📱 My favorite apps

I have a bit of an addiction to discovering and trying out new apps - I am especially guilty of it when it comes to Todo apps or Habit tracker apps, even if I already have very good ones for that purpose. Even so, some apps have become so ingrained that they are now part of my daily routine.

Note: I have an iPhone so some of these apps may not be available for Android.

Fitness & health

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MacroFactor 🍳

Link to website

I don't shy away from paying for apps if they provide good value and there is no viable alternative. MacroFactor is one of them. It is a food tracking app that learns about you and grows with you. Every week it will adjust your given calories and macros if it finds you are going a little too slow or too fast. It won't judge you either if you went over or under. It just simply looks at the data you provide and adjusts accordingly. Of course, it works best if you provide it with daily food intake data and your weight, but it accounts for missing a day as well. I have been off and on using this app, as in the early days the barcode scanner didn't work well for my region, but I am glad to say that that has much improved. I am currently actively using it for my bulk and it is going great so far.

Strava 🏃‍♀️

Link to website

Strava is most runners' goto running app, and because it is so popular it is among the best for its social features. When I first started out running, I used apps like Runkeeper and Nike Running Club for their included training plans (which Strava isn't the best for), but if you want a good app for tracking your runs and stats and seeing what your friends are training for, this is perfect. As a training app itself, Runna helped me get a lot of PRs. And ironically, Runna has recently been purchased by Strava.

Hevy 💪

Link to website

My goto app for tracking my lifts! I started out using the app Strong which is pretty similar, but a lot of people moved to Hevy when it became clear that Strong wasn't getting updated anymore. I have been using it for over 800 workouts so far. I love that I can see what I did for a certain exercise the week before, and I can quickly check my volume max or one rep max for that exercise. I also love the automatic rest timers that you can adjust as needed. The app has social features as well but those are not required to use if you aren't into that.

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Productivity

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Things 3 ✔️

Link to website

To say my entire life is organized in Things 3 might be an understatement. It has my groceries list, all recipes I would still like to make, trip iteneraries, but also my current goals and any planning for apps I would like to create. It uses the GTD method in which you put everything you need to do in your Inbox and then organize it accordingly. I have been using it for years. It is a paid app however, and you do have to pay per platform, but for the amount I've used it I find it very reasonable. At least it isn't a subscription :)

Spark 📥

Link to website

I use and organize my mail differently ever since I've started using Spark. I don't use all its features (I only have the free version), but just the ability to archive emails you are done with and setting aside emails you still need to do an action for is life changing. Getting to Inbox Zero gives you such a clear state of mind. I do secretly judge people with thousands of unread emails. You know who you are 😅

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Lifestyle

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Day One ✍️

Link to website

I have been journaling on and off since 2017. It has helped me clear out some of my thoughts when I am overwhelmed, but most of all I really enjoy just looking back at previous entries and seeing how far I've come or just reminiscing about old memories. Day One is my journaling app of choice and I haven't had a need to look for anything else. It used to be subscription-paid app, but it has a free tier version now that is good enough for basic use. I love the feature for adding photos to each entry so that you have a nice gallery overview of all your past days.

Formed ☑️

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I am not very loyal to habit tracking apps - and this one is no exception. I do however want to highlight it because what is unique about this one is that it tells you how much of the habit has formed, which might motivate you to keep your streak. It also has a very simple but efficient design. I do have to say that recently I have been trying out Onrise which is very nice so far as well.

Spotify 🎵

Link to website

Need I say more? Spotify is still king when it comes to playlists. I am very proud of all of mine. I recently made work of cleaning out my Liked Songs (which was over 600) and sorting them into their appropriate playlists and everything feels even more clean and organized now. I also like that it works seamlessly with last.fm still and my Sonos speakers.

Pocket Casts 🎧

Link to website

I know that it would be very handy to just use Spotify for podcasts, but I love Pocket Casts too much. I paid for it a long long time ago and it might have a freemium tier now, but I haven't regretted it one bit. I love the Trim Silences feature and podcasts feel weird if that isn't turned on. It can also auto-download your favorite podcasts and auto-add them to the queue, which is great for when you forget.