Get your shit together with these apps, planners, organizers, and more
Whether you're a type-A neat freak or a straight-up hoarder, chances are there's some area of your life where you need to get organized and boost productivity. Maybe you're trying to kick a bad habit or stop losing your keys or maybe you're finally ready to sort out that junk drawer.
Whatever your organizational needs, you've come to the right place. We've rounded up our favorite tools to help you organize your life, be more productive, and get your shit together like a functioning adult.
Apps
Your phone is usually a distraction when you're trying to get stuff done, but it can also be a really helpful ally in your quest to organize your life. You just need to log off Facebook and download these productivity apps, OK?
Apple AirPods Pro 3 Noise Cancelling Heart Rate Wireless Earbuds — $219.99 (List Price $249.00)
Apple iPad 11" 128GB Wi-Fi Retina Tablet (Blue, 2025 Release) — $274.00 (List Price $349.00)
Amazon Fire HD 10 32GB Tablet (2023 Release, Black) — $69.99 (List Price $139.99)
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones — $248.00 (List Price $399.99)
Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (5-Pack) — $159.99 (List Price $399.99)
Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device With Remote (2023 Model) — $24.99 (List Price $49.99)
Shark AV2511AE AI Robot Vacuum With XL Self-Empty Base — $249.99 (List Price $599.00)
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 42mm, S/M Black Sport Band) — $339.00 (List Price $399.00)
WD 6TB My Passport USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive — $138.65 (List Price $179.99)
Dell 14 Premium Intel Ultra 7 512GB SSD 16GB RAM 2K Laptop — $999.99 (List Price $1549.99)
Carrot bundle
A.I. meets Perez Hilton with Carrot's snarky productivity apps. According to the iTunes description, "CARROT is a sadistic A.I. construct with one simple goal: to break you down and rebuild you into an efficient member of the human race." Completing tasks on the Carrot to-do list unlocks fun mini-games and animations, but if you slack off she'll yell at you (yes, they refer to the A.I. as "she.") The bundle includes a to-do list, a workout app, a weather app, and a sticker pack.
Forest
If you're constantly being distracted by your phone when you need to get work done, Forest is the app for you. Pull up the app when you need to focus, set a timer, and a little tree will start to grow. Leaving the app before the timer ends will kill the tree you've worked so hard to cultivate.
Evernote
Evernote is on the top of Apple's productivity charts for good reason. It syncs your notes, to-do lists, saved articles, and scanned documents across devices, so you never have to run back to the office because you forgot your work computer again.
Planners
If you haven't fully made the leap to digital, there are plenty of physical notebooks and planners that can help keep you on track.
Mindful notebook
We wrote about the Mindful Notebook when it was being funded on Kickstarter — now it's out in production and you can get it from the Mashable Shop. The beautifully minimalist notebook was designed with Mindful.org to help you stay grounded in your daily life by way of a daily gratitude practice and motivational quote.
Panda Planner
The Panda Planner is set up like a typical calendar, but it has a bunch of features to keep you organized. Like the Mindful Notebook, Panda Planner has a gratitude journal. There are also check-ins on daily, weekly, and monthly goals, plus to-do lists and space to work on forming healthy habits.
Ban.do planner
Ban.do planners are popular with millennials because of their curated aesthetic and relentlessly optimistic graphics. This planner is more minimalist — perfect for big-picture planning if you're not into documenting every hour of your day but still want to keep track of how your year is shaping up.
Organizers
If you've got clutter everywhere and can't bring yourself to Marie Kondo that shit, you can at least make sure your garbage is organized. The Container Store will be your best friend — they've got organizers for every room in your house. These are some basics to get you started.
Modular makeup storage
Closet organizer starter kit
Cord organizer
Junk drawer organizers
More
Once you've got your bases covered on the organizational front, you can start implementing some small changes in your daily routine to take your productivity to the next level.
Trackr
For those of us constantly losing our keys or leaving our wallets in cabs, Trackr is a GPS locator that pairs to your phone to let you know where you left your valuables. You can even make a surprisingly loud alarm go off on the device — perfect for when you get your remote wedged between the couch cushions.
Fitness tracker
If you're not yet on the fitness tracker grind, there's no better way to feel productive than when you get a notification that you've completed your 10,000 steps for the day. Check out our guide to fitness trackers here, but you can't go wrong with "the mother of all fitbits," the Charge 2.
Sleep tech
Arianna Huffington should have drilled it into you by now just how important sleep is to your productivity. Check out our best bets for sleep tech to help you get those eight hours in. My personal favorite is the Sense Sleep System, which is as pretty as it is functional.
According to twitter, Emily Heller is a fake geek girl and a SJW. If you ask her friends, she laughs too loud and cries at cute animal videos. Prior to Mashable, Emily wrote for CollegeHumor and Reductress and most recently worked at a very bro-y tech startup. She lives in Brooklyn with three dudes, a cat who acts like a dog and a dog who acts like a houseplant.
