7 Apps to Help You Stay Organised & on Top of Your Life in Your 20s
Whether it’s Web-based or downloadable, a useful app can be pivotal in helping us lead stress-free, organised and productive lives.
But, by the same token, many of the apps we use on a daily basis nowadays do nothing but attempt to capture and hold our attention…
And as I’m sure most of you know, this has many negative effects when it comes to our physical and mental health.
So today, I’m going to go through 7 apps that I have tried and tested personally, that will definitely help you get your life together if you’re in your 20s.
Now, I know…
Many of you have probably read similar articles on apps that help you:
Be More Productive
Be a Better Student
Get on Top of Your Finances
And while the apps in this article will cover each of these topics…
I want to focus on apps that will simplify your life.
This way, you'll be able to put more time and effort into the things that are really important to you.
1. Cashrewards & ShopBack
First up, we have Cashrewards and ShopBack.
To put it simply, using these apps is basically equivalent to being offered a discount every time you shop!
This is how it works:
1. Retailers will pay Cashrewards (the company) and ShopBack (the company) if a customer (you or I) buys something from them. This is sometimes called a referral fee.
2. As a thank you to us, Cashrewards and ShopBack then pass on some of this referral fee to us in the form of cashback. This is either as a flat fee (i.e. "Sign up and Get $100 Cashback!") or as a percentage (i.e. "3.50% Cashback on Your 1st Purchase!").
3. Then, the money we earn accrues within our Cashrewards and/or ShopBack account until we meet the withdrawal limit and transfer the money to our bank account.
It’s that simple!
But, the thing that takes these apps to the next level is how seamless it is to earn.
Both apps offer browser extensions which, once downloaded, require no maintenance to use.
All you need to do is go about your normal online shopping and when you open the website of a participating retailer, you will get a popup showing the Cashback offer and all you need to do is click activate.
You don’t need to enter any special codes or go to a specific website to get the Cashback!
If you would like to try either Cashrewards or ShopBack (or both), sign up through the hyperlinks below and get your free bonus!
Keeping with the theme of online shopping, next up, we have Up.
Now, to the untrained eye, Up may look like any other transaction account.
But, under closer inspection, Up is actually an amazing option for all things overseas.
If you often find yourself shopping online with retailers based outside of Australia...
You're probably being charged a lot to do so!
Most bank accounts will charge both an international transaction fees and mark-up the exchange rate they give you!
But, with Up, you don’t pay any extra fees!
To make things even better, this same fee free approach also applies when you are physically overseas!
Let me explain.
Earlier this year, Majella and I moved to Bali, Indonesia for four months.
And while we were overseas, we only used our Up card.
When we transferred money from our Australian bank accounts into Up and then back the other way, we paid $0 in fees!
When we withdrew cash from the Indonesian ATMs or used our card at a restaurant or shop, $0 in fees!
Even on the few occasions we had to send money in another currency, Up is the first Australian bank to integrate with Wise for international money transfers!
Which means we not only got some of the best exchange rates on the market but we knew upfront exactly how much we would pay in fees and exactly how much our recipient would receive in their foreign currency!
So, if you have any international travel coming up or you're just someone who buys from international retailers quite frequently…
Claim Your $6 Up Card Sign-up Bonus by Clicking Here!
3. Apple Notes
The third application on this list is one that I used A TON as a student...
And it is one that I still use almost daily to organise my life and business today.
It's called Apple Notes.
Now, I know, not exactly groundbreaking stuff...
But, to be honest, I feel like this app is often overlooked.
Purely because it comes pre-installed with all Apple products.
But, the truth is: This app is great!
Most people will know that this app allows you to create notes and to-do lists.
But, on top of this, Apple Notes also allows you to upload photos, videos, and links.
When paired to an iPad and Apple Pencil, you can write hand written notes and make sketches.
The app also comes with an easy-to-use filing system.
And all of this can be stored in the cloud.
Which allows you to not only sync your shopping list, recipes and book recommendations with your other Apple devices...
But, you can also share these notes with other Apple users to allow real-time collaborative work on the same note at the same time.
At the end of the day, Apple notes is simply a well-designed, robust, easy-to-use application with a clean interface that makes interacting with it and keeping it up to date super simple.
4. Google Workspace
The fourth app, or more accurately, suite of apps on this list is Google Workspace.
If you're anything like me, your first step into the Google Workspace will probably be through Gmail.
However, like Apple Notes, the functionality of the Google Workspace (as a whole) often goes overlooked...
And strangely enough, I believe it is due to Gmail being a little too good.
This is not to say that being good is bad thing for Gmail.
But, you see, with Gmail being as good as it is (arguably the best free email service provider),
It often overshadows the other apps Google has to offer.
Resulting in users simply associating their Gmail account with only sending and receiving emails.
But, with one Google account, you get access to so much more than just an email.
For example:
The Google Drive is an online storage platform that allows you to store and share files. It offers 15GB of FREE storage space and can be accessed from anywhere, making it ideal for remote work or for people who need to work on the go.
Google Docs (a free alternative to Microsoft Word) is a word processing tool that has an easy-to-use interface that integrates with many other Google services.
Google Sheets (a free alternative to Excel) is a spreadsheet tool that, like Docs, offers collaborative features and will integrate with many other Google services.
Google Meet (a free alternative to Zoom) is a video conferencing tool that enables users to hold virtual meetings with people from all over the world.
You get the point.
And this is only a few of the MANY useful apps you get free access to when using Google Workspace.
So, I would definitely recommend you check it out and take a look at all of the other apps on offer because they may have an app to suit one or more of your needs.
5. Apple Calendar
The next application on the list is Apple Calendar.
I know, some of you are probably thinking...
"You just talked about Google Workspace and they have Google Calendar so why would you need Apple Calendar?"
Well, to be honest, I don't really have a technological argument for why Apple Calendar is better.
In fact, Google Calendar is probably a better app when it comes to functionality.
But, the reason I find myself using Apple Calendar more often...
Comes down to simplicity.
With Apple Calendar I am able to sync all of the other important calendars in my life so that I never miss an event, appointment or birthday.
Which means, if I receive a calendar invitation through my work email, my personal email, my school email or even through Majella's email...
They will all show up in the one place on my Apple Calendar!
I have also found that the widgets for this app are a great way to always be on top of the things that are most important to me.
With calendar widgets on the home screen of both my phone and iPad, I never have to remember to check my calendar because it's always right there in front of me.
6. Ubank Savings Account
The next application we're going to talk about is Ubank.
To keep it brief, Ubank is simply a great option for a low maintenance savings account that offers awesome interest rates and some great features!
How I personally use this account is as a designated savings account.
This means I only deposit the money I am not accessing on a daily basis with Ubank.
This includes:
Emergency fund
House deposit
Bills
For the money I do use on a daily basis, I use NAB (one of the big banks).
This is because they do not charge a monthly fee and I get access to some of the benefits of using a big bank:
Many branches across Australia
Many ATMs across Australia
Quick adoption of new technology (PayID, POLi Payments, etc...)
But the primary reason I don't use NAB for my savings is because (usually) the big banks don't offer the highest interest rates on savings accounts.
Ubank on the other hand...
They offer an incredible interest rate (up to 4.60% as of 1 April 2023) which is relatively easy to achieve!
The criteria, as of writing, is as follows:
Have a Ubank Spend account (which is free).
Deposit $200+ per month from an external bank.
That's it.
To make things ever better, there is no restrictions on withdrawals.
So, if you needed to withdraw some money from your account, that's fine.
As long as there is at least one transaction into one of your Ubank accounts of $200+ from and external bank, you'll be eligible for the bonus interest on up to 10 Save accounts!
On top of this...
7. TabCopy
The final app on this list is not really an app at all...
It's called TabCopy and it is a very simple, very useful browser extension.
And as the name suggests, it copies tabs.
Trust me, it's great.
Let me paint this picture for you.
You're in the middle of doing an assignment and you have a million tabs open.
Out of nowhere, your computer starts to slow down.
It's lagging, glitching and you're worried something may crash and you could lose not only all of the tabs you have open...
But maybe, the work you're doing too!
You know your computer needs to be restarted but you will either lose valuable information you have open or you will need to try and record your progress.
Well, with TabCopy you can copy every one of the tabs you have open with one click.
You're given a few different options depending on which tabs you would like to copy and how much information from each tab you would like to record.
But, honestly, I have found myself using this browser extension constantly since downloading it and it has been great!