5 Brilliant Apps for Back-to-School Season

5 Brilliant Apps for Back-to-School Season

You’re back to work – or maybe to school – and so am I! Hope you all enjoyed some time off – I’ll tell you all about mine pretty soon – and if not, keep going!

‘Tis the season of new-smelling notebooks and starting fresh! Here are the 5 most useful apps on my iPhone right now to help you nail your back-to-school/work like a pro.

5 Brilliant Apps for Back-to-School Season

Either to boost your productivity or your wellbeing, you can find a variety of apps in the App store that can literally – well maybe not literally – change your life.

 

1. MYFITNESSPAL

To become conscious about your food
& resume eating healthy after the holidays

unnamedIf you have been wanting to track a little more what you eat, your calories intake and macros compared to the daily activity you have then this app is perfect for you.

It allows you to set an objective depending on your profile – sedentary, active, etc. – and tracks your calories intake with accuracy (no matter where you are in the world this app has your food’s brand covered) as long as you manage to figure out the quantity of the food you are having. What I particularly like about this app is that it also tracks your steps during the day and withdraws the corresponding consumed calories, as well as when you exercise – you can either add your workout manually or synchronise MyFitnessPal with your workout app, like Runstastic for instance.

MyFitnessPal is also a very good tracker/reporting tool:

  • Macros tracker: the app gives you a breakdown of your macros consumption per day or week. You can also get your nutrients intake details which can be pretty interesting as well.
  • Weigh tracker: you can fill in your weight and keep track and history of your fitness evolution. I have been using the app for a while now and I can tell this is quite useful.

Unfortunately since the app was bought by Under Armour many ads were introduced, but you can remove them by using the Premium version, I personally think the Free one is complete enough. Click here to find the app in the App store.

 

2. POCKET

Because this article looks terrifyingly interesting
but you’ve got some work to do!

unnamed-3If you are very active on social media – even during the day, naughty naughty! – you may come across some very interesting pieces of editorial or news. But the problem is these very interesting articles take up time to read, time that should be spent working on your projects or craming on your next exam.

Pocket boosts your productivity by allowing you to set aside interesting articles to read later – while commuting for instance. The great thing about this app is that it also allows you to access the articles without an internet connection! You can bookmark articles both from your smartphone and desktop computer. So keep working on that project and you’ll read all about the last Taylor Swift/Tom Hiddleston fight when you get home! Click here to find the app in the App store.

 

3. BABBEL

To take up that language you’ve always wanted to learn

AppIcon_Thumb_previewThere are many online solutions that promise you to become fluent in whatever language in a few weeks but they are either useless or hard to commit to. I started using Babbel before moving to Sweden last year in order to learn the basics. The only drawback is you have to pay to get started on your learning plan, but if you’re really serious about taking up a new language you should really invest.

The lessons are divided into little sessions, either oral or written, and each lesson comes back to what has been learned before. You also have a revision mode if you want to go back to the notions you have previously learnt. The UX is friendly, enticing and makes you want to come back for more. I have to say what I learnt of Swedish through this app sticks in my brain one year later. Next on, I would like to take up Dutch, what about you? Click here to find the app in the App store.

 

4. GOOGLE PHOTOS

BECAUSE YOUR HOLIDAY PICTURES ARE GREAT
BUT YOU NEED TO CLEAR SOME SPACE UP ON YOUR 16GO IPHONE

unnamed-2Admit it, you’re struggling. You have been struggling all summer while trying to take pictures and you’re iPhone kept telling you the memory was full. If you have been spending your time lately deciding if you should delete another app or remove all your music from your iPhone, Google Photos is for you. It basically works like iCloud for pictures, only the UX is better and the storage space is bigger: it’s unlimited. You can then access all your pictures from any device with your Google account.

On top of the usual cloud solution, with Google Photos you can browse your photos in a smart way. The app automatically sorts your pictures by theme (with an accuracy that is sometimes frightening), or location. Click here to find the app in the App store.

 

5. STOP, BREATHE & THINK

for a balanced and relaxed mind

iconHave you taken up meditation yet? The Stop, Breathe & Think app introduces you to this spiritual practice with little exercises depending on how you feel. Every practice starts with you taking stock of how you feel – physically and mentally. Then the app suggests a meditation that suits best to your mood and you can then choose how long you wish to meditate for. The concept is very playful as you are earning rewards along your practice. It’s a very relaxing way to start your day or unwind at night. Click here to find the app in the App store.

 

What are your favourite apps right now?

5 Brilliant Apps for Back-to-School Season

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