Productivity Apps

[blaueapfel]

Hi all; I've found that certain apps have made a huge improvement in my productivity, focus, and habits, so I thought I'd share some free apps that I use everyday:

Note: I don't know if certain listed apps are also available on other platforms, I haven't checked. Maybe they are, maybe they aren't.

• TTS (Text to Speech)
  • @Voice Aloud (Android)
    • Free offline TTS engine that can read just about any format (HTML, PDF, ePub, etc). The voice is a bit robotic, sometimes it doesn't pronounce things right, but if it lets me "read" while I nap, drive, or am just too tired to use my eyes to read. Plus you can customize the speed it reads at, and I've found that 1x speed for new material and 2x speed for rereading old material works best for me.
  • Chromespeak (Google Chrome Browser)
    • Same thing as @Voice Aloud with less features. I got Chromespeak before I got @Voice Aloud, but Chromespeak did what I needed it to, so I didn't bother seeing if @Voice Aloud was available for PC. If you use this, make sure you use the native TTS engine, otherwise sometimes it might not work.
• Money Related Apps
  • Venmo (Android)
    • Free way to send and receive money from individuals (it's against their ToS to use it for business services last time I checked). I can proudly say I haven't paid them a single cent, and if I request my money from them, I always get it by the next day. In the future they might try to monetize their service, but at the moment they are still trying build their user base. Anyways, my point is: personally, I am not concerned about any outrageous charges or hidden fees from them.
  • Mint (Android)
    • Automatically calculates and categorizes your bank transactions in real-time, and gives you interesting stats and tips. I don't really care for their tips (they're pretty generic financial tips), but it's a great way for me to get a good overview of my income and expenses. FYI, this requires giving them access to your bank account to pull that information, so if you aren't comfortable with that, this app isn't for you.
• Productivity Apps
  • Clearfocus (Android)
    • Simple app that lets you do the pomodoro technique from your phone. Addtional features available via in-app purchases, but I haven't found the need to buy anything in-app.
  • Pomello (PC)
    • Same thing as above, but with more features and simple statistics, but only works with Trello, which I use.
  • Note about the Pomodoro technique:
    • I often find myself easily distracted by tangent thoughts, and these Pomodoro apps help keep me on track; implementing the Pomodoro technique has made the biggest impact on my producitivity, sometimes allowing me to do 2x-4x the amount of work in a day, in less time. Highly recommended!

Will post more apps later!

 

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