You’re an entrepreneur who wears a lot of hats and, since you’re probably on your phone a lot, it makes sense that some productivity apps would help you to stay on track.

Does this sound like you? Somedays you’re overwhelmed with all the things to do, and other days you’re not even sure where to start. Feeling overwhelmed or unorganized, I have just the cure. It’s a mix of technology, organization, and how to stayed focused without constant daily distractions.

Here’s a list of my Top 3 productivity apps and reasons why I love each of them:

Productivity with Focus Keeper

Focus Keeper is my secret weapon when it comes to personal time management. It’s based on the Pomodoro technique— a time-management technique that uses a timer to break work down into short intervals with breaks in between—but I use this to manage my business and my life. I used to use the timer app on my iPhone but then I found Focus Keeper, which is SO much easier! The app breaks down your workday into 25-minute intervals and inserts breaks between them, which then maximizes your focus and efficiency.

How It Works

There are sets of work intervals separated by break periods, no longer than five minutes. I do, however, include an extended break in my sets (for lunch or a quick workout). The app does all the monitoring for you and “dings” when it’s time for a break, making it much easier to Focus on the tasks at hand.

Why you Need It

• It keeps you accountable throughout your day.
• It tracks an entire 8-hour day (instead of just setting a timer over and over again) and I LOVE THIS!
• It utilizes the proven Pomodoro Method for increased concentration
• It’s easy to use and allows for customizable intervals (in case you want longer or shorter work periods).
• It’s free! (There is a small charge if you want to customize your intervals, though) and can be found in the Apple store.

Productivity with G Suite

Do you need access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint but aren’t a student and don’t want to pay for the programs? G Suite makes it possible to access all of these documents and programs for free, plus a whole lot of other plugins and extensions that come in handy for productivity.

How it Works

According to Google, “G Suite is a suite of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software and products” that makes it easy for anyone to handle all of their business practices or personal tasks on one platform. I use Google Docs all the time!

Why you Need it

• It gives you easy access to Google Docs (aka Google’s version of Microsoft Word), Sheets (Microsoft Excel), and Slides (Microsoft PowerPoint) for free.
• It gives you access to Google Drive, a central cloud-based storage program that holds all of your documents, presentations, photos, etc. in one place, saves everything automatically, and allows access from anywhere at anytime with internet.
• It’s easy to create and share folders among clients, friends, and family.
• It’s accessible on all of your devices (Apple, Android, Google, etc) and it’s free! You can also upgrade to a basic or business plan or more storage for even more capabilities.

Productivity with Forest

I think this is one of my favorite apps on my iPhone, even though it’s not free—it’s $1.99 in the App Store—but I believe it’s 1000% worth it.

How it Works

Forest App keeps you off your phone for a certain period of time—which you control. I use this in correlation with the Focus Keeper App and set mine up for 25-minute intervals. Once the time is set, a tree is planted in your “garden”. If you decide to exit the app before the time is up, the tree will die. So for all you tree-hugging people out there, this app is a gem in keeping you accountable because it appeals to your sense of wrongness when you kill a tree—even a virtual tree!

An added bonus of this app is that, once you reach a certain level, you can also start using the coins you earn to plant real trees, which I believe is a wonderful goal to work towards.

Why you Need it

It keeps you off your phone and away from distractions and helps you can give back to our planet. It’s a win win.

There you have it! My top 3 productivity apps that keep me on task and efficient during my work days, help me to stay off of my phone, and also tackle my life tasks each day as well.

I’d love to hear if you use any of these or which apps you do use!