“Where does the time go?” If you’re anything like us, you likely pose this question to yourself several times a day as you scramble to get to #inboxzero, maintain your Keto diet regimen, keep up on group text chains, clean your apartment, and try to catch some Z’s, all before 24 hours is up and you’re back at it again.
While we didn’t believe it as kids, when a 10-minute wait felt like a lifetime, it turns out our parents were right: Time really does fly by.
On the bright side, technology is here to help.
While we have yet to invent a smart device that can literally create time, there are a number of smartphone apps that can help you save it. From managing your smart-home gadgets to storing your passwords, these apps help streamline your life by taking mindless tasks off your plate and allowing you to put more energy toward the things you actually enjoy.
As Ferris Bueller said: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
IFTTT
Best for: Everybody!
Price: Free
IFTTT: “If this then that.” This app reigns supreme when it comes to saving time and removing menial tasks from your everyday to-do list. All you have to do is create recipes to connect one activity or device to another. From simple social media requests like sharing Instagram videos as native videos on Twitter, to saving your smartphone images in your Dropbox, or synching your Amazon Alexa to-dos with your smartphone reminders, the options for streamlining your digital life are endless.
LastPass App
Best for: The Forgetful
Price: Free, $2/month for Premium
If you’re anything like us, you spend far too much time recreating passwords, answering secret questions, and responding to “I forgot my password” emails. When every website seems to have its own set of password rules and its own timeline for password renewals, it becomes nearly impossible to keep track of them all.
Luckily, LastPass is here to save the day. Not only can you save all your passwords in the LastPass interface, but you can take advantage of their helpful features — think password generators and secure sharing — to ensure your information stays safe.
Audible
Best for: Commuters
Price: 30-day Free Trial, $14.95/month
Making better use of your time and saving time often go hand in hand. While you might not be able to avoid spending hours stuck in traffic throughout the week, you can take advantage of that time to catch up on your reading. With apps such as Audible, it’s never been easier to tune in and listen to your favorite stories and expand your literary horizons on the go.
Matchbook
Best for: Foodies
Price: Free
We’ve all been there. You had the most amazing sushi two years ago while visiting friends in another city. Now, you’re back, you’re craving sushi, but you can’t for the life of you remember the name of that restaurant or the location.
Enter Matchbook. Inspired by the fact that patrons of the past would snag a matchbook with an eatery’s name to remember for later, you can think of this app as your digital restaurant phonebook. Save your favorite cafes, bars, and menu items in the app, or add spots from your must-see list to revisit later.
That time spent trying to pinpoint your restaurant location on Google Maps has now been freed.
Stocard
Best for: Frequent Shoppers
Price: Free
Stocard is here to streamline your wallet and your headspace. Through this app you can keep all your store loyalty cards in your smartphone, so never miss a freebie or bonus point opportunity again.
Flat Pomodoro
Best for: Busy Bees
Price: Free
Just as the saying goes,“you have to spend money to make money,” sometimes you have to spend time to save time. Studies have shown that overworking and skipping breaks can not only lead to a decrease in productivity, but also leaves greater room for errors and mistakes.
With Flat Pomodoro, you can break up your day into tasks, set estimates for how long they will take, and set up break reminders for every 25 minutes to ensure your mind and body stay fresh and focused.
Instacart
Best for: Home Cooks
Price: Free + Shipping Fees
Grocery shopping just got easier. Through Instacart, you can complete all your grocery shopping with a few swipes of your phone. Simply browse through their thousands of product options — available at the stores you already shop at — pick your items, and have them shipped to your door.
Not only can you access exclusive discounts and deals on the app, but the handy interface makes it simple to compare products and price points.
Tripit
Best for: Globetrotters
Price: Free, $49/year for Pro
When traveling, time is particularly precious. To stay organized and avoid wasting time searching through emails and documents to gather all your travel information, use Tripit. From restaurant reservations to car rentals and flight confirmations, Tripit allows you to view, share, and edit all the elements of your travel itinerary from one place.
Plus, it’s available offline so you don’t need to hunt down a Starbucks in order to look up your hotel location.
Best for: News Fans
Price: Free, $4.99/month or $44.99/year for Premium
For all those “I’ll read that later” moments in the day, there’s Pocket. Whether it’s a recipe, a news article, or a Youtube video, Pocket makes it easy to save all your content in one space to catch up on later. Access your Pocket from your phone, tablet, or computer — it’s all linked together.
Acorns
Best for: The Financially Savvy
Price: $1, $2, or $3/month
Investing might seem complicated and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. With Acorns, all you have to do is select a portfolio, link up your credit or debit card, and they will round off your transactions to the nearest dollar and invest those extra cents. You can adjust your investments or change your contributions at any time.
Sleep Cycle
Best for: Restless Sleepers
Price: Free
Getting a good night’s sleep is hard enough without the stress of thinking about how you’re going to get a good night’s sleep. Enjoy your slumber and leave the work to Sleep Cycle. The way they see it, if you can adjust your sleep patterns and wake up at the optimal time, you’ll have more energy to expend throughout the day.
Sleep Cycle tracks your movements to ensure you rise at the right time — not during REM cycles — and shares your sleep patterns so you can see where you have room for improvement.
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