I’m not one to make New Year’s resolutions (although my post-holiday waistline should probably make me reconsider). However, I do think the month of January can be a good time to assess where you are in your life and look for ways to make things simpler, richer and just more fun! And, naturally, there’s an app for that. Here are a few of my favorite apps (all of which are available in the iTunes App Store for free) that are helping me bring on the awesome in 2016:
Have less paper this year with Evernote Scannable. Everything Evernote does is pretty amazing, in my opinion, and this app is no exception. Scannable makes it super simple to snap a picture of a document and email, text or save it. Contracts, business cards, receipts … even that sticky note with a very important phone number on it … it’s all scannable with just a click.
Get less junk mail this year with PaperKarma. If your mailbox runneth over with catalogs, PaperKarma is the app for you. Just snap a picture of the mailing label printed on the catalog and PaperKarma will get you off the mailing list.
Shop smarter and save money this year with Grocery IQ. I’ve used a pre-printed grocery list for years, but this app essentially does the work for you. It lets you scan items via barcode, text or voice search. Grocery IQ will link to coupons and send them to your email so you can save a few bucks, too! Now, if only it would tell me to walk away from the baked goods, then it would truly be a miracle app!
Clear out the media clutter and make a little dough this year with Decluttr. Want to make space for more of what matters most to you? Consider selling your unwanted CDs, DVDs, games and Blu-Rays via Decluttr. Simply set up an account, scan the bar codes of the items you want to sell, and box them up. Decluttr will email a free shipping label to you. Drop off the box and they send you a check. I offered to pay my daughter 10% of the proceeds and she scanned them all for me — it really is that easy.
Share an experience and treasure a loved one this year with StoryCorps. Sometimes I start my Friday mornings with a nice little cry in the car because of some lovely StoryCorps story on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Now they offer an an app so you, too, can record your own interviews. My son had to do this for a school project over Thanksgiving. The suggested questions helped guide the conversation and the interface is super simple. And, for a brief moment, my 12-year-old allowed me to share some wisdom with him … it was downright magical.
How can you get the most out of 2016? It might just come about by putting down the phone, looking up at the beauty around you and breathing in. But if you are going to stare into that little screen some this year, at least put it to work for you and make life a little better!
May 2016 be your best year yet! Keep neat.
