With the continuous presence of technology where everyone on the planet seems to be connected, apps have become an essential part of life. Many tech leaders would get dragged into a mire of complexity without access to their apps. From team communication to scheduling, applications provide functionality in the palm of a user's hand that was impossible before today's technologically advanced society.
What are some of the apps that tech leaders swear by when it comes to performing their primary tasks? These 15 experts from Forbes Technology Council weigh in on the apps that they consider to be the most important to their day-to-day activities, regardless of if they fall under work or leisure.
1. AnkiDroid
This little free app helps you put any kind of knowledge into your long-term memory. You can use it to learn a foreign language, technical terms or any other kind of knowledge. It is completely customizable, runs via cloud on all of your devices and uses neuropsychological research to bring things up at exactly the moment you are going to forget them. This makes Anki super efficient. - Christoph Windheuser, thoughtworks.com
2. Any.do
Everyone needs a to-do list and there are a bunch of options on the App Store, but I like Any.do because it's simple and very user friendly. Over the years, they have added so many options that it has evolved into a task manager with features for teams to effectively collaborate. Plus, they also provide integration with other favorite tools such as Slack, Siri, Alexa and WhatsApp. - Yogesh Kondaskar, Bizteon Software
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3. Asana
Asana has to be one of the best apps in the world. It has helped me organize both my professional and personal life while allowing me to include others as part of my process. With the ability to create various committees, share calendars, create projects, assign tasks, and set deadlines while also restricting access for your committee members, Asana is an integral part of my daily life. - Junior Bernadin, The Ron Clark Academy
4. Audible
With a busy schedule, Audible allows me to practice “the five-hour rule.” That is five hours a week or one hour each working day is focused on learning. I can listen to great books and studies in the car, while running or during a break. It is very motivating to have a world of experts at your fingertips. - Will Conaway, Will Conaway IT Consulting
5. DotHabit
DotHabit is a cool app that lets you track your daily habits. It's incredibly simple—just create the daily habits you want to track, like exercising, drinking water, etc., and then add a dot to each day you perform the good habit. It's a great way to stay on track and keep up with your progress. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
6. Elevate
I regularly use Elevate—it's a "brain training app designed to help you stay sharp, build confidence and boost productivity.” I love it because it's a relaxing way to play a game while still sharpening your skills. - Neha Sampat, Contentstack
7. Evernote
I've been using Evernote in a non-traditional way for years now. I pay for the premium plan with tons of storage, which I take advantage of for categorizing tax receipts as they occur. If I make a donation to a charity or receive a K-1 in the mail from an investment, I take a picture and put it in my “Tax Folder" as a new note. Then I share the folder with my accountant and don't have to scramble every April. - Jeff Valentine, CloudCheckr
8. Flipboard
There's no better pleasure than flipping through an endless magazine of personalized news, articles and information. I find myself gaining new interests and more information by using Flipboard during downtime than I ever could with social media apps. For my money, Flipboard is king when it comes to news aggregation, user experience and a pleasurable interface. - Tom Roberto, Core Technology Solutions
9. Google Calendar
The app on the top left of my home screen is Google Calendar. I am in and out of it multiple times per day. It's the first thing I check in the morning and usually the last thing I check at night. In all areas of my life, I'd be lost without Google Calendar. - Steve Semelsberger, Testlio
10. Headspace
I use an app called Headspace to do a quick 10- or 15-minute meditation every morning. I usually get up at 6 a.m. and I do an immediate meditation when I am there alone to just clear my head and start the day fresh. I have been using it the last year and have started feeling very fresh since the beginning. - Christopher Carter, Approyo
11. Mint
I have all my financial data in one spot. I check Mint daily to ensure that I can see anomalies in spending, my current cash amount and net worth, how my investments are doing and my credit score. I can set budgets, look at habits and trends and figure out ways to reduce my out-of-pocket spending every day, month or year. Everything is consolidated into one app, reducing my need to log onto every individual app. - James Carder, LogRhythm
12. Password Boss
Password Boss is one of the best productivity apps in IT. Entering a password may be a five-second affair, and Password Boss may save you three seconds of that, but those three seconds add up. It also helps increase security at no cost to convenience. There are other similar password managers to consider depending on what you do, but Password Boss is the main one I've used. - Tim Conkle, The 20
13. Slack
I use Slack just with myself. I know it sounds weird, but it works like a charm. All my notes are just in my Slack channels and then when I work on my stuff, I get out everything I need from Slack into the general work streams. For the record, we use Microsoft Teams as a company. - Paroon Chadha, Passageways
14. Waze
Commuting in a big city is no joke. One wrong turn in rush hour can cost you hours of your day and add a heap of unnecessary stress to your life. Waze simplifies this by helping me bypass all of the obstructions and backups so I can get where I need to go smoothly and efficiently. Try it out. I guarantee you’ll keep using Waze after it trims chunks of time off your next trip. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
15. WhatsApp
Knowingly or unknowingly, WhatsApp has become the de facto tool for our communication with family, friends and colleagues. We use WhatsApp to share moments with friends/family and for entertainment by reading or watching forwarded messages. We use WhatsApp groups to discuss and prioritize our work. - Viplav Valluri, Fastlane Americas, Inc.
Source: www.forbes.com