It is hard to imagine life without an iPhone. Aside from being a communication necessity, your iPhone also helps keep your days organized through native iOS apps like Calendar, Reminders, Voice Memos and Notes.
While awesome, sometimes those just aren’t enough. If you are looking for some extra help to maintain optimal organization and productivity, here are a few other iOS apps worth trying:
NotePlan
If you live and die by your calendar, NotePlan is for you. This new iOS and Mac app merges checklists and notes within the Calendar app so you can break down your daily tasks and have a clear view of both what you need to get done on any given day, as well as what appointments you have. Tasks and notes entered on a specific date stay there too, so NotePlan also offers a great historical snapshot of what you did on a specific day. From the main view of the app, you have the option of seeing a bigger picture of things, including your daily tasks, as well as future action items that are listed under upcoming dates.
NotePlan for iOS is currently in beta testing and available for free. The desktop Mac app is $19.99.
Clear
For people who are visual learners, traditional task lists can be pretty bland and boring, often blending together unless you take the extra time to color code them in a specific way or add doodled illustrations. But as a busy professional, who has the time to prettify their to-do lists?
Enter Clear. This app adds a visually-pleasing organizational element to task lists by color coding the highest priorities items at the top of the list in the darkest color and then gradually adjusting the colors to lighter shades as you move down the list to lower priority action items. You can choose from a variety of color-coding options to best suit your preferences.
Need to adjust an item on the list that has just become a higher priority? Simply drag and drop it at the top of the list and the color coding will automatically adjust to reflect the change. Clear is simple to use, uncluttered and completely intuitive. The desktop app is just as clean, and it’s refreshing to see such a minimal aesthetic in a desktop app. For users who juggle multiple devices, like the latest iPhone 7 Plus, an iPad Pro and the newest Apple Watch, you’ll also enjoy that your Clear lists sync seamlessly across all of your devices with iCloud sync.
Things
If you wish there were a faster way to create project lists, Things is the app for you. This ultra-simple app is optimized to quickly add tasks and then tag them for easy organization. Things works with an array of keyboard shortcuts to help you make lists faster than ever.
Once an action item is created in Things, you can then either add it to a project or a time-specific list for a certain date.
For those who love the feeling of accomplishment you get from looking at all of your completed tasks, Things also offers a bonus feature called Logbook. Logbook tracks all of your completed tasks, so you can view your the list whenever you like.
Checklist+
If a simple checklist is all you want, Checklist+ is likely the app you have been looking for. The user interface is optimized for simplicity and easy navigation. Without the clutter, you can more easily organize your day and maximize your productivity. Checklist+ offers the capability of creating lists within lists, which is great for extra clarity and detail. Checking items off your list only requires a quick tap.
Featured
