We all want to improve ourselves, and no app is going to magically make it happen. The right tools can help, of course, but what's really required is commitment.
Having said that, if you are committed, Cool Websites and Apps has a bunch of apps and websites you could use to become more productive. Let's dive in!
Streaks (iOS): Choose Six Things; Do Them Every Day
Habits are one of the best ways to change your life. New habits can spark massive personal change if you can motivate yourself to stick to them. Streaks is a simple app designed to help you do just that.
Just pick six things you'd like to turn into habits, then commit yourself to doing them every day (or certain days, as the case may be). Integration with the iOS Health app means some things, like walking a certain distance every day, can be recorded automatically.
Apps aren't enough – you'll want to read more about how to form a new habit – but Streaks can go a long way toward making your habit feel more concrete. Give it a shot.
Download: Streaks for iOS ($4.99)
Cuckuu (iOS, Android): Your Social Alarm Clock
Waking up is hard to do, and so is making yourself work out. If you'd like a little more motivation for these and other activities you need to do at the same time every day, check out Cuckuu.
The idea is that you'll share your daily alarms, prompting conversations with friends and helping remind you what you want to accomplish. Sure, the name seems like a grotesque parody of a startup dreaming up names for clocks, but if you want to actively share your alarms to make sure you follow through, it's an app worth looking into.
We've looked into some other unique alarm clock apps if you're interested.
Download: Cuckuu for iOS (Free) | Android (Free)
Checkli: Easily Create and Share Checklists
Lists are essential to any good productivity system, and there's no shortage of apps out there for making them. If you want a simple way to create, and then share, checklists, Checkli is well worth looking into. It's really simple: just create a list, then share a read-only version if you'd like.
The people you share the list with can print it or save it as a PDF. You don't need to create an account to create a list, so give it a shot.
If you like this, you might be interested in these spreadsheet templates for organizing your life.
Omniflow: Collaborative Tool for Quick Lists
Checklists are great for getting things done, but indented lists are much better for compiling meeting notes or planning projects. Omniflow is a web app designed for this and only this.
With realtime collaboration, you and everyone else at a meeting can quickly add notes and plan exactly what needs to get done. I'm sure you can think of other uses, so let me know your ideas in the comments below.
Trackr (Chrome): See Where You're Spending Your Time Online
Where does all the time go?
If you're seriously asking, Trackr can help you find out. This Chrome extension monitors every site you visit, then gives you a report of what you were looking at and for how long. You might think your Facebook habit is under control, but numbers could convince you otherwise.
This is a relatively simple way to track your online behavior, so check it out if you'd rather avoid installing a desktop program or signing up for an account. For more information, including how long you use particular apps, use RescueTime to track what you do on your computer.
Which Apps Make You More Productive?
This column aims to point out apps that MakeUseOf hasn't covered yet, meaning several apps you love weren't outlined here. I'd love to hear which of those apps you love, along with any new apps our site is yet to cover. Let's talk about all this and more in the comments below, okay?