Like many wives, my days can get busy.
I weave in and out of different roles and duties in the course of a day.
I happen to love order and systems – not because I am perfectionist in nature – but because I love efficiency.
I love doing things well and on time.
In the course of time I have discovered a few tools that keep me productive and forward-moving.
So today I’d like to share my top 10 productivity Apps and how they help me in marriage.
My top 10 productivity Apps and how they help me in marriage
1. Evernote.
I love Evernote and I use it for all my writing.
Evernote helps you store and organize things online.
What I love most about it is the ability to sync across all my devices: phone, tablet and computer.
I can draft a post on my phone (which am doing right now at 4.19am Friday morning), save it and then continue writing from the computer later in the day.
I love the “Web Clipper” tool, available on the Desktop version, which allows me to “clip” information from the internet and save it on Evernote for later reading or use.
I use the free version of Evernote but whenever I need more options, which are not available on the free version – I can upgrade premium.
At 5 dollars month, no long term commitment – you can cancel any time – it’s a good deal.
My husband and have created a shared Note within Evernote where we save all our shared information.
From thoughts and discussions, to projects we are working on together (e.g right now we are planning a marriage conference in Kenya sometime next year. Update. Click here for more info ).
When I update something within the Note, he gets an email alert and we can discuss things later.
Really helps when it comes to keeping each other on the loop.
(Michael Hyatt has tonnes of free information on Evernote, you can read it here. Kent Sanders provides a service for anyone wanting to master Evernote, you can read up on that here.)
2. Wunderlist
Initially I downloaded this App on my phone to help me organize my daily to-do list.
But I am an out-of-sight-out-of-mind kind of girl – I must see my do list for me to actually follow through.
Having to reach for my phone to cross-off a completed task does not work for me.
So Wunderlist is my official grocery list maker!
Previously I kept a sticky note on my fridge where I entered/crossed off groceries as needed.
But now I just key in the items on my Wunderlist “Grocery” list.
The cool thing about it is that you can share lists, so I have shared this particular list with my husband and at any time he knows what we need to stock up in the house.
No more frantic end-of-day “Please pick up some bread and milk!” texts : )
(You will need to set up email alerts to get an email when a new item is added to a joint list.)
Really cool way to stay organized on the domestic end!
3. Google calender
I love my Google calender.
I store important dates and reminders – birthdays, anniversaries, doctor appointments, work and ministry and personal commitments.
I will set up all and any recurring (yearly, weekly, monthly) on the calender as soon as it comes up.
The cool thing about the Google calender is that you can “invite” others to “events” you’ve created.
So either my husband or I will set up a reminder for an important date (“event”) and then invite one another.
We both get reminders – through email and the actual calendar on the phone – when the event is due.
For example this week I set up some payments coming up for the blog and invited my husband – he brings home the bacon and needs to factor in these expenses into our budget.
Google Calender helps us stay connected and in the loop with one another – no “oops I forgot about that appointment!”.
4. Samsung phone alarm
I don’t know if my Samsung G4 phone qualifies as an App : ), possibly not.
But it I use it every single day for a myriad things.
It’s my kitchen timer for baking, my alarm for clothes in laundry. I’ve set up weekly alerts for some blogging work, who I need to call, important emails to answer for certain days.
It’s my little brain of sorts, reminding me – with sound – small tasks that need to be completed and which are not necessarily recurring or overly long term.
My husband knows I am a “reminders” kind of person and will sometimes ask me to note things for him on my phone.
Cool way to be Help-meet!
5. Pandora, Amazon Music
I love music and have created different “stations” on my Pandora and playlists for my Amazon MP3.
My music categories are almost always “slow” and “fast”.
Fast songs are mainly for the gym.
And when my brain needs a reboot.
Slower songs are for any other time.
My husband loves music , much more than I do really, and it’s great to share the same music, discuss artistry, talk about memories from songs.
And sing really loud in the car.
6. Google Hangouts
I used to be Skype girl.
I still use it for interviews and a bit of coaching but after I discovered Hangout I’ve been grazing there a little bit more.
I am not tech savvy and setting up hangouts is rarely an event-free process. But it’s now my default for most things online which require community.
Lately my husband has been traveling quite a bit and Google Hangout has been our default system for talking “face-to-face”.
We chat and text during the day and then catch up “face to face” in the evening.
7. The Kindle
I love reading. So much so at one time it almost cost me my life!
I love thumbing through real paper and it’s taken a while to adjust to flicking through a screen.
I like that I have a wider library: I have more books on my kindle than I’ve ever had in real physical form.
There’s the down side to that of course – having more books than you’ll actually ever read.
So typically nowadays I only download books that I will actually get around to reading.
I have been trying to find out how to loan my husband books on his Kindle. I’ve heard it’s possible but I haven’t gotten around to Googling that up yet.
(If you know how to do that, let me know in Comments below)
By the way you don’t have to own a tablet in order to read books from Kindle – you can download the App to your smartphone or computer and then buy books right off amazon
Ebooks are almost always cheaper than paperbacks.
Or just take advantage of the many free books (and quality) out there.
8. You Version Online Bible
I love my physical Bible and but I’ve grown to love my online Bible.
I use the You Version online Bible mainly for Sunday church sermons.
I enjoy copying sermon Scriptures directly from the online App and pasting them directly into my Sermon Note on Evernote. I don’t have to physically write them out.
It’s also our default Bible when my husband and I are reading the Bible together.
9. Blue Letter Bible
Blue Letter Bible is an online bible study tool which “provides powerful tools for an in-depth study of God’s Word through free online reference library, with study tools that are grounded in the historical, conservative Christian faith.”
Basically this is what I used to do a more in-depth study of the Word. I use other online tools like Bible Hub & Bible Study Tools but this is my current favorite.
I am married to a Word nerd, he loves meanings and wants to understand the reason behind things. I am the opposite – I don’t need to understand everything!
So I love that I can sound intelligent when discussing things with him! And of course have a better grasp of the Word : )
10. Pinterest
This is more of a social media work App, more than a productivity App.
But I find tons of information to help my marriage and aid in my personal growth on Pinterest.
From recipes, to gift ideas, to workout routines to neat fun stuff and information for my marriage.
(by the way, are we connected yet? Follow me on Pinterest here!)
Funny thing I only got into Pinterest last year and like some other techy stuff my hubby introduced me to it…before promptly leaving!
But every now and then I still find interesting “Pins” to send him. We discuss new findings and discoveries.
One of the latest way it’s helped my marriage? Learning how to weather criticism together.
He doesn’t like it when people criticize me online – which seems to be happening more lately on Pinterest. Talking about non-constructive/below-the-belt criticism here
I don’t like criticism either and my default response is to ‘lash’ back – ensure that I am heard. And heard real well.
So both of us are learning and growing in this area together. More grace, more love and tougher skin.
11. Plain ole paper.
Okay this is not an app! Rather, it’s my trusty ole sticky notes and notebook.
I use both to plan and organize my to do list (when I remember to write it down, that is).
Paper and pen are handy for those quick notes and details that crop up during the day.
Basically, these old fashioned pen and paper keep me efficient and productive as a wife and worker.
So there’s my Top 10 (or 11) productivity Apps and how they help in my marriage.
Do you have a favorite App (or App-like tool) that you use in your work/business/ministry which also helps you in your marriage? Do you use any of the ones I’ve mentioned? Please share in Comments below!
Wow, I’ve heard about Evernote, but it never “clicked” until I read this. I need to check it out! Something like that would sure be help in keeping hubby and I on the same page.
The kindle app has also helped us a lot in our marriage, although I never really thought about it in that way before. Since I can download just about any book, and it’s always with me, we read together a lot more than we use to.
This is indeed a great post. We used proofhub in organizing our friend’s marriage. We planned everything using this tool. I added my friends to help me out in choosing the caterer, decoration and planned many things using it.
A lot of my favorites are on this list, too! Evernote and my Kindle are things I couldn’t live without, it seems.
Wow!!! Yay for technology bringing you guys closer.
Thank you for the list. Very helpful.
🙂 Glad it was helpful and thanks for reading/commenting! Yay for tech!
I use many of these, but many I haven’t tried yet or even heard of, Ngina. I’ve gone to the trouble of setting up an Evernote account (due to Michael Hyatt’s constant praise of it) but haven’t taken the time to figure it out. Also, you and your hubby could link your Kindle account and read each other’s books. That what my husband and I do. I just separate mine by filing them in favorites. I’ve not heard of Blue Letter Bible. I typically use Biblegateway, but will check BLB out and though I’m familiar with Biblehub, I haven’t really explored it. I probably should do that too. One more I have to mention, I use my Pandora station all the time! It’s my writing and thinking music. It’s an absolute necessity for me! Thanks for this interesting and helpful list, Ngina! I appreciate it!
Beth, it took a while for me to figure out Evernote! And I doubt I have it figured out either, because I am still using it for it’s most basic benefits – writing and storage 🙂 Thank you for that tip on Kindle, I had no idea! That’s super good to hear. I will Google up how to link accounts and start asap! Thank you for sharing. I am glad to hear you enjoy Pandora too!
These are some great apps!!! I use Evernote, Audible.com, and Biblegateway all the time.
Those are great ones Dan! (ps. For you reading this: Dan Black has a great book that you can listen through Audible. com, Check it out here – http://www.amazon.com/The-Leadership-Mandate/dp/B00K6R29P6/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1399948765&sr=8-2
Thank you for mentioning my book:)
You are welcome Dan, great book!
🙂
I absolutely love Evernote and I use it religiously. I take it everywhere I go because the notes I use sync up with my desktop and mobile devices. All of the notes I take I use it. I also started using the penultimate app where I can take notes using a pen on my Ipad for evernote. Absolutely awesome! Great tools Ngina.
I love how Evernote can take hustle out of note-taking, storage and availability across wide variety of places. That App sounds like a great addition for evernote on apple. way to go. Thanks for sharing.
Great ideas. I have never come across ideas like this. Occasions move on its way and we never even think of the way how it has been carried out. Coming across this wonderful post I got a clear idea of what strategy has to be planned up to get an event organized in a smooth manner. One more tool also I have been using not dedicated for the business strategy but could contribute a lot for the same is Replicon hours tracking software. Although this tool meant for the time management for my personal strategy but can also contribute to the event management program.
Glad the post was interesting Sonia! Will check out Replicon. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the ideas. I have used Evernote, but you have inspired me to use it more for collaboration with my husband. (I have been uses texts, messages, and email, but I can see how Evernote could do more.)
I have been using hangouts with my kids (I homeschool. It’s like digital note passing.)
I am a reminders person too. One thing I have been using is my FitBit’s alarm system. It provides a silent alarm whenever I want to be reminded without everyone hearing something. And since I am wearing it, I don’t have to hunt it down to turn it off.
Hi Cheryl, thank you for commenting. I’ll have to find out more about FitBit! i know my alarms going off can be (IS 🙂 ) annoying and I know hubs would appreciate less sound at our house. 🙂 ! Thank you for adding to the conversation. Happy to hear how you use some of these tools yourself.