Tag Archive for: apps for productivity

Say Goodbye to CardMunch App

The app will be shutting down on July 11 (Photo Credit: gigaom.com)

The app will be shutting down on July 11 (Photo Credit: gigaom.com)

In case you didn’t hear, CardMunch, one of my favorite apps is being discontinued in July! The app allows you to scan business cards and have them synced with your contacts. When I first found out, I was disappointed.  Why does every app I love have to go away? First it happened with Astrid and then Orchestra and even Lemon!

I’ve used CardMunch for years and have recommended it to so many people. I even posted about it just a few months ago. Fortunately, CardMunch is being taken over by another app that I love, Evernote!

Transferring your contacts is super easy and Evernote even offers some cool, new features.  After scanning your cards, you can enter comments and geo-tag the location where card was scanned. LinkedIn, which owns CardMunch, is also offering two free years of Evernote’s business card scanning service if you transfer your info. I already moved mine over and I recommend you do too in order to get adjusted as soon as possible.

Here’s how to transfer your CardMunch cards to Evernote:

1.     Login to Evernote and LinkedIn from this site. If you do not already have an Evernote account, you’ll have to create one. Read more

Use Your Five Senses to Get More Done

The five senses (Photo Credit: Onefleshmarriage.com

The five senses (Photo Credit: Onefleshmarriage.com

I’ve recently started meditating using the HeadSpace App and one of the exercises is to really pay attention to everything around you. Close your eyes and tap into what you’re hearing, how you feel, what you’re smelling and what your feet feel like on the floor. It’s a tedious practice at first but this attention can really do wonders in the long run. The same idea goes for your workspace.

We all have our favorite places to work, but have you ever thought about why? Whether you realize it or not, the five senses do more than just provide us with nice smells and pleasant tastes—they actually influence our productivity habits.
Next time you go to sit down in your office, here’s how you can use the five senses to impact your productivity:

1. Sight: Next time you paint your walls, remember that blue is the most productive color. Moredays.com says it stimulates a high work performance, which can keep you plugging along for long periods of time. Blue provides a calming and soothing effect, which helps to improve the mind too.Blue is even the recommended color to wear on a job interview because it symbolizes loyalty!

If you can’t change the color scheme in your office, add a small desk plant. While desk plants help to spruce up a workplace, two recent studies show that plants actually help to improve productivity, as well. Nature helps brighten moods and regain focus, but if you don’t have time in your schedule to go for a walk outside, a desk plant will do the trick.

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Tonight’s The Night! Join My Productivity Apps Webinar

iPhone 4's Retina Display v.s. iPhone 3G

(Photo credit: Yutaka Tsutano)

I’m excited to host my second FREE Webinar tonight — dedicated to apps!

Want to learn about the best apps to increase your productivity, and do more in less time?!  Well tonight, February 26, 2014 @ 8 pm EST, you can join me as I reveal some of my favorites.   (just in case you missed the last webinar “Boost Your Productivity in 2014” check it out now)

When I see people using the “Notes” app on their iPhones to keep their to-do’s or tasks, I literally cringe thinking back to when I used to do the same! There are so many great apps out there that blow “Notes” right out of the water. And don’t fear – they are mostly all free!

So, tonight I will give you the full rundown of the best of the best! AND It’s not too late to sign up- so register now! (Even if you can’t make the specific time, there will be a recorded version if you register)

Check out the details below:

Congrats to Astrid: An Amazing To-Do List App

Would you like a personal assistant to help you remember appointments and check things off your to-do list? I know of one who will work for cheap and keep you organized and make sure you hit all your deadlines. Her name is Astrid. And I’d like to offer my congratulations since the company was just sold to Yahoo.  

Who is Astrid?

Astrid is an adorable little octopus and one of my favorite to-do list apps for iPhone or Android.  If you don’t have one of those devices you can also access this productivity tool by going to Astrid.com.

Astrid will keep all of your tasks organized and remind you of what you need to do with motivational and encouraging nudges like “How about it? Ready tiger?”  You can also rename all of your lists and maintain them however you like — set reminders or not, give your tasks due dates or not. It’s up to you. Read more