The 5 Most Useful Apps to Maintain Your Sanity
It’s true that there’s an app for everything. But when it comes to maintaining my sanity, well, that’s too big of a job for just one mobile application to handle. So I’ve compiled a list of our top five favorite apps, which we fondly refer to as sanity-savers.
Ready for the roundup?
1. Evernote
Use it for: Creating multipage PDFs with your iPhone
Available on: iPhone, iPad
When I first discovered this app, my mind was blown. So easy. So quick. So efficient!
Use Evernote to convert physical pieces of paper to multipage PDFs in seconds. Name, optimize and save or send in seconds – right from your phone. I can't say enough good things about the simplicity of this app. It's totally a must for keeping track of physical documents. Definitely a sanity-saver!
2. Gmail
Use it for: Email so organized it will bring tears of joy to your eyes
Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, and as a web application
I hate the iPhone's native mail app with a passion. It's clunky, inflexible, and, if you operate multiple accounts, way too easy to send from the wrong address. And I have four email accounts I need to use on a daily basis.
On my computer, there is NO WAY I'm going to sign in to FOUR different email services every day. And on my iPhone, there is NO WAY I'm trusting freaking iMail.
Let me tell you, Gmail is the bomb.
I've had mail forwarding set up to funnel all my email directly into one Gmail account for years, and I'd set each email address as an alias to be able to send mail from a different email address (for example, sending an email to a client from my official Hoot Design Co. address) without signing out of my personal account.
Gmail was the only email service I trusted at all for managing my email. But when I downloaded the Gmail app, I was blown away. The organization features are fantastic and so easy –
Bundle emails – Automatically bundle groups of emails together – promos, purchases, travel, and more – but you can also set up custom bundles. I have one called School, one called Hoot, and at least four others to automatically sort all incoming mail. SO easy to work with.
Pin important emails to the top – Never lose the super-important email you need in the depths of your inbox again!
Sweep away completed emails – When you're done with something, just hit the check mark to tell it to go away. All emails marked "done" are moved out of sight to a safe location and are totally openable and searchable if ever you need them again.
Snooze for later – If an email won't be relevant until next Friday, set it to snooze until you need it. One less thing to bug you.
Preview images and attachments – The Gmail app automatically shows visual previews of each message's attachments so you don't have to open each email up to find the correct version of that brochure you need to edit.
Reminders – This app picks out important phrases ("send me that file on Thursday," "your appointment is on Tuesday at 3pm") and offers to set up reminders for them. You can also set custom reminders for yourself, too.
You'll save yourself some stress with the seamless switch. Seriously, I have SO MUCH love for this app and desktop mail service. Go take a look at the official intro sequence and give it a go.
3. Rain, Rain
Use it for: Powernaps and sleeping through the night
Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle
I already told you how much I love Noisli for quiet background noises while I work, but the settings are too much fun to fiddle with to use them for background noises for a nap or sleeping.
Solution: the Rain, Rain app. It's filled with one-click presets like "Outdoor Fountain," "Summer Rain," and "Rain Dripping" that are soooo soothing my eyes start to droop immediately. The app has a great timer built in that gently fades the sounds out if you're using it to help you fall asleep at night – so instead of stopping abruptly, your lovely rain sounds fade out smoothly.
4. DoorDash
Use it for: Delivering food straight to your door
Available on: iPhone, Google Play
DoorDash is a staple at our Columbia, Missouri office. It allows you to get food delivered from a wide range of restaurants, so you’re covered when that Panera craving hits. We don’t know how we ever lived without it.
5. Giphy Cam
Use it for: Creating gifs on the spot
Available for: iPhone
My lamp comes alive!
Part of staying sane is seeing the humor in life every now and then.
Giphy Cam is a great app from the folks at Giphy, everyone's favorite searchable gif collection. You can now shoot gifs just as easily as you can shoot video, then add filters and effects before tweeting, posting, messaging, saving or uploading immediately.
Best of all: Giphy Cam has a super easy upload to Instagram option and converts the .gif file to an Insta-ready video file in seconds.
I hope these apps help save you some time and frustration this fall!
– Avery
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