am supposed to be doing. This really gives me the motivation to actually do my work as opposed to pretending it’s not there.

There are thousands of ways to customize your own Momentum window and trust me, it will definitely change the way you use your tabs and the internet in general.

Note: Momentum is only available for Google Chrome.

5. Sleep Cycle Calculator 

We all know that sleep is important, but how much sleep you get greatly depends on how much stuff you have to do. Every one of us has had times where you study for three-quarters of the night and only have a few hours to sleep before your 8 a.m. class. A sleep cycle calculator helps you determine how many cycles you will get in before you have to wake up and will also tell you what time you need to wake up to avoid getting up in the middle of a sleep cycle.

Why is it important to not wake up in the middle of a cycle? Because waking up during your lightest pattern of sleep leaves you feeling more refreshed and energized for the rest of the day. Which is particularly important if you are waking up before taking an exam or presenting a project.

It’s really easy to find a sleep cycle calculator for both Android and iPhones, just search “sleep calculator” in your respective app store and a couple of options should appear.

All of these apps are super great and will definitely improve your lifestyle for the better. I use them all the time and I don’t know how I functioned before I found them. Definitely give them a try and see how much your productivity (and savings) increase after using them for a couple of days!

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