Byte size help. 10 Apps that will help you more in 2024

Tech to help you get productive, happy and win the year.

It’s no secret that 2023 has been a really difficult year for a lot of people. Whether it’s health, wealth, relationships, or career I’ve heard so many stories of woe from all walks of life. When you start a conversation with “How are you?” and the reply isn’t the usual “I’m fine” it’s “This year has been a nightmare!” you know you’re not alone.

I would say 2023 was one of my hardest years yet. The challenges just kept coming so I needed a plan to get me through the dark and difficult days/weeks/months. A way through the treacle. And as it turns out the solution was on my phone. So here are the Apps that helped me most through 2023. I hope you find them useful too.

1.Wordle – Word game app – free

No more doom scrolling over breakfast – which is what I like to do after my porridge. I could watch YouTube videos for an hour- with the dog pawing at me for a walk. I mean I do watch inspirational productivity and business-themed YouTubers but it’s really not the way to start a productive day.

I was really late to Wordle. I missed the craze during lockdown and only found it during our family holiday in Cornwall when my daughter suggested we do the New York Times crossword after dinner. She had missed a few days and is a master of the continuous streak.
We sat around the table doing the crosswords, then Connections then she showed me Wordle and I was hooked. Seriously where have I been?

Why it’s good: Doing Wordle over breakfast means I am not doom scrolling. I just do a few challenges – mainly Wordle (currently very happy with my 53 day streak), Connections, where you have to find the link between words, and Letter Boxed, where you have to use all the letters around a box to make words. Any more than three puzzles and I start to take too long. Right now, I eat breakfast and I’m out on the dog walk pronto. No more faffing. Anything that can prevent me from getting on with work when I’m not in the mood is going to be a winner. This has worked better than any other morning routine and I’ve had a LOT!

And one more point about Wordle… I read that if you start your day by achieving something even as small as a puzzle you will feel like you’ve accomplished something that day – before the real work starts. It has a way of creating a positive neuropathways that make you happier. Getting Wordle each morning does make me happy. I also feel brainer – even though I’m not.

2.Pages: Apple’s version of Word – free

I’m slipping this one in here because I always want to be ready to share my rate card when out and about – those shoot requests always seem to come when I’m on a train or in London propping.

By having access to my Pages documents – mainly my rate card saved as a PDF I can reply to clients immediately whenever I am.

Why it’s good:

Clients who get a quick response are more likely to book me. Full stop!

If you want to see how I create my one-page rate card have a look here at my guide.

3. StudyGe – World Map Geography – free + upgrades

Another morning routine one but with wings on!

I’m always looking to learn something new. Not sure if it’s an ADHD dopamine thing or just don’t want to feel stagnant but I don’t mind admitting that my world wide geography knowledge is shocking! If a place is mentioned on the news I will recognise it but it’s unlikely I could show you where it is on a map. I’m totally directionally challenged so maps have always been a problem. I decided to do something about it. Enter the StudyGe App.

I’m not much of an online gamer but this makes learning geography so much fun. It’s a challenge broken up into levels and I am addicted. It’s quick enough to do for just a few minutes a day and makes queuing for the post office or paying for propping soooo much more fun.

You can choose whether you want to study areas, continents, flags or capital cities. If you pay for the upgrade (I’m using the free version (which is pretty extensive but I will probably subscribe as I move up levels it’s that good) you can go into even more detail like learning rivers, lakes, seas, oceans and mountains.

Why it’s good: Even when you don’t feel like you have done much to move the needle in your learning you have.

4. Audible: Audiobook App – Monthly/Annual subscription

An oldie but still a goodie.

It was only when I realised that I had 6 audible credits that I noticed how I was feeling had a direct correlation to my mood. I tend to read fiction in a paperback and listen to business, productivity, or topics I want to learn about via audiobooks. It’s easy to do whilst on the dog walk or in the gym. Having 6 credits is not only a waste of money but a clear indicator of how I was feeling for a lot of last year. Not inspired. Not motivated. Yep, me too. I’m not ashamed to say last year was really hard.

I know myself well enough to recognise when I need a boost of inspiration so the next time a podcaster or YouTuber mentioned a good book I downloaded it. Sometimes I already had the book so I listened again. Have you ever noticed how a book you read a few years ago hits differently when your life has moved on a notch or two? That’s what has happened since I went back to the books.

Why it’s good: I’m always inspired by a good rags-to-riches autobiographical story. It’s not about the money. It’s about the proof that if someone can achieve something so can you or me. The proof is in the doing as they say.

A few books I’ve LOVED are Shoe Dog , – Manifest, – Hell yeah, or no, – The Diary of a CEO

Listen to the podcast here

5. Asana: A work management platform- free + upgrades

Asana is another oldie but a goodie. I’ve been using the free version for around three years. I use it like a second brain. I have different boards for every area of my life. I have blog and podcast boards with checklists and details of past episodes, ideas for new features or people to invite on, workshops, an Inside Stylists board with tech details so I don’t forget, idea boards, online courses boards. It really is a brain dump

My fave Asana board? The Monday Morning Meeting Boards – shared with chief Insider Claire Parkin.

Each week I plan my week on paper and then transfer what I’m doing onto this board with the days of the week on it. I then talk through my plan on Monday mornings with Claire. If I don’t get something done one day I move it over to the next. It means I don’t forget anything and as I have it synced on my phone and laptop I can add “call mum” with a day and time so I don’t forget.

Why it’s good: I use this app daily in one way or another. It means I can forget about the small details because I have them written down somewhere. I’m sure this one app keeps me calm. I don’t ever have that feeling of forgetting things. I have a board with a reminder for that. It’s very reassuring and keeps everything running smoothly, especially for shoots with checklists and the blog checklist(12 tasks on each) and podcast checklists (22 tasks on each)

6. Spotify: Mediation (and podcasts + music) – free + upgrades

We’ve had a family membership to Spotify for literally years. One of the daughterlings is OBSESSED with music. Always has headphones on. Has to plug her phone into the car for a 5-minute journey – you get the picture! So it’s brilliant for that.

For me, I’ve discovered it’s a great way to find new podcasts and not have them sit on the storage on my phone but the biggest win is the meditations on there. Meditation podcasts to be precise. I’ll share the one I like in case it’s useful but in my opinion meditation is like perfume – very personal to the user.

Why it’s good:

Meditating has been really beneficial in past and I find it really keeps my stress levels down. I can deal with crazy shoots/workloads/daughterlings much better if I’ve set my body in calm mode.

You can’t turn your brain off- A quick word about how I meditate.

So you know how everyone says calm your thoughts. Calm your breathing. Well, your brain is designed to do EXACTLY the OPPOSITE of that! I mean “turn off your brain” It’s NEVER going to happen.

What I do is lie VERY STILL. I lie on my bed, get comfy (no wrinkles – it’s an ADHD thing) cover my feet with a blanket to keep them warm, lay with my palms facing upwards – because I think this is welcoming in the good vibes and then I think of all my insides being heavy and pulling me down into the bed. It gives me that lovely warm and cosy sinking feeling. Once I’m ‘bedded in’ I don’t move. This gets me into a crazy deep relaxed state. I don’t stress about my thoughts. If they wander I just bring them back to my breathing but if I’m honest even breathing makes my body move too much. The less I move the more I stop feeling my body and I get such a sense of floating that I have found meditating completely addictive. Go on. Give it a try! Lie very still. Let me know how you get on.

The Last Dance – Michael Jordan Basketball Documentary

7. Notes – Digital notes App – Apple free

I LOVE my notes app. I have so many notes/folders/lists on my phone and I use it for … you’ve guessed it – coffee/ lunch orders on shoots, but also to jot down quotes I want to share/remember, films I want to watch, the weights I’m lifting in the gym and distances I’m running and captions I write on the train for social media – I hate it when it gets lost once you push publish on Instagram so I write them in Notes first.

I probably wouldn’t be that good with my notes app but I watched to an excellent YouTube video about them with Matt D’Avella and Tiago Forte and I rearranged everything on the app and now it’s like another brain on the go – but one that is very satisfying to look at. That font! Pure perfection in my eyes.

Why it’s good:

My phone is always with me. And I’m a collector. I collect good notes. That makes me happy.

8. Meerkat: Free membership upon purchase of insurance via moneysupermarket.com

Do you have any insurance through Moneysupermarket? The app has sooo many discounts that it’s worth getting a one-day work insurance for £5 to get a year of 25% discounts off Nero coffee and pastries, Dominoes Pizza and more. Those early morning shoots are so much easier to travel to with an apricot croissant and cappuccino in hand.

Why it’s good:

Everyone loves a discount right? I was already going into Nero to work after the gym but the 2 for 1 cinema tickets means I’m not all work and no play – which is an easy place to be when you’re feeling a bit low.

My sister and I take it in turns to buy tickets as we both have the app and it’s such a great way to spend quality time with her.

9. Disney+/ Netflix – Monthly/Annual subscription

I can’t remember the last time I was laid up in bed ill. I’m one of the few people who still hasn’t had covid. I think it’s because I don’t have a 5 second rule for chocolate or crisps when they fall on the floor. I’ll still eat them (;0) but this year has been a doozy. Twice I’ve had such bad flu that I was in bed for a week AND the big one – I got an infection under a molar that flared up during a bank holiday weekend. I had to wait a week to have it removed. I told the dentist I would rather go through childbirth than have that kind of pain again! I meant it!

Anyway, Netflix and Disney were my saviours. I watched so many great things but the ones that stood out were the GENIUS docu-dramas on Disney about Aretha Franklin and Alber Einstein. Totally distracting.

By the way if you have any recommendations of good – happy tv series please drop a comment below

Why it’s good:

I’ve noticed that when Mr MT and I watch TV in the evenings after dinner that are murder/police/detective/mafia related, they have a negative outlook and basically sets me on edge. Broadwalk Empire on Now TV was the last. The husband can watch them alone from now on. I need a good laugh or complete escapism at the end of the day. No blood or missing kids.

10. Sainsburys – Supermarket – free

Oh my word! If my lovely friend Karen has taught me anything it’s to cook once and eat twice. Having a healthy meal in the freezer for shoot days is a game changer. She also taught me to book your supermarket deliveries a week in advance.

In truth when we talked about this she was talking about Christmas bookings but I’ve been booking my food deliveries a week in advance ever since so I always get the early morning Saturday slots. We’re up anyway and it means our weekends are free from 9am.

I repeat the whole order from four weeks ago and then edit. You have until 11pm the night before delivery to make changes and it’s so quick and easy. I’ve only doubled up on butter and carrots twice :0)

Why it’s good:

I hate shopping for food or was ill or just too busy but I love to cook from scratch. Booking ahead means I have kind of meal planned and have a fridge full of snacks… ahem, I mean veg most of the time.

A last mention on the podcast – This game is about recognising countries from just thier outlines. It’s incredibly difficult. Have a look and see if you can do it