I love apps! And I like trying new ones. You can end up wasting a lot of time learning new apps. Yup I’ve been there. Always remember switching systems and apps will cause you downtime. Make sure it’s worth it.

I’ve found some great apps that I don’t replace very often if ever. These apps have always been there for me.

 

 I find 95% of my productivity comes from these 4 apps.

 

When choosing these apps I made sure I covered the following bases:

• Email – There are so many means of communicating now but I still use email for critical correspondence.
• Contacts – Do you know you can still buy a Rolodex. Really it’s true and I’m a little shocked by it. Why would you want or need to if you could carry you contacts in the palm of your hand.
• Calendar – Where is your calendar? Do you have several? Did you miss an appointments because you didn’t have the “right ” calendar with you?
• Reference – I have a few paper files but mostly I’m digital.
• Productivity system – A productivity system is your to-do list. If you still only have a to do list and not a system then you need to check out this post out: Must haves for any productivity system.

I also wanted to be able to use iOS apps and web apps. This is a must for me since I work in an office and have access to a desktop throughout the day. And most importantly the information must sync between the iOS app and the desktop app. Also, if any app can do double duty than that’s certainly a plus. Lastly I want my apps where possible to talk with each other. I want to be as seamless and consistent as possible.

Over the years I think I’ve tried hundreds of apps and here are the four that have made the cut:

• Gmail – For Email & contacts.
• Google Calendar – It’s a great calendar app and has a lot of features built in.
• Nozbe – My productivity system.
• Evernote – For reference. Do you want to learn a little more about how I use Evernote click here: A guide to turning Evernote into an awesome GTD reference system

I’m always going to try new apps but it will take a lot for me to switch one of my core four. Interestingly, I did just switch to Nozbe. I really like the features on Nozbe but i do miss a few features from my previous task manager app.

What apps do you use to help you be more productive? Let me know on Twitter.