Repeat after me: “My phone is my friend. My phone is my friend.” After years of being told to stop multitasking and put the thing away, it’s time to rethink that relationship. After all, there are are scores of apps that, if used correctly, can now save your time rather than wasting it. Here are four of our favorites:
For the Paper Hoarder: Scanner Pro
Scanner Pro saves bills, receipts, and invoices as password-protected PDFs, letting you reclaim your counter/desk/table surfaces. $2.99; available on iOS.
For the Coupon-Crazed: Key Ring
It’s easy to let your billfold get thick with rewards-club cards. Key Ring keeps track of every loyalty program—and liberates your wallet from mimicking George Costanza’s. Free; available on iOS and Android.
For the Harried Home Chef: MealBoard
This clever app imports recipes from cooking sites, makes a grocery list, checks off ingredients as you shop, plots out a meal schedule, and scales portions. $3.99; available on iOS.
For the Seriously Overwhelmed: Things
Pricey for an app but cheaper than a personal assistant, Things manages your to-do lists and breaks down tasks into workflows that’ll help you make the most efficient use of precious time. $9.99; available on iOS.
Hillary writes about interiors, real estate, arts, and culture. She is the former digital media editor of The New Republic, and her work has also been published in Glamour, The New York Times Book Review, and The Washington Post, among others. You can follow her on Instagram @hillarylouisekelly or on Pinterest @hlkelly.
