Smartphones have taken over our lives and will continue to do so in the years to come. Even at Kopan Monastery on the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal I witnessed young Buddhist monks on their mobile phones checking their Facebook accounts. Smartphones and their apps are here to stay. So, in this post, I would like to share with you the apps that I use to make my life a little easier.
Buddhify – One of my new year’s resolutions for 2016 was to learn how to meditate and integrate it into my daily routine. Since January 1st 2016 I have hardly missed a day of mindfulness meditation, even if at times it was only a brief five-minute session. Buddhify is my favourite meditation app and has helped me a lot to implement meditation into my daily routine. The benefits of mindfulness meditation have been extremely impactful on my life, and I highly recommend anyone to start meditating to lower stress levels and increase overall mental well-being.
CamScanner – CamScanner is a smartphone app that lets you scan documents, turn them into PDF files and allows you to email them. Since I started using this app I have never needed a scanner again. It’s especially handy for people who travel a lot or work remotely and, therefore, don’t have regular access to a scanner.
Evernote – Evernote is my go-to note taking app. I use it to write out my daily schedule, my to-do lists and to write down any business-related ideas that come up. I use it on my mac as much as on my iPhone. And as the two sync, my notes are always in order.
Franz – Franz is a messaging app for Mac & Windows that collates all your messaging apps (incl. Facebook messenger, WhatsApp, Skype and Slack) into one browser window. I started to use the Austrian start-up’s app a while ago to have a better overview of all my daily client and personal messages.
Nike+ Running – When it comes to exercising martial arts is my go-to sport to stay in shape and push myself physically. However, if I am in a city where I cannot find a martial arts gym to train in I opt to run instead. To track my running progress and record the regularity of my runs I use the Nike+ Running app. It’s super easy to use and shows you all the relevant data you would want to see as a runner.
Tinder – For someone like me, who is ‘always busy’, Tinder provides an excellent service. Being able to meet women while sitting on the couch or lying in bed, after a hard day’s work, is not only highly entertaining but also a very convenient and efficient way to meet members of the opposite sex. I have dated some amazing women I met on Tinder and am a regular user, especially when I travel.
Trail Wallet – Trail Wallet is an iOS smartphone budgeting app targeted at long-term travellers and digital nomads. It has an easy-to-use user interface and lets you keep track of your spending while on the road. It allows you to track expenses in different currencies so that you know exactly how much you spend in each city you visit. As I travel and work remotely a lot, it’s an app I regularly use to track my monthly expenses.
TransferWise – TransferWise is an international money transfer service that allows you to “save up to 89% on your international payments” compared to what banks are charging you. I am a big fan of their service and highly recommend it. As a location independent entrepreneur, I find myself using their service regularly to pay for hotels, co-working space membership fees and to pay freelancers I work with to grow Smart Money Smart Living.
Uber – It probably won’t be a surprise that I am an avid Uber user. Whether it’s to avoid paying the ridiculously high black cab fees in London or to save 70% compared to local cabs when travelling in foreign countries. The easiness to get a cab when you need one and the automatic card payment have made it my go-to transport app.
