10+ apps to start the year off on the right foot
Resolutions can be really wonderful, but more often than not they are set in the first week of January, followed for approximately 27 minutes and 36 seconds, then promptly forgotten forever more. Break the habit, learn to be more productive, and start 2019 off with a bang that really lasts. 🚀
Spark is an email client designed to make it easier to manage your inbox no matter how many messages you receive daily. Thanks to its Smart Inbox, Spark automatically detects personal emails, notifications, or newsletters and groups them with similar emails in a unified inbox. Thus, your messages are processed in batches and a simple finger scan allows you to pinpoint important messages, archive those you may need later, or delete spam. Unfortunately, it's only available for macOS and iOS, but there's always Thunderbird if you're using Windows or Linux.
Create events in two clicks with this smart calendar that integrates seamlessly with Apple Calendar and Microsoft Office Outlook. Fantastical is positioned in the macOS menu bar and appears by a simple click on its icon or using a customizable keyboard shortcut. Simply enter the details of your event and click on "Enter" to return to your activities. Unfortunately, it is only available for Mac too but you can use Lightning Calendar with Thunderbird on Windows and Linux.
Manage your projects easily with Todoist and its task manager. Complete and efficient, it has all the functions necessary for good day-to-day management. With Todoist, you can organize your projects into folders or topics, integrate tasks, and define deadlines. Consult in real time all your daily, weekly, or monthly projects with the possibility of moving them according to your own priorities.
SimpleNote is a free, lightweight, and easy-to-use cross-platform note-taking utility with the unique feature of being synchronized on the Cloud. All notes created on SimpleNote are automatically synchronized on all devices on which the software is installed.
Clipy is a remake of ClipMenu, a simple but complete clipboard manager for macOS. You can record 8 clipboard types, from plain text to HEX color codes to images… To paste a recorded item, you just pop up a menu by invoking the shortcut key, and select a menu item from the list. You can also register texts you frequently use, like e-mail addresses, user IDs and so on, as snippets. You can paste these snippets from the menu too. You can use Ditto on Windows and CopyQ on Linux.
You Need a Budget is a multi-platform personal budgeting program based on the envelope method. YNAB will help you break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, get out of debt, and save more money. The software runs on Windows or macOS computers and has a mobile version for checking your budget and entering transactions when you're not using your computer. The mobile apps synchronize transactions entered on your smartphone or tablet with the desktop software using Cloud Sync.
ActivityWatch is an automatic time-tracking software which helps you keep track of what you do. It's an attempt to replace and improve existing services like RescueTime, ManicTime, WakaTime, and others. It is different in that it's completely open source, extendable, and you as a user have full and exclusive control of your data.
Track all your goals and habits in one flexible free app. With Strides, you can track anything, because it’s more than a habit tracker - it’s also a smart goal tracker with reminders to hold you accountable and charts to keep you motivated. Strides is available on iOS and the web. If you're using Android or otherwise looking for a similar app, you can also take a look at Habitica.
LeechBlock NG is a simple productivity tool: an extension for the Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers designed to block those time-wasting sites that can suck the life out of your working day. (You know: the ones that rhyme with ‘Blue Cube’, ‘Space Hook’, ‘Sticky Media’, ‘Quitter’, and the like.) All you need to do is specify which sites to block and when to block them. You can specify up to six sets of sites to block, with different times and days for each set. You can block sites within fixed time periods (e.g., between 9am and 5pm), after a time limit (e.g., allow up to 10 minutes in every hour), or with a combination of time periods and time limit (e.g., allow up to 10 minutes in every hour between 9am and 5pm).
FatSecret is an easy to use calorie counter, weight tracker, and dieting app. With this app, you can keep track of your food, exercise, and weight using the world's highest quality food and nutrition database. FatSecret also connects you with a global community of people looking to make a change for the better and start losing weight and achieve your goals the healthy way. The app is available on Apple Watch and Android Wear.
Nike Training Club is a personal trainer fully loaded with 185+ workouts, clear audio and visual guidance for every move, plus collections to help you reach a range of goals with curated workout recommendations and expert tips. The app is 100% free, and you can use it on your phone, Apple Watch, and Android Wear. You can also use Nike Run Club and Strava for running and cycling.
This list is not exhaustive, and there are thousands of other tools that can help you be more productive, but here is a small selection that should help you get started. Happy New Year to all and feel free to suggest other software or applications in the comments. 🙂 🎉
Comments
Simplenote is good, are there any other note taking apps that you would recommend?
Some good alternatives I can recommend are 
Standard Notes, 
Joplin (both end-to-end encrypted and open-source) and 
Bear. But it depends on what OS you're using and if you're looking for sync capabilities.
FatSecret, any alternate to that?
The best known is probably
MyFitnessPal and you also have some mobile apps like 
Poundaweek.
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