Have you ever wondered which apps other people use the most? I sat there thinking about my app usage and it came to me to do a list of them. The only catch is that it’s one app for each purpose so this is based on how I use my devices. Speaking of devices this list is cross-form factor, so you’re getting apps I use on my phone, tablet and computer. The list will also be cross-platform so these apps are available on iOS, Android and Windows.

Notes and Journaling – One note

I use this app for just about anything and it makes it easy for me to do so. You can use many different functions in One note which makes it great for writing, journaling, note-taking, planning and organising. I fell in love with it in the late 2000s because it autosaved every entry immediately. Now I love that it’s available across all platforms and feels the same across them. If you have a One Drive account it automatically saves all notes there and has added features like recording audio notes, and embedding when content and collaboration are all in one place.

Cloud – Onedrive

Not the most creative cloud storage option out there I favour One drive for two reasons. Firstly it comes built into windows and my laptop is still my primary work machine. Secondly, my note app of choice is One Note so the pair just works well together. I use other cloud services like Cloud and Google Drive for my phone backup and images but all work and important documents go into Onedrive.

Productivity – Rescue time

I love tracking things and one of the things I love tracking is time. Most if not all phones come with some sort of time tracker which is great but when you work on various devices like a phone, tablet, desktop and laptop you may have trouble tracking everything especially when you have different platforms. RescueTime solved that problem for me. It now helps me track how much time I spent on a single task or even a whole project is done accessing multiple devices.

Personal finance – Spending Tracker

Speaking of tracking something else that I had to learn to track was my money. What helped me do this best was the spending tracker, it’s a really simple personal finance tracker app. Don’t let the simplicity fool you, it produces reports and charts for you. I fell in love with it because it allows me to also track business expenses and income in the same place. It can even help you with cash flow planning if that is a problem for you. Get it for Android or iOS.

Engagement – Twitter

When it comes to social media nothing does it for me like Twitter. Interaction on Twitter is based on conversation and interaction and I like that. Twitter gives you the best of social media because it mixes news, social, entertainment, sport and more all in one channel. It’s all about connecting but doing it how and when you want to. There is something for everyone and I mean everyone there.

Books – Audible

If you know me or have been reading articles on this platform you know I love books. My preference is audiobooks because I’m an auditory person. So for me, the top book provider is Audible. At US$15 per audiobook, it’s good value for money with all the latest and greatest books available. Audible also has a wide array of additional titles for free and access to periodicals too. A close second is Scribd which gives you access to 2 premium (new) titles and unlimited standard (older) titles per month for just US$10 per month.

Learning – Youtube

You can learn a lot through books but you can’t learn everything through books. When I need to learn something practical I prefer YouTube. It is incredible because the content is free (mostly), user-generated and abundant. You may have to sift through the content a little to find the best but Youtube is much more of a learning platform to me than many of its other functions. Between the immersive discussions, step-by-step how-tos, combination of text with audio and multiple perspectives you cannot beat YouTube.

Podcasts – Spotify

Spotify is a top app. It’s also my app for music but it appears here because of its podcasting function. I love podcasts because they offer incredibly deep dives into any subject just as long as you look at the right podcasts. Want to know more about health and fitness? There are good podcasts for that! Blockchain technology? There are good podcasts for that too! Whatever it is you will find some great podcasts about it.

Email – Bluemail

Email is a big part of life and the way we work. I have an embarrassing number of email addresses from different providers and services. My pic for email is an application called Bluemail available for Windows, Android and iOS. I love bluemail because it works smoothly with self-hosted email addresses just as well as mass providers. It’s simple and competent, something you can easily grasp if you use apps like Gmail and clients like Microsoft Outlook.

Investing – Ctrade

Another subject I am passionate about is investing. I enjoy writing about investment in Zimbabwe but it doesn’t just stop on the keyboard. I invest and when it comes to capital markets my app of choice is C-Trade. Ctrade in addition to offering direct investment on the ZSE and Finsec offers access to Old Mutual Unit Trusts. Ctrade also recently started offering Finsec Derivatives market as it launched. Available via web browser, iOS, Android and USSD this one tick all the boxes. I also use ZSE Direct here and there but Ctrade is the frontrunner.

Which are your favourite apps in these categories? Do you use any of these regularly? Would love to hear from you in the comments section below.