It occurred to me recently that despite all of the downfalls of being attached to our phones, for me personally, there are a bunch of apps I use that actually make me more productive. I’ve started to use widgets on my iPhone for a few of the apps I use most frequently, which is great because it puts the app right in front of you every time you open your phone as a reminder to do the thing it wants you to do. Here are five that I’m really enjoying.

Monarch for personal finance

I used Mint.com to track my finances for at least a decade before it shut down. Recently, I started using Monarch, which is just exceptional. One of the big issues with these apps is categorizing your expenses, which can be really time-consuming. Monarch makes this really easy and quick. I’m also using it for budgeting and it makes that really easy as well. The interface and usability of both the web app and iPhone app are amazing.

Duolingo for learning a language

I’m learning Mandarin right now, and the Duolingo app is an incredible tutor. The app is really well done, and it does a good job of helping you create a daily habit. It harasses you until you complete a lesson. I just hit 50 days in a row and don’t see myself slowing down anytime soon.

Calm for meditation

There are a ton of medication apps, but I really enjoy Calm, and they have a pretty low-cost lifetime membership. It’s great for meditation but also for playing music for focused work. I wish they did more around habit creation.

Google Tasks for to-dos

I’ve tried lots of to-do systems over the years but I finally think Google Tasks is the one. If you use the widget it will display your top 3 things to do that day right on your home screen so you see them front and center every time you open your phone.

Whoop for habit tracking

I’ve had a Whoop for many years to track sleep and activity. They have a journal feature that tracks your habits, which I started using a few months ago. It’s really slick and easy to quickly update your tracker each morning.