Pingpad.
"There aren't enough hours in the day" is the common refrain of the overworked worker. But perhaps it's not so much a case of having too much to do, but rather not being able to handle the load efficiently.
Here comes technology to the rescue. New gadgets and software help us do more, with the best applications automating tasks we previously spent time doing ourselves.
Here are five relatively new additions that promise improved efficiency and productivity.
Timely
Organizing schedules and logging hours can be time consuming, which is why Timely aims to streamline the process via its iPhone and Web apps.
Targeted at freelancers and contractors, the app lets users set up projects and estimated times for their completion. They can then track progress via a real-time stopwatch function and compare reality with previous estimates. It's valuable information for organizing projects.
The project entries are colour-coded, and the time estimation function is set by a simple slider. It's elegant and easy to use. It also integrates with Apple, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo calendars, and generates reports so that the status of all projects can be seen at a glance.
The free version is limited to one user a month with five active projects. The premium version, at $14 (U.S.), has no limits on the number of users or projects.
Gero Time Management Companion
Settling into the right zen mindset can help you make the most of your day. That's the idea behind the Gero Time Management Companion.
The free iPhone and Apple Watch app is a minimalistic stopwatch that alternates between sprints of work and periodic breaks. On its default settings, Gero starts a series of four 25-minute countdowns, with five-minute breaks in between, punctuated by gentle tones. The time intervals are customizable.
It's a useful app for people who like to work in spurts but who may have trouble remembering to take breaks. The app is designed by Ustwo, the same London-based firm that created Monument Valley, Apple's 2014 iPad game of the year.
Lrn
There's a movement on to teach kids computer programming in schools. Adults, who have jobs and may not have time to take courses, don't have that luxury.
Applications such as Lrn are attempting to fill the gap. The free iOS app – coming soon to Android – teaches the basics of JavaScript and Ruby coding through interactive quizzes.
It explains fundamental concepts such as syntax and then moves on to loops and object-oriented programming. It's all done in a fun and accessible way.
It's more productive than playing Candy Crush. And if kids are expected to learn how to code to succeed in tomorrow's work force, there's no excuse for adults.
Pingpad
Users have their pick of numerous collaboration tools ranging from Google Docs to Slack, but newcomer Pingpad is aiming to do something different by becoming a sort of miniature social network. Most tools focus on document sharing, messaging or time management. Pingpad delivers a combination.
The free app for iOS, Android and the Web allows users to create groups then share notes, projects and documents, as well as delegate tasks, among members.
Serial entrepreneur Ross Mayfield put this app together after he and his spouse-to-be planned their wedding. The couple found they had to use multiple apps and services to do so, so they decided to combine them all into one, easy-to-use option and make it available on smartphones.
Reporter
It's hard to escape the hype surrounding "Big Data," and with good reason. Companies and governments that gather reams of information are motivated to analyze it and improve their products and systems.
That quest for data-driven improvement explains the popularity of the Fitbit and other wearable gadgets. With knowledge of what we're doing with our bodies, we can, hopefully, make better choices.
The Reporter app for the iPhone seeks to create this sort of personal information database by asking users to self-report on their own activities, habits and moods. The $4.59 app quizzes its user several times during the day at random intervals, asking questions such as, "Who are you with?" and "Are you working?"
The information is combined with data pulled from the iPhone's step tracker, microphone, GPS and other functions to build a database. As with all Big Data, there's some creepiness to it, but Reporter can also prove invaluable to conscientious self-trackers, who can use the information to identify and alter subconscious patterns.
Wasting too much time doodling around on your phone? Not spending enough time with loved ones? Reporter aims to deliver the data on such suspicions.
Peter Nowak