If I were a character on Friends, there’s no doubt in my mind that I’d be Monica Geller.  Not only do I thrive in an environment where everything is in it’s place, but I’m meticulously organized, and try to enforce my standards on my loved ones (sorry, Trav!)

Getting organized can seem like more work than it’s worth, but these free tools will help anyone with a busy schedule (or a bad memory) feel more in control, be more productive, and make it all look effortless.  Here is the list of my favourite apps:

1. Evernote

evernote.com
Why I love it:  Evernote is beautifully designed note-taking app that does so much more.  Notes include all types of media, from text, checklists, PDFs, and images, to handwriting and webpages.  You can even tag notes for easier searching!  I can organize my notes by notebook, and my notebooks in stacks.  (My stacks include “York University”, “University of Windsor”, and “Personal.”)  I keep notes for my Let’s Talk Science Outreach Coordinator position, my Master’s Research, my blog, and even my Recipe book.  One of Evernote’s cool features is their Web Clipper, which allows me to save parts of or entire webpages right to my notebooks.  Found a recipe that we liked?  I clip it right to my cookbook!  Browsing a conference I’d like to attend?  I clip all the information I need right into my school notebook, and start outlining my presentation right there.  Almost effortless.

Evernote has also created two other apps I love.  The first, Scannable, allows me to use my iPhone or iPad as a convenient scanner, and seamlessly send the document where it belongs.  It offers save options (export PDF, save to Evernote notebooks, photos) as well as send options (messages, e-mail, AirDrop and more).

The last Evernote app I love, Penultimate, is what I’ve been using to take notes at school.  As a physicist, I’ve often needed the freedom to quickly write Greek letters, draw diagrams, and scribble out complex equations – meaning that typing my notes was out of the question.  With Penultimate, I write my notes on my iPad with the freedom to draw, but have the convenience of digital notes when it comes time to study.  Of course my Penultimate notes are saved to my Evernote notebooks, and so I can access my course notes on any of my devices, any time.

2. Calendar

iCloud.com
Why I love it:  Everyone should keep a calendar.  Whether you’re an Android or an Apple fan, there’s no way to remove the calendar app from your phone, so you may as well use it!  I use separate colours for personal (blue), school (purple), and work (green) events.  Tests and evaluations are marked in red.  I never forget about a commitment I’ve made, and if the police ever ask “Where were you on the night of…” I can answer confidently, since my entire life is recorded on my calendar.  Now if only it could make sure I was never late…

3. Reminders

iCloud.com
Why I love it:  I use reminders for all of my To Dos, again sorted by colour and by personal, school and work.  It’s so simple to use, I keep track of everything from grocery lists (shared with my boyfriend so we can both add to the list from anywhere), to my homework assignment due dates, and my weekly to do list.  I also find that assigning my goals a deadline keeps them visible, and even if I don’t make my self-assigned due dates, I can plan more effectively for the next week.  My sister complained that this app requires a lot of upkeep to keep it current, which is true, but if you use it as much as I do, it’s therapeutic to check things off several times a day.

4. Google Drive

google.com/drive
Why I love it:  15 GB of free, access my stuff anywhere I have internet, storage.  I have a personal gmail account, and I started one for our Let’s Talk Science site too, mostly for Google Forms and public spreadsheets.  It makes sharing easy, and I can save attachments directly from my e-mails (no more downloading!).  If I need to collaborate, shared documents can be edited by anyone on my team simultaneously in Google Docs/Sheets/Slides.  Plus, storing important files in the cloud protects them from computer crashes/me forgetting to put what I need on my jump drive.

5. Dropbox

dropbox.com
Why I love it:  2 GB of free, access my stuff anywhere I have internet, storage.  Us coordinators at the Let’s Talk Science YorkU site share documents using Dropbox, which allows us to edit in Microsoft Office and see who else is updating the document.

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I strongly encourage you to download these apps and explore what they can do.  Many of them have partners that integrate their services across other apps, so the possibilities are virtually endless.  If you have any productivity apps you can’t imagine your life without, I’d love to hear about them.  Leave a comment below!

See, being organized is easy!