65 Comments

1. Thanks for the list. Do any of them export to Dropbox Evernote? That would be really cool.

2. Tac, several of them use cloud drives for syncing the data. Diaro and DayOne use Dropbox and Journey uses Google Drive. I’m pretty sure all of these can export your data to PDF files.

3. Thank you for the list. Is there an app that imports your facebook status history? Not as a feed, but the actual statuses to reside locally or on the cloud for the app?

4. Eve, I’m not aware of a journal app that can import Facebook status history but I do use an app called Digi.me https://digi.me/ that I use to import all my Facebook (and other services) data which it then lets me store on my computer.

5. Little error correction: “Journey” and not “Journal”! 🙂

6. 
   

   
   Digital journaling: Should I make the effort?
   Let’s face it. None of us has any real spare time, do we? We all have the same 24 hours each day in which to work on projects, do for others, market, create, take care of our families and ourselves — I’m sure you’re thinking, “Where do I possibly fit something else into my day?” Well, if it’s important enough, you will find the time to spend on digital journaling. I hope by the time you finish this post, you will see the importance and adopt the habit of daily digital journaling.
   

   
   Why Daily Digital Journaling
   Creativity all begins in the mind, with your thoughts. Those thoughts, lead to various emotions and actions. In order to be at your very best as an artist, creative, or any human being on the planet, you need to be balanced, centered, in touch with your creative side.
   Now that you have your blog all set up, you will begin to work on various projects and blog post topics that you want to share. Having a clear and balanced mind, body, and spirt will take you far as you begin to undertake the task of being a serious blogger.
   For another thing, journaling can be your “safe place.” The only place you can go to vent, write down what may be considered by others as silly or crazy thoughts, goofy jokes that no one else gets, and you can find your “true voice.”
   I know that when I journal, it helps me improve my writing skills, helps me to stay focused, and I improve my overall mood and attitude.
   Journaling helps clear the mind, lets you review and make sense of difficult and stressful life situations, and it gives you a go-to place to review and uncover any unhealthy thought patterns. What better way to learn and or improve your own creative process than by digital journaling?
   It’s been quite some time since I was actively involved in journaling. So, I began to research to see what is the best technology today for digital journaling and what seems like a good fit for me.
   My first thought was to have a go-to diary-type app that was easy for me to access so when I’m out on a shooting project as a photographer, I could track the weather, my camera metadata, and write my thoughts about the image right on the spot. Yes, there’s an app for that! Several good apps it turns out.
   What To Look For In A Good Journaling App
   Look for an app that lets you easily and quickly add a snapshot or a quick note about an important or memorable event. For me, each photograph that I choose to keep becomes like “my baby.” I take good care of it, give it what it needs to look and feel its best, cherish it over time, and definitely feel emotional about it if I sell it.
   Think of all the things you can track through journaling, photos, and videos, that many years from now will be brought right back to the front of your mind so you can relive them. Isn’t that a worthwhile endeavor?
   I suggest you look for an app that allows you to easily backup and restore your journal. Are you into design? Then look for apps that allow you to customize your journal in creative ways so that you enjoy logging in and creating entries on a daily basis.
   Another useful feature is being able to print to PDF. Then you can share the file easily with your network. Oh, and make sure it includes a spell checker or else you will have to find one to use.
   I look for apps that are free with the ability to upgrade to a premium version if I really like it. This is usually a good sign that the developers will continue to add new features and benefits if they have a premium version to upgrade to.
   

   
   What App I Use For Daily Digital Journaling And What To Expect
   Since I am an Android user, I have found through much research that Journey for Android is the best journaling app available at this time. It is available as a free app in the Google Play Store for Android and iPhone. Also install it on Google Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
   If you are an iPhone/Apple device user, I say give it a try. If you don’t like it, my recommendation would be to try Day One or Penzu. There’s a good overview here of these apps.
   For those of you that prefer video, here’s a step-by-step view of what to expect when installing Journey on an Android:

    
   10 Reasons Daily Digital Journaling Is Worthwhile
   After committing to journaling again, I remembered just how much it helped me on so many levels. When you find something to do that’s both powerful, healthy, and possibly life changing, it wouldn’t be right not to share it.
   I know that some will resist the idea of using a digital method for journaling, but maybe after you read my list you just may change your mind.
   
   
   

   It’s just plain easier and faster to enter notes and information digitally than using pen and paper. I’m sure I’m not the only one that likes things neat and organized. It’s easier to accomplish this via digital entries versus looking for a pen and paper and hastily scribbling some notes when you’re on the go and in a hurry. Plus, you won’t lose your notes, they are backed up. It’s also easier to edit, add-to, and make changes.
   It forces you to focus on some “me time” each day. Once you get into the habit of taking time each day to recount your thoughts, ideas, and activities, you will find that daily journaling is therapeutic. If you are a blogger like me, each day is filled with “service” activities such as researching new blog topics that my readers want to know more about, reaching out to my community through social media, emails, and phone calls to make sure they get the best service possible, and strategizing new marketing campaigns. Many people have “jobs” as well, small children, families to take care of, perhaps disabilities that challenge them… we all have challenges. It is important that you find the time to deal with you, your growth, your goals, and your personal development on a daily basis.
   Daily Digital Journaling helps you to quickly identify issues that otherwise might have remained hidden. I suggest a weekly review of your digital journal. Look for signs of things that are holding you back from progressing, moving forward, or reaching your goals. At first some of these may seem insignificant, watch for trends. If you are in touch with your feelings, moods, and habits each day, any negative issues or weaknesses can be identified quickly and decisions made on how to turn the weaknesses into strengths.
   Daily Digital Journaling can assist you in assessing your overall health. As in benefit number 2 above, since you are paying attention on a daily basis, you will also notice changes or trends in your physical, emotional, or spiritual health. How are you sleeping? What is your diet like? Are you staying hydrated? Are you taking regular breaks or mini-breaks throughout your day? Do you meditate? Do you take time for cat-naps? Do make sure you aren’t sitting in front of a computer for hours on end? Do you get daily physical activity of some sort? Catch issues early on. Everything is connected, our physical, emotional, spiritual and energy levels, moods, habits, and so on. Monitor your overall health by daily journaling and reviewing at least monthly.
   It builds confidence. As you journal and track your daily activities, you will also be recording your goals, strategies, ideas, and inspirations. As you review your entries, you will see trends and patterns. Pay close attention to what platforms, strategies, techniques, and desired outcomes are reached and what caused failure. As time goes by, you will see great progress. I find a digital journal review particularly confidence-building when I think I’m not getting anywhere. My journal proves me wrong!
   Adds Security and Privacy. Speaking of reviewing your digital journal entries, a digital journal is much easier to secure, archive, and review. Imagine years and years of digital entries means that you can protect, secure, archive and review to your heart’s content all from within a single application accessed by all of your devices and platforms!
   Imagine having photo albums, diaries, or journals and decades of history all packed placed in storage. All of that can be avoided with a digital record kept private for as long as you want it private. Use a passcode and no one can take a peek.
   No more worry about dampness, mold, fire, misplacing heirlooms or historic photos, or any other major “act of God” disaster. What about this suggestion: Interview your older relatives, capture their story on video forever.  Then tell your thoughts and impression about the interview. Let your imagination run wild.

   Add Tracking Location, Date, and Timestamp. Sometimes you just want to jot something down really quickly, say an appointment and want to come back to it later. I don’t know about you, but if I use a pen and paper system, I may forget to go back to that note to finish tasks later on. I could use Outlook or another reminder service, but it’s so many steps! A digital journal can accurately date and time stamp entries.  As a photographer, I like that if I’m out on a shoot, it can also stamp or geotag my location and current weather at the time. Using these options you can remember exactly where you were and what the weather was like when you took a specific shot. You can also choose to not include this information for privacy reasons.
   Digital Journaling allows you to tag and search. Even though you can come up with a system to search your pen-and-paper journals, it’s easier and faster to tag and search digitally.
   Print and export as a PDF. Since you are able to print and export as a PDF, it will be easy to combine journal entries or journal sections together to create an e-book project. It also allows for easy email or social media sharing.
   Backup your Digital Journal to Google Drive. You can also keep your Journey Digital Journal private but through Google Drive or Dropbox, you can work on specific projects with others. Journey backs-up to Google Drive but I would export as a PDF to Dropbox as well. This is a great idea for family history work or a business team project. The ability to backup and restore is a great feature. Backup your work regularly.
   For all of the features and professional reviews of Journey, go here.
   There is much scientific evidence that shows journaling is a healthy habit. Here is a good example:
   My Therapy Journal states that, “Expectedly enough, scholars of various disciplines have studied the effects of journaling and found that it provides significant benefits to not only one’s psychological well being, but also one’s physical health and physiological functioning (Smyth, 1998).  Several researchers for example (Greenberg et al., 1996; Spera et al., 1994; Pennebaker and Francis, 1996), have shown that people who journal report having significantly less distress (i.e. suffering, sorrow, pain), feeling less depressed, and having an overall better mood.
   Additionally, individuals also report that journaling changes they way they behave towards and around other people (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001).  Other studies have found that people who journal for extended periods of time (months) also report an increase in emotional well-being (Park & Blumberg, 2002), a better day-to-day mood (Páez et al, 1999), and fewer symptoms of depression (Lepore, 1997).”
   In order to achieve the best results, whichever digital journaling app you choose, it’s important to stay consistent to see real progress and results. Need a little help getting started with digital journaling? Click for some ideas on what you might do to get in the habit.
   You might find that digital journaling on a daily basis becomes the cornerstone of your overall health and well-being both personally and professionally.
   If you aren’t currently digital journaling, do you think you might start after reading this post? If you are a journaler, can you add to the benefits I’ve listed above? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think.
   Thank you for visiting, reading, and sharing my post!
   As always, wishing you prosperity and online success,
   

   
   

7. The Benefits Of Daily Digital Journaling

   Deborah | September 17, 2015 | How To’s & Ed., Mindset | No Comments

   Should You Make Time For Daily Digital Journaling?
   I know that each year it seems we have less and less time to get things done. It’s amazing, isn’t it? We still have the same 24 hours that we had years ago, and the very same 24 hours as everyone else, yet it just doesn’t seem to be enough. So, I’m sure you’re thinking about digital journaling as just another thing to do. Well, it is — and it isn’t.
   Why Daily Digital Journaling
   For one thing, it can be your “safe place.” The only place you can go to vent, write down what may be considered by others as silly or crazy thoughts, goofy jokes that no one else gets, and you can find your “true voice.” I know that when I journal, it helps me improve my writing skills, helps me to stay focused, and I improve my overall mood and attitude.
   Journaling helps clear the mind, lets you review and make sense of difficult and stressful life situations, and it gives you a go-to place to review and uncover any unhealthy thought patterns.
   It’s been quite some time since I was actively involved in journaling. With technology today, I thought I’d do some research and see what’s out there. Yes, there’s an app for that! Several good apps it turns out.
   What To Look For In A Good Journaling App
   Look for an app that lets you easily and quickly add a snapshot or a quick note about an important or memorable event. Think of all the things you can track that many years from now will be brought right back to the front of your mind so you can relive them.
   Also, look for an app that allows you to easily backup and restore your journal. Are you into design? Then look for apps that allow you to customize your journal in creative ways so that you enjoy logging in and creating entries on a daily basis.
   Another useful feature is being able to print to PDF. Then you can share the file easily with your network. Oh, and make sure it includes a spell checker or else you will have to find one to use.
   I look for apps that are free with the ability to upgrade to a premium version if I really like it. This is usually a good sign that the developers will continue to add new features and benefits if they have a premium version to upgrade to.

   What App I Use For Daily Digital Journaling And What To Expect
   Since I am an Android user, I have found through much research that Journey for Android is the best journaling app available at this time. It is available as a free app in the Google Play Store for Android and iPhone. Also install it on Google Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
   If you are an iPhone/Apple device user, I say give it a try. If you don’t like it, my recommendation would be to try Day One or Penzu. There’s a good overview here of these apps.
   For those of you that prefer video, here’s a step-by-step view of what to expect when installing Journey on an Android:

   10 Reasons Daily Digital Journaling Is Worthwhile
   After committing to journaling again, I remembered just how much it helped me on so many levels. The benefits are so powerful, I just had to share this information with others. I know that some will resist the idea of using a digital method for journaling, but maybe after you read my list you just may change your mind.
   Some of the benefits as listed below seem to overlap, but I tried to hone in on key benefits even though each point is interconnected.
   It’s just plain easier and faster to enter notes and information digitally than using pen and paper. I’m sure I’m not the only one that likes things neat and organized. It’s easier to accomplish this via digital entries versus looking for a pen and paper and hastily scribbling some notes when you’re on the go and in a hurry. Plus, you won’t lose your notes, they are backed up. It’s also easier to edit, add-to, and make changes.

   It forces you to focus on some “me time” each day. Once you get into the habit of taking time each day to recount your thoughts, ideas, and activities, you will find that daily journaling is therapeutic. If you are a blogger like me, each day is filled with “service” activities such as researching new blog topics that my readers want to know more about, reaching out to my community through social media, emails, and phone calls to make sure they get the best service possible, and strategizing new marketing campaigns. Many people have “jobs” as well, small children, families to take care of, perhaps disabilities that challenge them… we all have challenges. It is important that you find the time to deal with you, your growth, your goals, and your personal development on a daily basis.

   Daily Digital Journaling helps you to quickly identify issues that otherwise might have remained hidden. I suggest a weekly review of your digital journal. Look for signs of things that are holding you back from progressing, moving forward, or reaching your goals. At first some of these may seem insignificant, watch for trends. If you are in touch with your feelings, moods, and habits each day, any negative issues or weaknesses can be identified quickly and decisions made on how to turn the weaknesses into strengths.

   Daily Digital Journaling can assist you in assessing your overall health. As in benefit number 2 above, since you are paying attention on a daily basis, you will also notice changes or trends in your physical, emotional, or spiritual health. How are you sleeping? What is your diet like? Are you staying hydrated? Are you taking regular breaks or mini-breaks throughout your day? Do you meditate? Do you take time for cat-naps? Do make sure you aren’t sitting in front of a computer for hours on end? Do you get daily physical activity of some sort? Catch issues early on. Everything is connected, our physical, emotional, spiritual and energy levels, moods, habits, and so on. Monitor your overall health by daily journaling and reviewing at least monthly.

   It builds confidence. As you journal and track your daily activities, you will also be recording your goals, strategies, ideas, and inspirations. As you review your entries, you will see trends and patterns. Pay close attention to what platforms, strategies, techniques, and desired outcomes are reached and what caused failure. As time goes by, you will see great progress. I find a digital journal review particularly confidence-building when I think I’m not getting anywhere. My journal proves me wrong!

   Adds Security and Privacy. Speaking of reviewing your digital journal entries, a digital journal is much easier to secure, archive, and review. Imagine years and years of digital entries means that you can protect, secure, archive and review to your heart’s content all from within a single application accessed by all of your devices and platforms!
   Imagine having photo albums, diaries, or journals and decades of history all packed placed in storage. All of that can be avoided with a digital record kept private for as long as you want it private. Use a passcode and no one can take a peek.
   No more worry about dampness, mold, fire, misplacing heirlooms or historic photos, or any other major “act of God” disaster. What about this suggestion: Interview your older relatives, capture their story on video forever. Then tell your thoughts and impression about the interview. Let your imagination run wild.

   Add Tracking Location, Date, and Timestamp. Sometimes you just want to jot something down really quickly, say an appointment and want to come back to it later. I don’t know about you, but if I use a pen and paper system, I may forget to go back to that note to finish tasks later on. I could use Outlook or another reminder service, but it’s so many steps! A digital journal can accurately date and time stamp entries. As a photographer, I like that if I’m out on a shoot, it can also stamp or geotag my location and current weather at the time. Using these options you can remember exactly where you were and what the weather was like when you took a specific shot. You can also choose to not include this information for privacy reasons.

   Digital Journaling allows you to tag and search. Even though you can come up with a system to search your pen-and-paper journals, it’s easier and faster to tag and search digitally.

   Print and export as a PDF. Since you are able to print and export as a PDF, it will be easy to combine journal entries or journal sections together to create an e-book project. It also allows for easy email or social media sharing.

   Backup your Digital Journal to Google Drive. You can also keep your Journey Digital Journal private but through Google Drive or Dropbox, you can work on specific projects with others. Journey backs-up to Google Drive but I would export as a PDF to Dropbox as well. This is a great idea for family history work or a business team project. The ability to backup and restore is a great feature. Backup your work regularly.

   For all of the features and professional reviews of Journey, go here.
   There is much scientific evidence that shows journaling is a healthy habit.
   My Therapy Journal states that, “Expectedly enough, scholars of various disciplines have studied the effects of journaling and found that it provides significant benefits to not only one’s psychological well being, but also one’s physical health and physiological functioning (Smyth, 1998). Several researchers for example (Greenberg et al., 1996; Spera et al., 1994; Pennebaker and Francis, 1996), have shown that people who journal report having significantly less distress (i.e. suffering, sorrow, pain), feeling less depressed, and having an overall better mood.
   Additionally, individuals also report that journaling changes they way they behave towards and around other people (Pennebaker & Graybeal, 2001). Other studies have found that people who journal for extended periods of time (months) also report an increase in emotional well-being (Park & Blumberg, 2002), a better day-to-day mood (Páez et al, 1999), and fewer symptoms of depression (Lepore, 1997).”
   The main focus of this post is to commit to daily digital journaling. It doesn’t matter which digital journaling app you choose, it’s important to stay consistent to see real progress and results. You might find that digital journaling on a daily basis just might be the cornerstone of your overall health and well-being both personally and professionally.
   Are you digital journaling? After reading this post, do you think you’ll try digital journaling? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think.
   I’ll be reading your comments below.
   ~ To your health and well being,
   Deborah
   PS – If you liked this post, please comment, like, and share …

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   About The Author

   Deb
   Originally from Kalamazoo Michigan, Deborah now calls Surprise Arizona home. She is a photographer and offers artistic services. While her main focus is fine art, nature, and wildlife photography, she also assists local artists with their online presence and promotion packages to increase brand awareness and sales. Deborah has been an entrepreneur for over 30 years. Her passion and intuitive sense of what will uplift others has helped her achieve a unique relationship with her fan base. Deborah is currently in the process of creating an Artist’s Community.

8. i used flava few years back. And recently i relogin and realized some of the memorable pics are gone….
   i even contacted flava team and no respond from them.

9. I’m really looking for a journal that will allow me to actually WRITE, like with the stylus, when I want to – any suggestions for that? So far, I’m only able to use note-taking apps, like NotesPlus, NoteShelf, and MetaMoji…which all have very nice ink engines.

10. Unfortunately Mishell I’m not aware of any digital journal apps.

11. shared this.

12. likes this.

13. likes this.

14. as a blogger I was happy to read this post since it teach me on how to get mobile application in which currently relevant to.i have a blog and i m also a android mobile.

15. I’ve been using One Day for a week. I thought I was happy until I realized that there is no way to include multiple pictures in the same entry. This is a deal breaker for me. They are adding this feature but only for another fee. Now that I know I have to pay a fee for something so basic I’m considering using the money to buy a different app. The 3 most important things to me after ease of use are being able to upload photos from my phone, upload multiple photos per entry, and easily back up my entire journal using an export to PDF. Can you suggest the best app with these features?

16. also I’m looking for an app that will allow the upload of videos

17. Version 2 of Day One was just released today and it supports up to 10 photos per entry. Thought I would share. My only problem with the new version it will now only sync with their service. No more iCloud/Dropbox support. I felt better when I was able to store my data with iCloud. No video support though.

18. I’ve heard the expression thrown around so many times, I’ve used it so many times, that I think I ought to write in further detail about how one goes about ‘loving themselves first’ rather than just regurgitating the cliché time and time again.
    Okay, here we go.
    1. Look After Yourself
    That sounds dead fucking simple but let’s be honest here, most things that sound simple are, in and of themselves, simplistic in nature. It’s in the implementation that people tend to fall down. In this case, I can describe what looking after yourself means. I can list ways that other people manage to look after themselves. I can link to studies showing that certain activities are proven to improve mental well-being. This would all be something that you’ve read before and if just reading about this shit made it all better, well you wouldn’t still be here reading more. It’s only through real intent and action following that intent that anyone ever makes a change in their life.
    There’s no one remedy for every individual (life would be boring if our minds could be fixed so easily), but there is a framework we can all use. It exists in our brain and it’s called habit forming.
    Chances are that if you are feeling shitty about who you are as a person, it’s not the underlying consciousness that you think is a piece of shit, it’s actually the person you habitually become every day when you wake up. It’s the way you think, the things you do (or the things you don’t do) that you are unhappy with.
    The good news is that these things are all changeable. Make a list of the things you do, say or think that make you unhappy with yourself.
    Seriously, go do it now. I’ll wait.
    2. Change Your Habits
    Then the next logical step is to correct your bad habits. Replace the old with the new. If the person you were unhappy with was a bit of a slob who spent every evening staring at a screen from the comfort of a couch, well then you know that the person that will make you happy must spend their evenings in another way.
    You can’t just give up a habit and not replace it with something else. Choose something that you love or even that you think you might enjoy and decide to practice that activity instead. Habits are literally etched into the neural pathways in our brain. This is why they’re so hard to break once they become automatic behaviours. To develop a new habit, you have to write that behaviour into your brain as a new neural pathway¹. It’s not quite brain surgery but you can see why it’s so difficult.
    This relates to goal setting as well, but it’s important to aim for a lifestyle change rather than a physical change. For example, aim to get some exercise twice a week rather than aiming to lose a stone. Goals with deadlines are great when the work involved has a real deadline but when you’re looking to change your own habits, there is no benefit in setting yourself a finish line.
    I find that deadlines in this context only serve to demotivate me in the case that I miss them or allow me to take the foot off the gas when I’ve surpassed them. This is the old habit fighting back, trying to get the mind to slip back into the comfort of the habit it knows. A personal example would be my efforts to refrain from smoking cannabis, “a whole week without smoking? Time to celebrate with a spliff”. You see how dangerous this can be?
    Okay I’ve gone on quite a bit about habits but I hope you see the relevance. We don’t love ourselves because of how we feel. We feel how we do as a result of our experiences. We experience what we do because of our habits. Hence, changing our habits will change our experience, in turn changing our feelings towards ourselves.
    3. Practice Mindfulness
    “Boo! Go away with your bleedin’ mindfulness shite will ya!?”
    Sorry but this has to be mentioned. If you do not try to be mindful, you will fail. In order to rewire the brain you have to actively monitor it (be mindful). If you do not monitor your behaviour (be it thoughts or actions), the mind will slip back into its default mode and before you know it, you’ll be back to your old habits once again.
    This is where practising mindfulness comes in handy. I’ve spoken in depth about mindfulness before but the underlying concept is simply that of awareness of the present moment. Within the observation of the present moment lies the key to self-love. When you hear your inner voice giving you grief about something, instead of believing it, accept it as a thought (and only that) and then let it go.
    Don’t fight against negative thoughts. I’ve read so much bullshit about only paying attention to positives and then you will only feel positive. It’s bullshit. Completely and utterly. Accept the negative and the positive. Resisting thoughts doesn’t solve our problems, it actually creates more because in doing so you have not only the negative emotion to deal with but also the feeling of tension that stems from resistance.
    Allow yourself to feel sad. Do not however, dwell on negative thoughts by humouring them. When we focus our attention on something, we give it our energy. We give it power to sustain. That’s okay if it’s thinking about how happy we’ll be when we’re on holidays, but why would we ever want to fuel a negative thought about our body image with more fire?
    The main point I wanted to get at here was mindfulness with regard to maintaining habits. The optimal technique for this (in my opinion) is starting a morning meditation ritual. That doesn’t mean setting aside an extra hour every morning, it can be done in 10 minutes or less. You can download an app for guided meditation or if you feel comfortable doing so, just sit for a few minutes in relative silence and focus on your breath. Think about your intent for the day while you meditate.
    Another great piece of advice I’ve taken on board in my own self-improvement is to start the day by writing down what I intend to accomplish throughout the day². Putting it onto paper makes it that bit more real. It’s harder to dismiss something real as opposed to ignoring a thought alone. If you do this over an extended period of time and keep it in some sort of organised format, you’ll be able to look back over all you’ve accomplished and feel pretty great about it. Which brings me on to my next point.
    4. Reflection
    And I don’t mean looking at yourself in the mirror. I mean to think carefully and deeply about your progress. As humans we are blessed with the ability to self-reflect. Meta-cognition is one hell of a drug. We have the capacity to exercise introspection and a willingness to learn more about our fundamental nature, purpose and essence (straight from Wikipedia!).
    So what I’m saying here is to put that ability to good use. Reflect critically on your progress and also on your failed attempts at progress. This is how we learn what works for us and what doesn’t. It also turns failed attempts into something of value. When you try something out and discover that you don’t like it, you learn a lot about yourself. You know where not to waste time in the future. It’s important to be aware of our own shortcomings so that we can either work on them or try something different.
    Think of reflection as a way of fine tuning our technique for self-improvement to suit our specific needs. You’ll make far more progress with a technique that’s specific to yourself than you will a general approach. If you don’t reflect, you won’t know why it’s not working.
    Conclusion
    Loving yourself is not an easy task for somebody who has developed some bad habits and allowed their mind to build absolute 4 lane motorways of neural pathways for these habits. By focusing on the fact that all we’ve done is build roads in our head, it becomes easier to know that you can tear them down and build new ones.
    Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was an emotionally stable, self-loving, content mind.
    
    Footnotes
    Understanding the physical process taking place in the brain can be helpful in changing habits. Focusing on the fact that we’re fighting against the current state of the mind as opposed to combating the mind itself motivates us. It reaffirms the idea that this is a battle we can win.
    I use a journal (or diary for those that wish to slag me over it), and follow the structure outlined here to track my progress. There are many online tools that provide the same functionality as paper except you know, on a screen.
    Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

19. on my iPhone i was using an app MOMENTO CLASSIC. that was an amazing app. but problem is that it is not compatible with android phone. now i am planning to shift to android, so is there any app from which i can recover or transfer my data from MOMENTO CLASSIC

20. yes there is an app Momento Classic(only for iOS). it imports from all the social media history

21. Top 5 Smart Journal Apps lifestreamblog.com/top-5-smart-jo… via @krynsky

22. I recently purchased and downloaded ‘Capture 365’ and ‘Day One 2’ for my MacAir and the Iphone. After using both the apps for a few days I decided I liked Capture 365 better than Day One 2. At the present time it’s missing a few features that Day One has such as multiple journals but I think it’s a slicker journaling app. The support for Capture 365 is very good and I’m told by the developers that multiple journal support along with other features will be included in future releases.

    If Day One is rumored to be the best journaling application, Capture 365 is something to consider instead.

23. […] Described as similar to Day One by Lifestream Blog’s Mark Krynsky, Journey is available for Android with a Google Chrome extension for work on a […]

24. Thanks for the great list! I tried all of these manual apps and I always forget to use them after awhile. I’m sold on a new free app called Stiya. Its private automatic journaling that does all the work for you. Adds location, photos, map, generic photos of places and more into a really beautiful private journal. All I need to do is add notes and if I post it – I look like a champ because its much better than things I usually post 🙂
    Anyway not affiliated but worth a look. I love them!

25. Try Stiya. Its free and will add photos automatically for you. You can always edit manually, change and delete photos. I’m a fan.

26. I’m looking to keep a photo journal with the end goal of printing a book each year. Do you know if any of these apps have an automatic book feature, where you simply make your daily entries and then they organized it into a sleek looking final product?

27. none for my windows phone? 🙁

28. I use Journey and it is the best honestly……I use it on my laptop and my android phone

29. I use penzu, but some are new which i never heard off thanks for sharing!

30. Evernote and the IF app can be combined to create an IF recipe that copies all Facebook posts (or Tweets) to a single note in Evernote. You can also set them up to download a copy of all pictures in which you are tagged on Facebook to Evernote. I don’t believe they will download past status updates, but do a good job of recording them going forward.

31. It looks like Flava isn’t available anymore, and from posts I’ve seen, they didn’t give users notice that they were shutting the site down. Several commented that they consequently lost all of the journal entries they had entered into Flava. Any other suggestions that work with IOS and Web?

32. 7 Essential Productivity Apps for Entrepreneurs to Keep You Focused on What Really Matters

33. https://fizzle.co/sparkline/productivity-apps

    For our businesses to flourish, we have to stay focused on the right things. If you’re an indie entrepreneur, you essentially live and die by the projects you complete, the ideas you bring into the world.
    We need more than productivity, we need a workflow for focus. So in this article I’m going to talk you through the 7 productivity apps we’ve found to be essential for entrepreneurs to get the right work done.
    These are productivity apps we use everyday here at Fizzle, some of which we’ve used for several years, so each comes highly recommended by us.
    However, I also include popular alternatives to the apps we use because it’s not about the app — it’s about the way you and your team design a workflow for more focus more often.
    What “productivity” means
    “Productivity” is defined as “the state or quality of being able to produce something.” In a non business sense it was used to refer to how capable a field or plot of land was at producing crops; almost like fertility.
    But in the business world, since the late 1800s, productivity had more to do with the relationship between INPUT and OUTPUT. “Productive” labor could achieve large results with small amounts of time and energy. In this sense, productivity basically means efficiency.
    Now, for us entrepreneurs in the 21st century productivity means more than just efficiency. Productivity is your ability to be both EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE:

    This way of looking at it helps us remember our goal with increased productivity can’t just be about efficiency, but must also include awareness of the effectiveness of our efforts.
    So, the productivity apps I share with you are not just helping us be more efficient with our time here at Fizzle, but they also help us remain effective, because — as I said above — as bootstrapped, indie entrepreneurs, our business dies if we aren’t effective.
    So, let’s get into it.
    1. An App for Managing Tasks
    Let’s start with what is colloquially called a to-do list. This is the app you use to manage your tasks on a day-to-day basis.
    Done poorly, you dread your task management app because the tasks are unclear, out of date and/or confusing. This is a bad place to be.
    Done well, this is your daily cockpit, reminding you about what’s happening, convincing you quickly of what matters right now and giving you exactly what you need to focus on the next action.
    Here’s what’s important to us about a task management app:

    Peaceful & easy to use: you want your task management app to feel clean and clear so you can quickly identify what’s next and start focusing. You do not want to feel confused or overwhelmed when you log in for to your task manager.
    Contains projects, project-based tasks and one-off tasks: Some tasks pop up without a project. Good task management apps have a place for these one-off tasks. Good task management apps also contain projects and project-based tasks. (A project is really just a collection of tasks with a common end-goal. We’ve got a whole course in Fizzle about how to use projects and tasks effectively.)
    Accessible on the go: wherever you go you want to have access to your task manager. All good task managers sync across devices either via the web or a stand alone app.
    Collaborative: if you don’t have a team, don’t worry about this one. If you do, a task manager that allows for team collaboration can make you more efficient as you make tasks for each other, comment on tasks and manage project progress.
    WHAT WE USE: Asana. We’ve been using this as our team task management app for over 2 years and we have no complaints. We work daily out of Asana as well as assign tasks for each other and manage our publishing calendars (for both podcast and blog).
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: OmniFocus, Things, Basecamp, Remember the Milk, a notebook or day planner (yes, these can be very effective!) and just about anything on this list or this list.
    Learn how to write and manage tasks better so you’ll get more out of your task manager in the Essentials of Productivity Course. Learn it today with a free two week free trial »
    2. An app for project planning & review
    Now, this is probably the category that’s made the single biggest impact on our progress over the past 2 years here at Fizzle.
    Above we covered the importance of a task management app. In that category we talked about being able to manage both tasks and projects. Here we’re adding an extra layer of project management but it’s worth it because of how efficient and effective it makes planning meetings, strategy sessions and quarterly reviews.
    What we noticed is that Asana by itself was a little too in the trees to give us a good view of the forest for our weekly and quarterly meetings. So we started using an additional tool to plan our quarters and review the projects in process every week.
    This made (and continues to make) a huge impact on our yearly progress. We plan quarters with more commitment, we work with more clarity and all team members have an accurate feel for what they and other team members are working on.

    High level: the app you use for project management should be really good at the high level view of things. You want to feel like you have an accurate bird’s eye view of your business, both stuff you’re currently working on and stuff coming up.
    Visual and/or tactile: so much of our work is purely digital, purely text, purely 1’s and 0’s on a computer screen. I think we do ourselves a favor when we can make our project management visual, special and tactile in any way so we can better sense the progress we’re making on these projects. It’s a little thing, but this has been huge for us because of how natural it is to use.
    WHAT WE USE: Trello. For the past couple years we’ve been using Trello to plan our quarters, review our progress weekly and review our company progress twice a year. This app (but more importantly, the review and planning process we use) is responsible for so much of our company’s progress.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Sticky notes on the wall like this (this actually works exceptionally well), Google Spreadsheets, general project management apps. Again, it’s the review and planning process that makes this work so well.
    Here’s an image of our current Trello board for Fizzle projects this year:

    THE GIST: Find some way you like to manage your projects from a bird’s eye view, something you can clearly see what you’ve finished, what you’re committed to right now, and what’s coming up. We talk about it deeper in this podcast, but we’ve found it to work really well to plan the projects every quarter and review progress every week.
    3. An app for personal daily reviews
    Listen, I already know you don’t want to do daily reviews, but I’m going try to get you to do them so please listen up, turkeys!
    The best two things about the daily reviews we use is this: they’re fast and they make you better (over time).
    They’re fast: our personal daily reviews can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. That’s it. All we do is write down what we did that day and then the two most important things to do tomorrow. I do it as I lay down in bed each night; open the app, scribble, done.
    They make you better (over time): doing a review of your work (and personal life!) daily gives you greater awareness of the tasks, projects and goals that make for real progress. Think about it, knowing more about that is kind of the trick to the whole game.
    Here’s what you want out of a personal daily review app:

    Quick and easy: you want to be able to open this sucker up and get straight down to business. Nothing fancy needed.
    A little delightful: boy it sure does help when an app like this is at least pretty. If it can feel like fun, or maybe even a little meaningful, then you’ve got it made.
    Zero BS: ”What did you do? What are you gonna do?” That’s all you need to answer. You don’t need prompts for additional thoughts unless you want ‘em.
    Don’t do too much: the danger here is to bite off too much — to think you need to do more. This can make the process cumbersome and make you more likely to quit, which undermines the whole thing because the value of this thing is it’s impact over time.
    Don’t expect quick miracles: this is a systematic investment in yourself, your personal life and your business. It might not feel like much when you’re squirting these little journal entries out, but a few months of this can create a completely new scaffolding for your planning and growth. So, let it take some time.
    WHAT WE USE: Day One. It’s all of the above, baby.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: a physical notebook, plain text files and other apps on this list.
    If you’re completely new to productivity journaling, we have an article and podcast to teach you how: 2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%)
    4. An app for email
    You know so much about email already, but let me chance a little mindset dust-off about email for you real quick.
    Your email inbox is where the world makes demands of you. Everyone in the world has (or can get) your email address, and everyone in the world seems to want something from you.
    But YOU get to decide which demands you let affect you. This is why managing email is an essential tool still today.
    And managing email is going to remain a necessary skill for a while yet. Being thoughtful about email takes a little work, but getting just a little faster and just a little more comfortable with your email tool is its own reward.
    Here’s what we want out of an email app:
    Fast: with email we need a way to quickly scan and act on the bullshit. If you’re not using keyboard shortcuts, you’re leaving money on the table here.
    Clean: some of you are still rockin Entourage and feeling fine with it. More power to you. For the rest of us, it’s sure nice for our inbox, even when it’s full of confusing messages, to feel like a sandbox we don’t mind playing in.
    The danger: it’s easy to let your inbox get as cluttered and funky as a week old cheese board. Emails are challenging because relationships with people are challenging. But you know that already.
    WHAT WE USE: Cloudmagic and Gmail Inbox. Corbett uses and loves Cloudmagic for changing between multiple inboxes. I use Gmail because once I learned the Gmail keyboard shortcuts I never needed anything else.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Airmail, Outlook and anything on this list.
    Bonus: Best iPhone Game
    Don’t even think about it. Wrong list, pal.
    5. A calendar app
    I have never known a successful founder or CEO who doesn’t take her/his calendar very seriously.
    Now, taking your calendar “seriously” doesn’t mean every moment on the calendar is filled in, but it does mean you bring some thoughtfulness (and probably some rules) to how you run your calendar.
    Thoughtfulness because when you’re dealing with your calendar you’re dealing with your TIME, literally the most precious resource. Play with your time unthoughtfully at your own peril.
    That’s why we need some rules about our calendar. And the first place to start with rules is this idea from workflow powerhouse David Allen:

    “I recommend that you only calendar ‘hard landscape’ stuff — things that have to get done on that day or time. Everything else should be maintained on on-going lists, to get to ‘as soon as you can’ in and around the calendared items.”

    Your calendar is not your todo list. It’s only for things you have to do at a certain date and time. I like that rule.
    I also like this rule: if you’re setting up an event with someone else, send that person a calendar event as soon as you can. This cleans up time zone mistakes and other issues right from the start. If it feels wonky to send someone you barely know a calendar event, get over it — it feels thoughtful and intentional to anyone who takes their calendar serious (and others can just delete it if they don’t like it).
    Calendar apps these days are all pretty similar. Here’s what we’re looking for in a calendar app:

    Notifications: I live and die by my calendar event notifications. It’s like I have an assistant that just reminds me where to be and when. Don’t fool yourself, it’s really really powerful when you can trust your calendar like this.
    Clean and easy:life’s too short for calendars that don’t look nice.
    Easy to send invites: if it’s easy you’ll start doing it. (See the rule in the text above for more info on this one.)
    Has a view you like: monthly, weekly, daily — these are the actionable modes on our calendars. It’s important you like the way your calendar does each of these. I live in week view because it makes the most sense to me visually.
    WHAT WE USE: Google Calendar (web app and mobile app). As the popular saying goes, if it ain’t broke…
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Outlook, Fantastical and anything on this list.
    6. An app for writing
    Just about all of us write in some form or other, whether it’s long form articles, answers to interview questions or business plans. (But you know your business plan should only be one page, right?)
    And for just about all of us who write, it’s hard work to put our ass in the chair and make the words come out on the page, so the app we use to write can matter a great deal.
    Here’s some of the things we’re looking for in the app we use to write:

    Clean, focused and distraction free: your writing environment effects your mindset which effects your writing, so let’s get rid of all those buttons and options and stick to the keys on our keyboard; that’s what matters in the end anyways.
    Sync options? Can you get your current writing files on your laptop, tablet and mobile devices? You might not need this, but if you’re writing on the go across devices then this is important.
    Nice file management? Some apps don’t do any file management for you beyond opening and saving files. Others have a file browser built into the app so you can jump from file to file without leaving the app or opening a bunch of windows. It doesn’t matter much what you care about on this one, it simply matters that your writing app cares about the same things you do.
    Markdown support? If writing plays any major role in your work, I think you’re crazy if you’re not using Markdown. It makes writing for the web and using that writing on the web a lot easier. However, if you’ve written professionally for a long time, don’t worry about; keep doing what you’re doing.
    Export options? If you write for a blog or publication, you may need your writing to be finalized in HTML or Rich Text Format (RTF). Can your app export into options like these? This is one place where Markdown shines because from one simple plain text file a good Markdown app can export to PDF, RTF, HTML and more.
    WHAT WE USE: Ulysses (for Mac) and Google Docs (for collaboration and editing). Ulysses is a little heavy as a writing app, but we’ve been using it for a year or so and the benefits far outweigh the costs. I like, specifically, how it manages files, syncs across devices and that I can customize how the Markdown formatting looks.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Byword, iA Writer and anything else on this list.
    7. An app for team communication
    Skip this one if you work on your own.
    If you’re on a team of any kind, big or small, how you communicate matters.
    We’re all used to using email for team communication. And if you’re fine with it, keep using it.
    But email can be exceptionally cumbersome over time as you manage reply all threads, different email practices and personal/work inboxes.
    That cumbersome communication can build up and get in the way of your people having smooth, productive relationships. So, many small companies have moved to a different kind of app for team communication.
    Let’s look at what we want from a team communication app:

    Fast and light: you just don’t want this app to feel cumbersome. You want to be able to fly through communicating what matters to who it matters to.
    Fun: if your team communication can feel fun then you’re in a good spot. You don’t want your team comm. app to feel like a burden in and of itself — you’ve got plenty of real burdens to bear. This might mean simply opening a team chat room for cat pics… that kind of thing goes a long way for me at least
    Findable: this is the app you’ll use to plan ideas, schedule meetings, comment on design mockups, etc., so everything needs to be findable when, some months from now, you’re looking for something specific.
    Everything in one place: this app needs to do everything in one place so your team doesn’t have to wonder “where should I ask this question?”
    WHAT WE USE: Slack. We use it religiously, enjoy it and find everything we need in it.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Email, Hipchat, Yammer and others on this list.
    Bonus: An app for customer support
    Now, I’m not going to give you a deep dive on customer support apps, I’m just going to say this: supporting your customers is essential to your business, which means it’s something that matters to you, which means you’d do well to be thoughtful about the app you use for customer support.
    This article is already too long to do justice to all the different things that matter about a customer support app because we’d have to cover so many different kinds of businesses with different kinds of customer support needs.
    So let me just share a few things that are important to our customer support experience at Fizzle:
    Reliability: if your customer support app craps out on you it’s going to feel to customers like you’ve crapped out on them.
    Speed and ease of use: customer support can be a heavy load, so keyboard shortcuts and thoughtful design can make a big difference to the people who use the app.
    Integration with the customer database: not all customer service apps do this, but it’s nice that as you’re answering someone’s question you can browse through a history of that customer’s interaction with your website and/or product.
    Useable by anyone: we’ve had seasons where everyone on the team has to take on part of the customer support effort, so it’s important that the customer support app is simple enough for anyone on the team to use.
    WHAT WE USE: Intercom. Intercom is actually more of a platform for communicating with your customers. It’s very robust yet pretty damn easy to use and it’s at the heart of our customer support.
    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: ZenDesk, Groove, HelpScout and others on this list.
    Other favorite productivity apps
    The list above are what we feel are the essential app categories for modern, web-centric businesses. But here are a few other productivity apps we need to mention because they help us keep focused in some small and meaningful ways.
    CloudApp — capture screenshots and files for sharing on Slack, Twitter, email, etc. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t share something quickly using this tiny app on my mac. In fact, here’s the latest thing I shared to Corbett.
    Dropbox — every keynote presentation, photoshop file and blog image is shared to a common repository in Dropbox. We can control who has access to what and even have public folders like this one.
    1Password — we share a lot of logins, passwords and app credentials across the Fizzle team. 1Password helps us do that securely.
    Text Expander — this little app automatically expands pre-determined text from a short text trigger. I use it religiously in customer communication and simple URL expanding. To date I’ve expanded 15,806 snippets, saving me about 80 hours of writing time.
    Try Our Productivity Essentials Course Free
    It’s one of the most common questions we hear from entrepreneurs: how do I get more stuff done? Why do I keep procrastinating!?
    We need a system to help us get things done.
    BUT not a system so complex that we spend more time working on the system than we do on the work.
    We need a simple productivity system that helps us stay motivated and focused without sidetracking our progress.
    And, frankly, that means you might benefit from some insights from other entrepreneurs as they share some lessons learned.
    Because, no matter how you slice and dice it, as I said above, as indie entrepreneurs we live and die by our ability to get things done.
    So, we made a course teaching what we think is the essential productivity system for indie entrepreneurs. You can find fancier or more complex systems out there, but chances are the ideas in this course are at the guts of all those systems. So, why not get the core right and customize he peripherals yourself?
    As a reader of the blog here, you can try the course out for free in a 2 week free trial. We hope you’ll like this course enough to stay for our other courses and weekly group calls for entrepreneurs. (We have 40+ other courses and a scheduled group call every Friday.)
    Click here to start your free trial »

34. […] POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: a physical notebook, plain text files and other apps on this list. […]

35. For our businesses to flourish, we have to stay focused on the right things. If you’re an indie entrepreneur, you essentially live and die by the projects you complete, the ideas you bring into the world.

    We need more than productivity, we need a workflow for focus. So in this article I’m going to talk you through the 7 productivity apps we’ve found to be essential for entrepreneurs to get the right work done.

    These are productivity apps we use everyday here at Fizzle, some of which we’ve used for several years, so each comes highly recommended by us.

    However, I also include popular alternatives to the apps we use because it’s not about the app – it’s about the way you and your team design a workflow for more focus more often.

    What “productivity” means

    “Productivity” is defined as “the state or quality of being able to produce something.” In a non business sense it was used to refer to how capable a field or plot of land was at producing crops; almost like fertility.

    But in the business world, since the late 1800s, productivity had more to do with the relationship between INPUT and OUTPUT. “Productive” labor could achieve large results with small amounts of time and energy. In this sense, productivity basically means efficiency.

    Now, for us entrepreneurs in the 21st century productivity means more than just efficiency. Productivity is your ability to be both EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE:

    This way of looking at it helps us remember our goal with increased productivity can’t just be about efficiency, but must also include awareness of the effectiveness of our efforts.

    So, the productivity apps I share with you are not just helping us be more efficient with our time here at Fizzle, but they also help us remain effective, because – as I said above – as bootstrapped, indie entrepreneurs, our business dies if we aren’t effective.

    So, let’s get into it.

    1. An App for Managing Tasks

    Let’s start with what is colloquially called a to-do list. This is the app you use to manage your tasks on a day-to-day basis.

    Done poorly, you dread your task management app because the tasks are unclear, out of date and/or confusing. This is a bad place to be.

    Done well, this is your daily cockpit, reminding you about what’s happening, convincing you quickly of what matters right now and giving you exactly what you need to focus on the next action.

    Here’s what’s important to us about a task management app:

    Peaceful & easy to use: you want your task management app to feel clean and clear so you can quickly identify what’s next and start focusing. You do not want to feel confused or overwhelmed when you log in for to your task manager.

    Contains projects, project-based tasks and one-off tasks: Some tasks pop up without a project. Good task management apps have a place for these one-off tasks. Good task management apps also contain projects and project-based tasks. (A project is really just a collection of tasks with a common end-goal. We’ve got a whole course in Fizzle about how to use projects and tasks effectively.)

    Accessible on the go: wherever you go you want to have access to your task manager. All good task managers sync across devices either via the web or a stand alone app.

    Collaborative: if you don’t have a team, don’t worry about this one. If you do, a task manager that allows for team collaboration can make you more efficient as you make tasks for each other, comment on tasks and manage project progress.

    WHAT WE USE: Asana. We’ve been using this as our team task management app for over 2 years and we have no complaints. We work daily out of Asana as well as assign tasks for each other and manage our publishing calendars (for both podcast and blog).

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: OmniFocus, Things, Basecamp, Remember the Milk, a notebook or day planner (yes, these can be very effective!) and just about anything on this list or this list.

    Learn how to write and manage tasks better so you’ll get more out of your task manager in the Essentials of Productivity Course. Learn it today with a free two week free trial »

    2. An app for project planning & review

    Now, this is probably the category that’s made the single biggest impact on our progress over the past 2 years here at Fizzle.

    Above we covered the importance of a task management app. In that category we talked about being able to manage both tasks and projects. Here we’re adding an extra layer of project management but it’s worth it because of how efficient and effective it makes planning meetings, strategy sessions and quarterly reviews.

    What we noticed is that Asana by itself was a little too in the trees to give us a good view of the forest for our weekly and quarterly meetings. So we started using an additional tool to plan our quarters and review the projects in process every week.

    This made (and continues to make) a huge impact on our yearly progress. We plan quarters with more commitment, we work with more clarity and all team members have an accurate feel for what they and other team members are working on.

    High level: the app you use for project management should be really good at the high level view of things. You want to feel like you have an accurate bird’s eye view of your business, both stuff you’re currently working on and stuff coming up.

    Visual and/or tactile: so much of our work is purely digital, purely text, purely 1’s and 0’s on a computer screen. I think we do ourselves a favor when we can make our project management visual, special and tactile in any way so we can better sense the progress we’re making on these projects. It’s a little thing, but this has been huge for us because of how natural it is to use.

    WHAT WE USE: Trello. For the past couple years we’ve been using Trello to plan our quarters, review our progress weekly and review our company progress twice a year. This app (but more importantly, the review and planning process we use) is responsible for so much of our company’s progress.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Sticky notes on the wall like this (this actually works exceptionally well), Google Spreadsheets, general project management apps. Again, it’s the review and planning process that makes this work so well.

    Here’s an image of our current Trello board for Fizzle projects this year:

    THE GIST: Find some way you like to manage your projects from a bird’s eye view, something you can clearly see what you’ve finished, what you’re committed to right now, and what’s coming up. We talk about it deeper in this podcast, but we’ve found it to work really well to plan the projects every quarter and review progress every week.

    3. An app for personal daily reviews

    Listen, I already know you don’t want to do daily reviews, but I’m going try to get you to do them so please listen up, turkeys!

    The best two things about the daily reviews we use is this: they’re fast and they make you better (over time).

    They’re fast: our personal daily reviews can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. That’s it. All we do is write down what we did that day and then the two most important things to do tomorrow. I do it as I lay down in bed each night; open the app, scribble, done.

    They make you better (over time): doing a review of your work (and personal life!) daily gives you greater awareness of the tasks, projects and goals that make for real progress. Think about it, knowing more about that is kind of the trick to the whole game.

    Here’s what you want out of a personal daily review app:

    Quick and easy: you want to be able to open this sucker up and get straight down to business. Nothing fancy needed.

    A little delightful: boy it sure does help when an app like this is at least pretty. If it can feel like fun, or maybe even a little meaningful, then you’ve got it made.

    Zero BS: ”What did you do? What are you gonna do?” That’s all you need to answer. You don’t need prompts for additional thoughts unless you want ’em.

    Don’t do too much: the danger here is to bite off too much – to think you need to do more. This can make the process cumbersome and make you more likely to quit, which undermines the whole thing because the value of this thing is it’s impact over time.

    Don’t expect quick miracles: this is a systematic investment in yourself, your personal life and your business. It might not feel like much when you’re squirting these little journal entries out, but a few months of this can create a completely new scaffolding for your planning and growth. So, let it take some time.

    WHAT WE USE: Day One. It’s all of the above, baby.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: a physical notebook, plain text files and other apps on this list.

    If you’re completely new to productivity journaling, we have an article and podcast to teach you how: 2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%)

    4. An app for email

    You know so much about email already, but let me chance a little mindset dust-off about email for you real quick.

    Your email inbox is where the world makes demands of you. Everyone in the world has (or can get) your email address, and everyone in the world seems to want something from you.

    But YOU get to decide which demands you let affect you. This is why managing email is an essential tool still today.

    And managing email is going to remain a necessary skill for a while yet. Being thoughtful about email takes a little work, but getting just a little faster and just a little more comfortable with your email tool is its own reward.

    Here’s what we want out of an email app:

    Fast: with email we need a way to quickly scan and act on the bullshit. If you’re not using keyboard shortcuts, you’re leaving money on the table here.

    Clean: some of you are still rockin Entourage and feeling fine with it. More power to you. For the rest of us, it’s sure nice for our inbox, even when it’s full of confusing messages, to feel like a sandbox we don’t mind playing in.

    The danger: it’s easy to let your inbox get as cluttered and funky as a week old cheese board. Emails are challenging because relationships with people are challenging. But you know that already.

    WHAT WE USE: Cloudmagic and Gmail Inbox. Corbett uses and loves Cloudmagic for changing between multiple inboxes. I use Gmail because once I learned the Gmail keyboard shortcuts I never needed anything else.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Airmail, Outlook and anything on this list.

    Bonus: Best iPhone Game

    Don’t even think about it. Wrong list, pal.

    5. A calendar app

    I have never known a successful founder or CEO who doesn’t take her/his calendar very seriously.

    Now, taking your calendar “seriously” doesn’t mean every moment on the calendar is filled in, but it does mean you bring some thoughtfulness (and probably some rules) to how you run your calendar.

    Thoughtfulness because when you’re dealing with your calendar you’re dealing with your TIME, literally the most precious resource. Play with your time unthoughtfully at your own peril.

    That’s why we need some rules about our calendar. And the first place to start with rules is this idea from workflow powerhouse David Allen:

    “I recommend that you only calendar ‘hard landscape’ stuff – things that have to get done on that day or time. Everything else should be maintained on on-going lists, to get to ‘as soon as you can’ in and around the calendared items.”

    Your calendar is not your todo list. It’s only for things you have to do at a certain date and time. I like that rule.

    I also like this rule: if you’re setting up an event with someone else, send that person a calendar event as soon as you can. This cleans up time zone mistakes and other issues right from the start. If it feels wonky to send someone you barely know a calendar event, get over it – it feels thoughtful and intentional to anyone who takes their calendar serious (and others can just delete it if they don’t like it).

    Calendar apps these days are all pretty similar. Here’s what we’re looking for in a calendar app:

    Notifications: I live and die by my calendar event notifications. It’s like I have an assistant that just reminds me where to be and when. Don’t fool yourself, it’s really really powerful when you can trust your calendar like this.

    Clean and easy:life’s too short for calendars that don’t look nice.

    Easy to send invites: if it’s easy you’ll start doing it. (See the rule in the text above for more info on this one.)

    Has a view you like: monthly, weekly, daily – these are the actionable modes on our calendars. It’s important you like the way your calendar does each of these. I live in week view because it makes the most sense to me visually.

    WHAT WE USE: Google Calendar (web app and mobile app). As the popular saying goes, if it ain’t broke…

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Outlook, Fantastical and anything on this list.

    6. An app for writing

    Just about all of us write in some form or other, whether it’s long form articles, answers to interview questions or business plans. (But you know your business plan should only be one page, right?)

    And for just about all of us who write, it’s hard work to put our ass in the chair and make the words come out on the page, so the app we use to write can matter a great deal.

    Here’s some of the things we’re looking for in the app we use to write:

    Clean, focused and distraction free: your writing environment effects your mindset which effects your writing, so let’s get rid of all those buttons and options and stick to the keys on our keyboard; that’s what matters in the end anyways.

    Sync options? Can you get your current writing files on your laptop, tablet and mobile devices? You might not need this, but if you’re writing on the go across devices then this is important.

    Nice file management? Some apps don’t do any file management for you beyond opening and saving files. Others have a file browser built into the app so you can jump from file to file without leaving the app or opening a bunch of windows. It doesn’t matter much what you care about on this one, it simply matters that your writing app cares about the same things you do.

    Markdown support? If writing plays any major role in your work, I think you’re crazy if you’re not using Markdown. It makes writing for the web and using that writing on the web a lot easier. However, if you’ve written professionally for a long time, don’t worry about; keep doing what you’re doing.

    Export options? If you write for a blog or publication, you may need your writing to be finalized in HTML or Rich Text Format (RTF). Can your app export into options like these? This is one place where Markdown shines because from one simple plain text file a good Markdown app can export to PDF, RTF, HTML and more.

    WHAT WE USE: Ulysses (for Mac) and Google Docs (for collaboration and editing). Ulysses is a little heavy as a writing app, but we’ve been using it for a year or so and the benefits far outweigh the costs. I like, specifically, how it manages files, syncs across devices and that I can customize how the Markdown formatting looks.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Byword, iA Writer and anything else on this list.

    7. An app for team communication

    Skip this one if you work on your own.

    If you’re on a team of any kind, big or small, how you communicate matters.

    We’re all used to using email for team communication. And if you’re fine with it, keep using it.

    But email can be exceptionally cumbersome over time as you manage reply all threads, different email practices and personal/work inboxes.

    That cumbersome communication can build up and get in the way of your people having smooth, productive relationships. So, many small companies have moved to a different kind of app for team communication.

    Let’s look at what we want from a team communication app:

    Fast and light: you just don’t want this app to feel cumbersome. You want to be able to fly through communicating what matters to who it matters to.

    Fun: if your team communication can feel fun then you’re in a good spot. You don’t want your team comm. app to feel like a burden in and of itself – you’ve got plenty of real burdens to bear. This might mean simply opening a team chat room for cat pics… that kind of thing goes a long way for me at least

    Findable: this is the app you’ll use to plan ideas, schedule meetings, comment on design mockups, etc., so everything needs to be findable when, some months from now, you’re looking for something specific.

    Everything in one place: this app needs to do everything in one place so your team doesn’t have to wonder “where should I ask this question?”

    WHAT WE USE: Slack. We use it religiously, enjoy it and find everything we need in it.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Email, Hipchat, Yammer and others on this list.

    Bonus: An app for customer support

    Now, I’m not going to give you a deep dive on customer support apps, I’m just going to say this: supporting your customers is essential to your business, which means it’s something that matters to you, which means you’d do well to be thoughtful about the app you use for customer support.

    This article is already too long to do justice to all the different things that matter about a customer support app because we’d have to cover so many different kinds of businesses with different kinds of customer support needs.

    So let me just share a few things that are important to our customer support experience at Fizzle:

    Reliability: if your customer support app craps out on you it’s going to feel to customers like you’ve crapped out on them.

    Speed and ease of use: customer support can be a heavy load, so keyboard shortcuts and thoughtful design can make a big difference to the people who use the app.

    Integration with the customer database: not all customer service apps do this, but it’s nice that as you’re answering someone’s question you can browse through a history of that customer’s interaction with your website and/or product.

    Useable by anyone: we’ve had seasons where everyone on the team has to take on part of the customer support effort, so it’s important that the customer support app is simple enough for anyone on the team to use.

    WHAT WE USE: Intercom. Intercom is actually more of a platform for communicating with your customers. It’s very robust yet pretty damn easy to use and it’s at the heart of our customer support.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: ZenDesk, Groove, HelpScout and others on this list.

    Other favorite productivity apps

    The list above are what we feel are the essential app categories for modern, web-centric businesses. But here are a few other productivity apps we need to mention because they help us keep focused in some small and meaningful ways.

    CloudApp – capture screenshots and files for sharing on Slack, Twitter, email, etc. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t share something quickly using this tiny app on my mac. In fact, here’s the latest thing I shared to Corbett.

    Dropbox – every keynote presentation, photoshop file and blog image is shared to a common repository in Dropbox. We can control who has access to what and even have public folders like this one.

    1Password – we share a lot of logins, passwords and app credentials across the Fizzle team. 1Password helps us do that securely.

    Text Expander – this little app automatically expands pre-determined text from a short text trigger. I use it religiously in customer communication and simple URL expanding. To date I’ve expanded 15,806 snippets, saving me about 80 hours of writing time.

    Try Our Productivity Essentials Course Free

    It’s one of the most common questions we hear from entrepreneurs: how do I get more stuff done? Why do I keep procrastinating!?

    We need a system to help us get things done.

    BUT not a system so complex that we spend more time working on the system than we do on the work.

    We need a simple productivity system that helps us stay motivated and focused without sidetracking our progress.

    And, frankly, that means you might benefit from some insights from other entrepreneurs as they share some lessons learned.

    Because, no matter how you slice and dice it, as I said above, as indie entrepreneurs we live and die by our ability to get things done.

    So, we made a course teaching what we think is the essential productivity system for indie entrepreneurs. You can find fancier or more complex systems out there, but chances are the ideas in this course are at the guts of all those systems. So, why not get the core right and customize he peripherals yourself?

    As a reader of the blog here, you can try the course out for free in a 2 week free trial. We hope you’ll like this course enough to stay for our other courses and weekly group calls for entrepreneurs. (We have 40+ other courses and a scheduled group call every Friday.)

    Click here to start your free trial »

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36. For our businesses to flourish, we have to stay focused on the right things. If you’re an indie entrepreneur, you essentially live and die by the projects you complete, the ideas you bring into the world.

    We need more than productivity, we need a workflow for focus. So in this article I’m going to talk you through the 7 productivity apps we’ve found to be essential for entrepreneurs to get the right work done.

    These are productivity apps we use everyday here at Fizzle, some of which we’ve used for several years, so each comes highly recommended by us.

    However, I also include popular alternatives to the apps we use because it’s not about the app – it’s about the way you and your team design a workflow for more focus more often.

    What “productivity” means

    “Productivity” is defined as “the state or quality of being able to produce something.” In a non business sense it was used to refer to how capable a field or plot of land was at producing crops; almost like fertility.

    But in the business world, since the late 1800s, productivity had more to do with the relationship between INPUT and OUTPUT. “Productive” labor could achieve large results with small amounts of time and energy. In this sense, productivity basically means efficiency.

    Now, for us entrepreneurs in the 21st century productivity means more than just efficiency. Productivity is your ability to be both EFFICIENT and EFFECTIVE:

    This way of looking at it helps us remember our goal with increased productivity can’t just be about efficiency, but must also include awareness of the effectiveness of our efforts.

    So, the productivity apps I share with you are not just helping us be more efficient with our time here at Fizzle, but they also help us remain effective, because – as I said above – as bootstrapped, indie entrepreneurs, our business dies if we aren’t effective.

    So, let’s get into it.

    1. An App for Managing Tasks

    Let’s start with what is colloquially called a to-do list. This is the app you use to manage your tasks on a day-to-day basis.

    Done poorly, you dread your task management app because the tasks are unclear, out of date and/or confusing. This is a bad place to be.

    Done well, this is your daily cockpit, reminding you about what’s happening, convincing you quickly of what matters right now and giving you exactly what you need to focus on the next action.

    Here’s what’s important to us about a task management app:

    Peaceful & easy to use: you want your task management app to feel clean and clear so you can quickly identify what’s next and start focusing. You do not want to feel confused or overwhelmed when you log in for to your task manager.

    Contains projects, project-based tasks and one-off tasks: Some tasks pop up without a project. Good task management apps have a place for these one-off tasks. Good task management apps also contain projects and project-based tasks. (A project is really just a collection of tasks with a common end-goal. We’ve got a whole course in Fizzle about how to use projects and tasks effectively.)

    Accessible on the go: wherever you go you want to have access to your task manager. All good task managers sync across devices either via the web or a stand alone app.

    Collaborative: if you don’t have a team, don’t worry about this one. If you do, a task manager that allows for team collaboration can make you more efficient as you make tasks for each other, comment on tasks and manage project progress.

    WHAT WE USE: Asana. We’ve been using this as our team task management app for over 2 years and we have no complaints. We work daily out of Asana as well as assign tasks for each other and manage our publishing calendars (for both podcast and blog).

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: OmniFocus, Things, Basecamp, Remember the Milk, a notebook or day planner (yes, these can be very effective!) and just about anything on this list or this list.

    Learn how to write and manage tasks better so you’ll get more out of your task manager in the Essentials of Productivity Course. Learn it today with a free two week free trial »

    2. An app for project planning & review

    Now, this is probably the category that’s made the single biggest impact on our progress over the past 2 years here at Fizzle.

    Above we covered the importance of a task management app. In that category we talked about being able to manage both tasks and projects. Here we’re adding an extra layer of project management but it’s worth it because of how efficient and effective it makes planning meetings, strategy sessions and quarterly reviews.

    What we noticed is that Asana by itself was a little too in the trees to give us a good view of the forest for our weekly and quarterly meetings. So we started using an additional tool to plan our quarters and review the projects in process every week.

    This made (and continues to make) a huge impact on our yearly progress. We plan quarters with more commitment, we work with more clarity and all team members have an accurate feel for what they and other team members are working on.

    High level: the app you use for project management should be really good at the high level view of things. You want to feel like you have an accurate bird’s eye view of your business, both stuff you’re currently working on and stuff coming up.

    Visual and/or tactile: so much of our work is purely digital, purely text, purely 1’s and 0’s on a computer screen. I think we do ourselves a favor when we can make our project management visual, special and tactile in any way so we can better sense the progress we’re making on these projects. It’s a little thing, but this has been huge for us because of how natural it is to use.

    WHAT WE USE: Trello. For the past couple years we’ve been using Trello to plan our quarters, review our progress weekly and review our company progress twice a year. This app (but more importantly, the review and planning process we use) is responsible for so much of our company’s progress.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Sticky notes on the wall like this (this actually works exceptionally well), Google Spreadsheets, general project management apps. Again, it’s the review and planning process that makes this work so well.

    Here’s an image of our current Trello board for Fizzle projects this year:

    THE GIST: Find some way you like to manage your projects from a bird’s eye view, something you can clearly see what you’ve finished, what you’re committed to right now, and what’s coming up. We talk about it deeper in this podcast, but we’ve found it to work really well to plan the projects every quarter and review progress every week.

    3. An app for personal daily reviews

    Listen, I already know you don’t want to do daily reviews, but I’m going try to get you to do them so please listen up, turkeys!

    The best two things about the daily reviews we use is this: they’re fast and they make you better (over time).

    They’re fast: our personal daily reviews can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. That’s it. All we do is write down what we did that day and then the two most important things to do tomorrow. I do it as I lay down in bed each night; open the app, scribble, done.

    They make you better (over time): doing a review of your work (and personal life!) daily gives you greater awareness of the tasks, projects and goals that make for real progress. Think about it, knowing more about that is kind of the trick to the whole game.

    Here’s what you want out of a personal daily review app:

    Quick and easy: you want to be able to open this sucker up and get straight down to business. Nothing fancy needed.

    A little delightful: boy it sure does help when an app like this is at least pretty. If it can feel like fun, or maybe even a little meaningful, then you’ve got it made.

    Zero BS: ”What did you do? What are you gonna do?” That’s all you need to answer. You don’t need prompts for additional thoughts unless you want ’em.

    Don’t do too much: the danger here is to bite off too much – to think you need to do more. This can make the process cumbersome and make you more likely to quit, which undermines the whole thing because the value of this thing is it’s impact over time.

    Don’t expect quick miracles: this is a systematic investment in yourself, your personal life and your business. It might not feel like much when you’re squirting these little journal entries out, but a few months of this can create a completely new scaffolding for your planning and growth. So, let it take some time.

    WHAT WE USE: Day One. It’s all of the above, baby.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: a physical notebook, plain text files and other apps on this list.

    If you’re completely new to productivity journaling, we have an article and podcast to teach you how: 2 Experts Share Exactly How to Use a Productivity Journal (& Increase Productivity by 23%)

    4. An app for email

    You know so much about email already, but let me chance a little mindset dust-off about email for you real quick.

    Your email inbox is where the world makes demands of you. Everyone in the world has (or can get) your email address, and everyone in the world seems to want something from you.

    But YOU get to decide which demands you let affect you. This is why managing email is an essential tool still today.

    And managing email is going to remain a necessary skill for a while yet. Being thoughtful about email takes a little work, but getting just a little faster and just a little more comfortable with your email tool is its own reward.

    Here’s what we want out of an email app:

    Fast: with email we need a way to quickly scan and act on the bullshit. If you’re not using keyboard shortcuts, you’re leaving money on the table here.

    Clean: some of you are still rockin Entourage and feeling fine with it. More power to you. For the rest of us, it’s sure nice for our inbox, even when it’s full of confusing messages, to feel like a sandbox we don’t mind playing in.

    The danger: it’s easy to let your inbox get as cluttered and funky as a week old cheese board. Emails are challenging because relationships with people are challenging. But you know that already.

    WHAT WE USE: Cloudmagic and Gmail Inbox. Corbett uses and loves Cloudmagic for changing between multiple inboxes. I use Gmail because once I learned the Gmail keyboard shortcuts I never needed anything else.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Airmail, Outlook and anything on this list.

    Bonus: Best iPhone Game

    Don’t even think about it. Wrong list, pal.

    5. A calendar app

    I have never known a successful founder or CEO who doesn’t take her/his calendar very seriously.

    Now, taking your calendar “seriously” doesn’t mean every moment on the calendar is filled in, but it does mean you bring some thoughtfulness (and probably some rules) to how you run your calendar.

    Thoughtfulness because when you’re dealing with your calendar you’re dealing with your TIME, literally the most precious resource. Play with your time unthoughtfully at your own peril.

    That’s why we need some rules about our calendar. And the first place to start with rules is this idea from workflow powerhouse David Allen:

    “I recommend that you only calendar ‘hard landscape’ stuff – things that have to get done on that day or time. Everything else should be maintained on on-going lists, to get to ‘as soon as you can’ in and around the calendared items.”

    Your calendar is not your todo list. It’s only for things you have to do at a certain date and time. I like that rule.

    I also like this rule: if you’re setting up an event with someone else, send that person a calendar event as soon as you can. This cleans up time zone mistakes and other issues right from the start. If it feels wonky to send someone you barely know a calendar event, get over it – it feels thoughtful and intentional to anyone who takes their calendar serious (and others can just delete it if they don’t like it).

    Calendar apps these days are all pretty similar. Here’s what we’re looking for in a calendar app:

    Notifications: I live and die by my calendar event notifications. It’s like I have an assistant that just reminds me where to be and when. Don’t fool yourself, it’s really really powerful when you can trust your calendar like this.

    Clean and easy:life’s too short for calendars that don’t look nice.

    Easy to send invites: if it’s easy you’ll start doing it. (See the rule in the text above for more info on this one.)

    Has a view you like: monthly, weekly, daily – these are the actionable modes on our calendars. It’s important you like the way your calendar does each of these. I live in week view because it makes the most sense to me visually.

    WHAT WE USE: Google Calendar (web app and mobile app). As the popular saying goes, if it ain’t broke…

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Outlook, Fantastical and anything on this list.

    6. An app for writing

    Just about all of us write in some form or other, whether it’s long form articles, answers to interview questions or business plans. (But you know your business plan should only be one page, right?)

    And for just about all of us who write, it’s hard work to put our ass in the chair and make the words come out on the page, so the app we use to write can matter a great deal.

    Here’s some of the things we’re looking for in the app we use to write:

    Clean, focused and distraction free: your writing environment effects your mindset which effects your writing, so let’s get rid of all those buttons and options and stick to the keys on our keyboard; that’s what matters in the end anyways.

    Sync options? Can you get your current writing files on your laptop, tablet and mobile devices? You might not need this, but if you’re writing on the go across devices then this is important.

    Nice file management? Some apps don’t do any file management for you beyond opening and saving files. Others have a file browser built into the app so you can jump from file to file without leaving the app or opening a bunch of windows. It doesn’t matter much what you care about on this one, it simply matters that your writing app cares about the same things you do.

    Markdown support? If writing plays any major role in your work, I think you’re crazy if you’re not using Markdown. It makes writing for the web and using that writing on the web a lot easier. However, if you’ve written professionally for a long time, don’t worry about; keep doing what you’re doing.

    Export options? If you write for a blog or publication, you may need your writing to be finalized in HTML or Rich Text Format (RTF). Can your app export into options like these? This is one place where Markdown shines because from one simple plain text file a good Markdown app can export to PDF, RTF, HTML and more.

    WHAT WE USE: Ulysses (for Mac) and Google Docs (for collaboration and editing). Ulysses is a little heavy as a writing app, but we’ve been using it for a year or so and the benefits far outweigh the costs. I like, specifically, how it manages files, syncs across devices and that I can customize how the Markdown formatting looks.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Byword, iA Writer and anything else on this list.

    7. An app for team communication

    Skip this one if you work on your own.

    If you’re on a team of any kind, big or small, how you communicate matters.

    We’re all used to using email for team communication. And if you’re fine with it, keep using it.

    But email can be exceptionally cumbersome over time as you manage reply all threads, different email practices and personal/work inboxes.

    That cumbersome communication can build up and get in the way of your people having smooth, productive relationships. So, many small companies have moved to a different kind of app for team communication.

    Let’s look at what we want from a team communication app:

    Fast and light: you just don’t want this app to feel cumbersome. You want to be able to fly through communicating what matters to who it matters to.

    Fun: if your team communication can feel fun then you’re in a good spot. You don’t want your team comm. app to feel like a burden in and of itself – you’ve got plenty of real burdens to bear. This might mean simply opening a team chat room for cat pics… that kind of thing goes a long way for me at least

    Findable: this is the app you’ll use to plan ideas, schedule meetings, comment on design mockups, etc., so everything needs to be findable when, some months from now, you’re looking for something specific.

    Everything in one place: this app needs to do everything in one place so your team doesn’t have to wonder “where should I ask this question?”

    WHAT WE USE: Slack. We use it religiously, enjoy it and find everything we need in it.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: Email, Hipchat, Yammer and others on this list.

    Bonus: An app for customer support

    Now, I’m not going to give you a deep dive on customer support apps, I’m just going to say this: supporting your customers is essential to your business, which means it’s something that matters to you, which means you’d do well to be thoughtful about the app you use for customer support.

    This article is already too long to do justice to all the different things that matter about a customer support app because we’d have to cover so many different kinds of businesses with different kinds of customer support needs.

    So let me just share a few things that are important to our customer support experience at Fizzle:

    Reliability: if your customer support app craps out on you it’s going to feel to customers like you’ve crapped out on them.

    Speed and ease of use: customer support can be a heavy load, so keyboard shortcuts and thoughtful design can make a big difference to the people who use the app.

    Integration with the customer database: not all customer service apps do this, but it’s nice that as you’re answering someone’s question you can browse through a history of that customer’s interaction with your website and/or product.

    Useable by anyone: we’ve had seasons where everyone on the team has to take on part of the customer support effort, so it’s important that the customer support app is simple enough for anyone on the team to use.

    WHAT WE USE: Intercom. Intercom is actually more of a platform for communicating with your customers. It’s very robust yet pretty damn easy to use and it’s at the heart of our customer support.

    POPULAR ALTERNATIVES: ZenDesk, Groove, HelpScout and others on this list.

    Other favorite productivity apps

    The list above are what we feel are the essential app categories for modern, web-centric businesses. But here are a few other productivity apps we need to mention because they help us keep focused in some small and meaningful ways.

    CloudApp – capture screenshots and files for sharing on Slack, Twitter, email, etc. There’s not a day that goes by I don’t share something quickly using this tiny app on my mac. In fact, here’s the latest thing I shared to Corbett.

    Dropbox – every keynote presentation, photoshop file and blog image is shared to a common repository in Dropbox. We can control who has access to what and even have public folders like this one.

    1Password – we share a lot of logins, passwords and app credentials across the Fizzle team. 1Password helps us do that securely.

    Text Expander – this little app automatically expands pre-determined text from a short text trigger. I use it religiously in customer communication and simple URL expanding. To date I’ve expanded 15,806 snippets, saving me about 80 hours of writing time.

    Try Our Productivity Essentials Course Free

    It’s one of the most common questions we hear from entrepreneurs: how do I get more stuff done? Why do I keep procrastinating!?

    We need a system to help us get things done.

    BUT not a system so complex that we spend more time working on the system than we do on the work.

    We need a simple productivity system that helps us stay motivated and focused without sidetracking our progress.

    And, frankly, that means you might benefit from some insights from other entrepreneurs as they share some lessons learned.

    Because, no matter how you slice and dice it, as I said above, as indie entrepreneurs we live and die by our ability to get things done.

    So, we made a course teaching what we think is the essential productivity system for indie entrepreneurs. You can find fancier or more complex systems out there, but chances are the ideas in this course are at the guts of all those systems. So, why not get the core right and customize he peripherals yourself?

    As a reader of the blog here, you can try the course out for free in a 2 week free trial. We hope you’ll like this course enough to stay for our other courses and weekly group calls for entrepreneurs. (We have 40+ other courses and a scheduled group call every Friday.)

    Click here to start your free trial »

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37. 7 Essential Productivity Apps for Entrepreneurs to Keep You Focused on What Really Matters

38. I’m ‘write’ there with you Mishell; would love to have a way to scribble notes with my Apple pencil on my iPad Pro. Notability is my go-to note writing app and that could work, but all of my journaling is in Day One (I’ve been using D1 for a few years now).

    I have messed around with shipping out notes as pdf or jpeg files, then inserting them into D1 – very doable, but cumbersome and not something I’ve figured out how to script a solution for yet… I’ll bet that somebody is developing something that supports inking; we’ll probably see it soon…

39. I’ve used Notability for all my notes, until recently – I started using Notebooks for its diverse features (it allows for drawings, but not really writing…but the rest of it is really feature rich). Notability started hogging a bit to much space on my iPad 😉
    I do see many things that could be used as journal, but I’m keeping a lookout for someone to provide an app that’s laid out like a digital journal app, allowing you to write your entries. Like you said, I’m sure someone will, eventually!

40. Actually I received the shutting down notice for only once one month ago before the app gone, but it didn’t give any clear instructions about how to back up, so I just left it at that moment and did not take it very seriously..but its still shocking that everything has gone at the end. I am looking for some app just exactly like Flava that automatically log you out when you close the app and needs passcode every single time you try to open it.

41. Yes, I miss Flava! I loved how it was so easy to document movies, books, songs, links, etc that I liked, as well as my mood and the weather! The app was terminated so abruptly, and now clicking on/searching for Flava leads you to a so-so journal app called me.time.

42. 
    Sometimes traumatic or distressing events in life can hijack our emotions so thoroughly that it is hard to function. Recall your emotions after September 11, 2001. Most were deeply affected by footage of suffering and dying Americans as the twin towers burned and collapsed. As a nation, our eyes were teary and our spirits oppressed for many weeks after the event.
    We are similarly affected with personal events that are distressing, and our grief, anger, anxiety or fear may stay raw, commanding much of our energy and focus. Tools to manage difficult emotions, such as meditation, journaling, taking care of ourselves, talking to others and exercising, can help bring those emotions under control and allow us to be emotionally balanced again. Today’s emotion-managing tool is journaling.
    When negative thoughts intrude
    Writing down negative feelings has been shown to reduce those unwanted remembrances of traumas past that intrude on our consciousness while we work or play. You might be minding your own business, eating a blueberry bagel at your desk, when that unpleasant incident of the time you lost your temper and had a knock-down, drag-out altercation with a coworker might come uncomfortably to mind. Or a pleasant walk on a shady trail could be flat-out ruined by a remembrance of that embarrassing incident in the workroom. Journaling seems to curtail these intrusive negative ruminations on past negative experiences, because as we write, we work through them.
    In a 2001 study at the University of North Carolina, 71 undergraduates had three 20-minute writing sessions over two weeks. One third of the participants wrote their thoughts and feelings about a negative experience, one third wrote about a positive experience and the control group wrote what they did that day. Only the group who explored emotions around a negative experience were found to have fewer intrusive thoughts about the negative experience during those weeks. (1)
    Don’t just vent, find meaning
    A key caveat to journaling difficult emotions is that trying to find meaning in a negative experience brings progress and growth; just venting does not. Over the course of one month, 175 students were asked to write twice per week for 10 minutes each time on a distressing personal experience, selected by each participant. One group was to confine itself to writing down the emotions connected with the traumatic experience, another group was to not only write emotions but also to make sense of the situation the best they could, or describe their own internal conversation that helped them deal with it. The control group merely wrote down facts about media events dealing with loss and trauma.
    Researchers found that the group that wrote emotions and tried to find meaning from the experience showed increases in positive growth from trauma over time, but the other groups demonstrated no change. In fact, the group that just focused on the negative emotions without cognitively processing them (i.e., trying to find meaning) were found to report more physical symptoms of illness. (2) Other studies have found that using words such as because, realize, understand, effect and reason in our emotional narratives results in better processing and healing. (3,4)
    Other perks of journaling
    Writing down feelings and emotions over time was found to be more helpful than a one-shot writing binge. Here are some more benefits to keep the keyboard clacking or the ballpoint scratching out the contents of your heart and mind.
    Improved working memory. Working memory is our mental workspace where we hold and manipulate important information needed on a short-term basis. (We use working memory when looking at a recipe and then trying to follow four steps by memory without glancing at the recipe again; when doing mental math; when following directions.) (5) Studies have shown that processing experiences in writing improves working memory over time. (1)
    Better physical health. In a study of 107 asthma or rheumatoid arthritis patients, participants wrote for 20 minutes three days in a row; half wrote about their most stressful event of the day and the other half wrote about daily plans. Four months later, 47% of the study group had clinically improved in their disease, compared with 24% of the control group having improved. (6)
    Boost in immune function. A study of HIV/AIDS patients showed increased CD4 lymphocyte counts, which is a measure of immune system functioning, after using writing to help process negative life experiences in four 30-minutes sessions. (4)
    Makes the glass feel more full. Writing it down makes it real. When we take the time to process and describe why something makes us feel great, we appreciate the feeling more and can use it to see things in a more positive light. (3)
    Journaling for mental healthhttps://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=4552
    Improving working memoryhttp://www.apa.org/monitor/sep01/keepdiary.aspx
    Ideas to get started journalinghttps://www.themuse.com/advice/8-ways-to-stop-thinking-about-journaling-and-actually-start-journaling
    Cool journal appshttp://lifestreamblog.com/top-5-smart-journal-apps/
    References
    Klein K and Boals A. Expressive writing can increase working memory capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 2001;130(3):520-533.
    Ullrich PM and Lutgendorf SK. Journaling about stressful events: effects of cognitive processing and emotional expression. Ann Behav Med. 2002;24(3):244-250.
    Reilly K. Writing your way to better health. Berkeley Science Review. October 5, 2012.
    Murray B. Writing to heal. American Psychological Association website. Accessed Oct. 5, 2016.
    Gathercole SE and Alloway TP. Understanding Working Memory: A Classroom Guide. 2007: Harcourt Assessment, Procter House.
    Smyth JM, Stone AA, Hurewitz A, Kaell A. Effects of writing about stressful experiences on symptom reduction on patients with asthma or rheumatoid arthritis. JAMA. 1999;281(14):1304-1309.

    About Dana VaughanDana completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) at San Diego State University, and has worked in family planning education, prenatal counseling, and child development. She loves her mountain bike, her husband, her kids, and her faith—although possibly not in that order.Mail | More Posts (21)

43. Hello,Mark Krynsky
    I really like you app & blog feature.
    you looking new photography app. it’s best photo editing app for “Muslim Women Clothing”

44. Is there anything out there that is compatible to Memento CLASSIC?? I’m so disappointed with this awesome app’s discontinued status! The developers decided to “fix what wasn’t broken,” and completely start over with a “new” Momento 2/3 app. Considering the time and everything else I invested in the original ( I was even one of their volunteer beta testers), I was disappointed to say the least. Although the new app I’m sure is wonderful in its own way, many of the features and the simplicity of the original are what I am looking for. Furthermore, I’m really not fond of continuing to support this particular developer due to my personal feelings about the way they handled their “upgrade.”

    Any suggestions??
    Thank you!

45. I don’t recall all the functionality offered by Momento but I would say that you should take a look at the Day One app. That is probably the premier journal app now on iOS and OS X.

46. 
    

    I started to explore the benefits of expressive writing in 2013, when I did my master’s at the University of Hertfordshire. But long before that, I had already been an “expressive writer”. I truly believe that there is a writer in all of us!

    Writing is both a personal and universal act, where we express our thoughts on paper. Essentially, this is what makes every one of us a writer…

    Writing is both a personal and universal act, where we express our thoughts on paper. Essentially, this is what makes every one of us a writer, even though we may lack the knack for spinning admirable prose. As a frustrated writer, the closest I could get to my dream of publishing that irresistibly riveting novel is through keeping a journal. This simple act of curating the daily goings-on in my life brings me a range of mental health benefits. Perhaps, you could also benefit from the healing powers of pen.
    Origin of expressive writing
    Expressive writing, sometimes called written emotional disclosure, is a fancy term for such a simple act: expressing oneself through writing. It may sound complicated, but most of us have done it at some point in our lives, through keeping a journal or a diary. But of course, with modern age, it is now being done with a keyboard, or even through apps. Also, keeping a personal blog can be considered as a form of expressive writing.
    This form of therapy was introduced by Pennebaker and Beall in the late 1980s. Their pioneering work involved asking participants to write about a “past trauma”, as a way of conveying their deepest feelings and thoughts. In contrast, control groups were told to write about neutral topics like writing about their plans for the day, which of course would prevent them from revealing their emotions. Both groups were requested to do this for 15 minutes each day for four consecutive days. Since its introduction, expressive writing has been increasingly used in a variety of way to improve our wellness, ranging from raising the self-concept of adolescents, to helping people with traumatic injury as well as improving the regulation of emotion-related experiences, physiological responses and behaviours.

    How to start with expressive writing
    You may find it a bit uncomfortable to do expressive writing, especially if you’ve never done it before. Don’t worry, just like any other skills, expressive writing requires a bit of practice and then soon it will come more naturally. And once you’ve finished an expressive writing piece, give yourself some time to ponder on what you have written. This is also the time to be compassionate with yourself. Putting our feelings into words really does make a difference. So don’t bottle it up, grab a pen and blurt it out. Try it for at least four consecutive days and see how it improves your well-being.

    The rewards of expressive writing
    As the earlier studies have identified, expressive writing can help calm psychological trauma and enhance our mood. Now, more recent studies suggest that this kind of writing also benefits physical health. One study outlined the benefits of expressive writing. These ranged from long-term benefits in health such as fewer stress-related visits to the doctor, an improved immune system among HIV patients and greater psychological well-being.
    There is also evidence which suggests that expressive writing can induce positive medical benefits such as lung functioning in asthma, disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis and pain intensity in women with chronic pelvic pain. Although, in my own study I have found out that it may pose no significant effect on body satisfaction and positive affect. Hence, future studies may consider other boundary conditions along with other variables for moderating effects. Still, the prevailing finding on this therapy is that it positively impacts our mental health and well-being.
    This article was originally published on tutor2u Psychology Blog. Read the original article.
    Dennis Relojo earned his MSc Research Methods in Psychology from the University of Hertfordshire. Before he moved to the UK, Dennis was a psychology lecturer in the Philippines. At present, he is a Learning Support Coach at South Essex College. Dennis also writes psychology articles for tutor2u You can follow him on Twitter @DennisRelojo

    You might also likeSonia Janice PilaoCoping through Expressive WritingFrank JohnstonBearing Witness: Working Therapeutically with Child Sex Offenders
    
    
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47. Man, you didn´t have conclusion!

48. I love journey on my Android phone. But Now I am using IPhone and the sad thing is Journey isn’t available for iOS. And I have to pay about $5 to enable export feature

49. I looked through all the apps mentioned above as well as those recommended by the comments below but what I’m really looking for is an app that consolidates all these other apps, e.g. I want to be able to view my data from Moves, Foursquare/Swarm, MyFitnessPal, Glow, Runkeeper, etc etc on a day to day basis on 1 app. It will be so useful to see by date how many steps I’ve walked, how many calories I’ve burned, how many calories I’ve taken in, where I’ve checked in and sort all these information by date. Is there such an app available out there, I wonder?

50. I’m looking for a journal that I can input through voice recording.

51. Been tossing this idea around of building it myself.

52. Like Jenn, above, I’m looking for something I can print out to keep as a hard copy at the end of the year.

53. do not use Penzu…they over charged me by $30 and after writing multiple times finally over a week later they tell me it will be several business days before the refund can be processedl. They have NO customer service and you have to write multiple time to get a response.

54. Do any of these options allow you to make your entries into a hard copy book? I would love to turn my journaling into a keepsake later on and am trying to find an app that has this capability

55. Mark – Im looking for a recommendation for a journal for my young daughter – so I can write to her everyday and put pictures she 1 year old and I would have liked to fo this long ago – I tried Evernote but it’s not idealand no pictures really. Suggestion?

56. Thank you for the listing. I find the one suit me finally!

57. Is there a free journal app that allows for speech to text or just audio enteries? I would be overjoyed if it also allowed for seamless blog posting as well….any of you brilliant young people have suggestions or guidance?

58. Hi! I see this is an old post but I hope you guys still can reply and help me!
    I used Flava constantly in 2014-15. Then I stopped until now. I opened the app on my iPhone and all of my entries and pictures are there but not able to sync because the company no longer exists.
    I’d like to find a journal app that allows me to import all these entries from Flava since I don’t trust they will stay there forever. I really don’t want to lose them as it was a rather important phase in my life.
    Does anybody know what app can do this??
    Thanks!

59. Hi Elsie,

    I did a little research and found that Diaro (listed in my post) has the ability to import from Flava. I verified this by logging into the web app going to import and an option is there for a Flava zip file. I did not see if this option is available in their iOS app as I’m on Android. So basically if you have the ability to export your Flava entries from the app to a zip file you can then import them into Diaro.

60. Omg! Thanks so much!
    I am going to try and will let you know if it works for iOS too!

61. Hi Krynsky!
    You were right about Diaro being very versatile in trying to make imports/exports easy for users.
    Just had to open Flava- Settings- Account- Retrieve Data.
    There it says “You can request a file containing your whole Flava data to be emailed to you”
    But when you click there a sign appears saying “Warning: No access to the server”
    I tried several times but seems like Flava is really dead and everyone’s gone!

    I’m going to have to take screenshots of my Flava entries and store them now on Diaro, there you can keep syncing with Dropbox and even if the app dies you don’t lose your data.

    So thanks again for your suggestion!

62. Eslie, you’re welcome. Good luck.

63. Dear author, Is there any journal app that plays throwback from the journals like what we have done last week same day, last month same date, last year and years before etc.. This will be the only feature that will standout from rest of the apps. One of the main objective of these journals should be giving us a quick nostalgic feeling in addition to the detail journals for which we will have not have to go through everyday unless we really need to search for any activity or key event. I now use daylio; it doesn’t have this functionality. I also have reached them to introduce this but no luck. I have hired some freelance app developers to develop this functionality for my own use. No luck as none of them delivered that yet :(.

64. Perfect Journal – Diary Towards Goals is also worth reviewing.
    It’s the only journal app not only helps us keep track of every chunk of our life in a convenient and secure way, also allows to write, monitor and review our goals of life in an effective way.
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teee.journal

65. Over the years, journaling has been a cathartic outlet for me to express both mind worries and emotions, in a safe sanctuary without having to worry about intrusion from the world. I’ve read that journaling (writing out your thoughts and feelings) is as good as traditional therapy. Not sure if true, though it’s always helped me. I have been a traditional pen and paper journalist (journaling) for at least 20 years. I guess it’s time to move to the modern method of journaling. I will check these out.

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