Three Apps I'm Downloading in 2018

I have never been the type of person to have an excessive amount of apps on her phone. The kids I babysit are always disappointed to find out that I don't have any games on my phone and honestly, I never have (OKAY FINE, I'M STILL PLAYING ANIMAL CROSSING POCKET CAMP, LET ME BE). I keep my necessary social media apps on my phone, a couple of photo-editing apps, and I'm all set. However, I know I've been missing out on some great ways to digitally manage my life and I think 2018 might be the time to change that for myself. 

There are plenty of great apps out there that aren't social media platforms nor mind-numbing games that hook, line, and sink you until you dedicate several hours a day to them. There are some that I've been wanting to try out for a while and never got a chance, some recommended by pals, and just some that I've stumbled upon by pure accident. 

I don't want to get too crazy and download dozens of apps that I need to keep track of, but there are a few aspects of my life that need managing. First, and most importantly, the financial aspect of my life. Then, of course, my emotional state. And then, I guess somewhat related to the latter, everything that's going on inside of my head. There are three apps I want to give a try this year, so I guess here's to hoping I keep up!

Mint

Nicole from Explosive Bagel recommended this app to me when I mentioned that I needed to really start a budget for myself this year instead of spending my money frugally and checking my bank account obsessively, hoping and praying that there is enough in there to cover bills and necessary purchases. And no, @ self, necessary purchases aren't five dollar soy lattes. 

Mint is a one-stop shop for money management, all on your phone. You can track and pay your bills, create budgets, check your credit score, and some things about investments that probably don't include my investment pieces in my closet. I'm mainly going to be using this app for keeping track of budgets. This is something that I should've done at my last apartment, but didn't because it became somewhat of a non-issue after I somehow managed to save a solid chunk of money. But now more than ever it's important for me to properly manage my money and not just spend when I think I have the money to do so.

Headspace

This next app has been in the back of my mind for at least a year now, but I haven't caved and downloaded until now. I am...not a relaxed person, not even in the slightest. I tried doing yoga a dozen times and I just am not chill enough to make it through even ten minutes. Obviously, yoga and meditating aren't the same thing, but to me, they go hand in hand. I am too restless to sit down and take ten minutes to just breathe and let myself be. 

Meditation is supposed to help people relieve stress, improve their focus, and help their sleep schedules. I can pretend all I want that I'm not a ball of stress that needs ten projects at one to work on so I can flip-flop between activities, all while functioning on little to no sleep...but...I am. I hate it. It's awful and I don't recommend it. I really think that this app can help me improve those aspects of my life without me having to commit to entire exercise routines. I just need to spend a few minutes a day breathing it through and getting myself to just stop and be mindful for a minute. 

Moods

I used to use a different app for this back at the beginning of college. It was called Color Calendar and I could categorize my days with five different colors that all attributed to different moods. It was a really simple way for me to keep track of how I felt throughout the month. It was more for personal reasons, obviously. It was nice going back at the end of the month and reflecting on how I felt and maybe why I felt that way (if I felt like facing myself and my issues that month, which was rare at times).

This app gives you three options for the day: good, okay, or bad. From there, you have the option to choose other words that describe your day. So today, I picked "good" and added "calm, focused, optimistic." You're also able to add your own words that they don't suggest, as well as any emojis you might feel like adding as well, which is really cute, honestly. You're also able to add a note as well, kind of like a daily diary if you so choose. This might be something to reflect on at the end of the day if you really wanted to dissect your day and what you did that made you feel good (or, inversely, bad).

You are also able to track your weekly report, which will show your recorded moods from the week, as well as what you felt on your good/okay/bad days. It always shows you the average of your mood from past months and will give you a percentage based on how many months you choose to combine.  I think this is just a really simple way to sort of...stay in tune with how you feel and is a place to be honest with yourself. I'm excited to start using this more regularly and really do hope I keep up with it!

What are some of your favorite apps to use?

P.S. Originally, when I was taking this photo, my dog was laying on my bed in the background and I didn't have the heart to move him. He ended up hearing somebody at the door and left shortly after, but I think he'd want to be featured on the blog again, so here is one the outtakes of Cash sleeping peacefully on my bed while I tried to get some work done.