Three Free Apps That I Use Every Day

Confession: I'm kind of a tech geek. Not anywhere near as geeky as darling husband Nate, but I'm pretty hi-tech. I use my tech devices in as many ways as possible because my smart phone is my personal assistant and my computer acts as both my office and my classroom. And yes, I am addicted to social media like everyone else, but this post isn't about that. This post is all about how I use my tech devices to improve my life in many different ways. Today I want to share with you three of my most favorite free iPhone apps that have helped me become healthier, happier, and more productive in general.

1. Toggl

Toggl is my go-to app whenever I blog. A simple yet powerful productivity app, Toggl keeps track of the time you spend working on a project--any project that you'd like to know how much time you've spent working on. I consider blogging to be a less-than part-time job, and I keep track of the hours I spend blogging so I know exactly how much time I'm putting into this "job". And, to make it easier for you, Toggl will email you a breakdown of the total amount of time you spent on each project every week. They divide the project into categories (for example, my project is Blog, and my subcategory is Misc.) so I know exactly how much time I spent working on the blog total and how much time I spent on a specific blog post. I love Toggl and you will, too!











2. Lose It!

Lose It! is the perfect app for anyone looking to loose weight or maintain a healthy lifestyle. Enter your current weight and weight loss goal into Lose It!, and this app will budget your calories for you. Enter your food intake and exercise throughout the day and it will tell you exactly how many calories you have left to eat for the rest of the day. Lose It! is a genius app because it knows the menu of many of the restaurants you dine at on a regular basis, and can also scan barcodes on food packages to calculate nutritional value. Continue your weigh-ins throughout the use of the app and it will help you track your weight loss, and will celebrate you when you achieve that goal! I'll admit that I haven't used Lose It! as often as I should (if I did, I'd have reached my goal by now) but it's simple to use so I don't really have any good excuses!










3. In Flow

I downloaded In Flow at the recommendation of my therapist. In Flow prompts you to "check in" three times a day to see how you're feeling physically and emotionally, and then asks you where you are, who you are with and what you are doing at that moment. In Flow then compiles that information and tracks your mood to determine what actives, which people, and what locations make you the happiest, and what to avoid. Every week they will send you a mood journal, detailing your check-ins for the week and illustrating the relationship between your moods and your energy level. I don't use the mood journal or the graphs, but I do like this app because it encourages me to be mindful of myself throughout the day, and to identify what might be influencing my mood. If you're working on becoming more mindful of your moods, this app will definitely be a help to you!









I love all three of these apps and try to use them regularly because they are genuinely helpful to me. If any of these apps look appealing to you, I'd recommend downloading them right now while they are free, because you never know when an app will start costing money!

Do you use any apps regularly, or is there an app you just can't live without?