The evolution of smartphones has revolutionised the way we do things in our personal lives. And while some believe that smartphones can be a nuisance because of the time they consume, there are many apps that can help us become productive and efficient. If you have trouble being productive because of your smartphone, these are must-have apps that will help you break bad habits:

Evernote (iOS & Android)

One of the most popular productivity apps on both iOS and Android, Evernote is great for note-taking, checklists, research purposes, etc. It is an excellent work collaboration application, allowing you to share notebooks for team projects, preparing for meetings by creating new agendas, etc.

It is also a digital locker to keep your important PDFs, Word documents and pictures in the cloud which can be accessible from anywhere in the world. The ability to cross sync and access your work from any tablet, laptop or smartphone is a breeze. It has two subscription tiers “plus” and “premium” to choose from in case the free version isn’t sufficient enough for your needs.

For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/evernote/id281796108?mt=8

For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote

Abukai: Expense reports, receipts, invoices and business expenses (iOS & Android)

Have to manage your expenses, but do not want to do the tedious task of going through your receipts? Worry not, as Abukai expenses is an app that allows you to scan all your receipts with your smartphone camera and upload it to generate your expense report with cost categorisation, date, vendor info already filled up.

It offers in-app purchases, with 12 expense reports available for free for one year and for more you would require a subscription. For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/expense-reports-receipts-invoices/id370662888?mt=8 & Android: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/expense-reports-receipts-invoices/id370662888?mt=8

EasilyDo Assistant (iOS & Android)

Wish there was a personal tool that would manage your personal and work life? EasilyDo fills in that gap by highlighting email that you failed to respond to, adds meetings committed to in your email not existing in your calendar.

Connect, manage your email accounts and calendars from Gmail, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Facebook and so much more. Also merges duplicate contacts and is a great tool to track down birthdays for us to remember. For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easilydo-assistant-for-contacts/id481881465?mt=8 & Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.easilydo&hl=en

Boxer (iOS & Android)

Managing our clogged inboxes flooded by countless emails can be irritating. Thank Boxer, an app which helps us to manage our emails like a boss. It easily archives your emails with a swipe gesture, and adds them to your to do lists, and also offers Gmail labels support and smart folders. Set up auto responses to emails, integrated with support for Dropbox and Evernote services. It is optimised for tablets and smartphones alike. For iOS it costs $4.99: https://itunes.apple.com/pk/app/boxer-for-gmail-outlook-exchange/id561712083?mt=8 & Android it is free: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.boxer.email&hl=en

Cabinet Beta (Android)

Android’s open nature is a blessing, and Cabinet Beta helps you access your files and folders on your phone with ease.

What makes Cabinet Beta different from other similar apps is its intuitive user interface which provides quick access to copy, cut, rename and delete functions in the folder directories.

It also integrates popular cloud hosting platforms, social media and your email accounts to make sharing your files a breeze. Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.afollestad.cabinet

If This Then That (IFTTT) (iOS & Android)

IFTT is one of the most popular apps on iOS and Android used to create simple connections between apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Dropbox, LinkedIn etc. For example, all your Instagram photographs can be posted as Twitter photos, do a check-in on Foursquare and it can land up as a status message on Facebook instantly. It has so many features that are beyond any users comprehension and is a must have tool for any productivity buff. For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/if-by-ifttt/id660944635?mt=8 & Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ifttt.ifttt&hl=en

Pocket Reader (iOS & Android)

Pocket is a popular app that saves all your articles, posts, tweets, videos and so much from anywhere on the web. It is integrated into the Firefox desktop browser, and also served by an extension on Google Chrome on PCs. All of your stuff on Pocket, if saved particularly for offline viewing, is accessible irrespective of where you are, whether at home, work or even while travelling. With features built-in within the app, sharing to social media websites like Facebook or Twitter is a breeze. Pocket de-clutters all your saved articles and provides a pleasurable reading experience on your phone, tablet or your computer. For iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/app/read-it-later-pro/id309601447?mt=8 & Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.citc.wallet&hl=en

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine October 11th , 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play