Best apps for working moms to save your time and sanity.

I’ve always considered myself an organized person.  But that can be incredibly tough as a working mom.  Ask Dadlando and he’ll be sure to tell you I’m addicted to my phone.  While that is probably true, I’ve also found that if I put technology to work I can keep organized and save my sanity a little bit.  I’ve got a list below of my favorite and the best apps for working moms.   Best of all they’re free!

Google Keep: Since having kids my short-term memory is gone.  It can be frustrating so I’ve turned to writing everything down.  Google Keep is a really great and easy note/list-maker that I can use from my computer or phone.  I have a running to-do list, notes of things that might make a good blog post, and things like that.  Recently Dadlando and I set up a shared list that we’re using for a weekly grocery list.  You can also set reminders for specific lists which I have found incredibly helpful for mornings I need to remember to bring something into the kids school.

Google Calendar: Keeping track of doctor’s appointments, school holidays, work travel, playdates, birthday parties, and date night here and there can become overwhelming.  A shared family google calendar has been our savior.  We have a rule in our house, if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.  We are very strict with putting everything on there.  Which means if I forget to list my girls day out and my husband books golf on the same day, he’s really got the green light not me.  

Castbox: I drop off the kids in the morning on the way to school and then head off to work.  In the afternoon, traffic is horrible and it can make my quick twenty minutes into a full hour to get home.  I try to make the most of my commute as my ‘alone time’ and spend most of it listening to podcasts.  Since I’m not an iphone user I had to download an app and find Castbox to be very user friendly.  Now I enjoy my drive time and look forward to being in the car.

Trello: Goodness, how do I describe Trello?  It’s magical!  It’s a project management software that you can use for big projects, to-do lists, dream boards, you name it.  What I love about it is the visual aspect.  You create boards and add lists with easy to move cards for each task.  You can be as detailed or big pictured as you wish.  When we bought our house I used it as my punch-list of fix-ups, paint colors, and furniture needs.  I have a list of every blog post idea ever, a list of books I want to read, boards to task out everything I need to do for the kids’ birthday parties, and when I ran my Etsy shop used it to track status on my orders.  Trello also has a sharing function so Dadlando and I can keep track of things together.

Canva: This program will change your life.  It makes it possible for everyone able to design a nice flyer, invite, card, or poster easily.  Whether you have the whole adobe creative suite on your computer (me) or have no idea what that is (maybe, you?) you can set up a Canva account and make professional looking designs.  I use this when I need something quick or am lacking inspiration.  Most recently for my son’s first birthday party invite which got a ton of compliments.

There is so much out there it’d be a shame to not make technology work for me.  I love when I can find simple things that help life be just a little easier. Do you have apps you swear have changed your life?  Help me out!