15 Awesome Apps That’ll Break You Out Of Your “I Only Use The Same 3 Apps” Rut

As of June 2015, there were approximately 1.5 million apps in the iTunes App Store. When you add in Android and desktop apps, that number is even higher.

If you’re like me, having so many options actually makes it harder to find the best choices for my lifestyle and needs. I’ve actually gotten into “app ruts”—periods where I only use the same 10 to 20 apps over and over again.

Well, good news. I’ve rounded up the 15 best choices for every type of person. After checking out the list, you’re guaranteed to break out of your own rut and be inspired to download a few new ones.

For the iPhone Photographer: IceCream

This app is perfect for people who are constantly snapping pictures with their phone—and thus constantly running out of storage space. Using a cool cloud computing trick, the app frees up room for 250 to 2,500 more photos (or apps, videos, whatever) on your phone without forcing you to delete a thing.

Available On: iOS

For the Overscheduled Professional: Free Time 2

Anyone who’s constantly running from appointment to meeting to conference call will appreciate Free Time 2. This extension works with your existing calendar (Google, Outlook, Apple, and so on) to instantly calculate when you’re free. If you want to share your availability with others—maybe a co-worker who wants to check in—you can do that with a click of the button.
Not only is it insanely functional, but those with an eye for aesthetics will love the beautiful interface.

Available On: iOS

For the Serial Multi-Tasker: Helium

Helium is a floating browser window that lets you simultaneously watch media and work. While Helium is awesome if you’re a fan of playing Netflix, YouTube, or Hulu during work sessions, it’s also useful for keeping track of what’s happening in your team’s real-time chat platform without having to flip back and forth between separate tabs.

Available On: OS X

For the Foodie: Reserve

This app is a digital concierge service that helps you choose and book a table at your city’s best restaurants. Plus, since Reserve saves your payment info, you don’t have to fumble for your wallet at the end of the meal—you can split the bill or pay for the whole thing with minimal fuss. Frequent restaurant-goers will quickly become power users.

Available On: iOS, Android

For the Road Warrior: Waze
Traffic isn’t a problem with this “social GPS” app, which uses its community of users to track congestion—and help you avoid it. Waze also alerts you to potential obstacles like police, accidents, hazards, fires, and more. The end result? Way less time spent getting from Point A to Point B!

Available On: iOS, Google Play, Windows

For the Networker: Treatings

Treatings analyzes your professional experience, career interests, and favorite coffee shops to find the best person and place for your next networking meeting. Plus, there’s a local activity feed, so users can see who’s influential in their area and build up their own reputation.

Available On: iOS, Android

For the Jetsetter: Weekend Getaway

Once you’ve installed this app on your web browser, you’ll see four weekend vacation options each time you open a new tab. Since every suggested destination is less than four hours away, the only thing holding you back is how fast you can pack!

Available On: Chrome, Firefox

For the Book Lover: Hooked

This app delivers fictional stories in the form of text messages—which yes, sounds insane, but is surprisingly addictive. People who always have their faces buried in books will enjoy the novelty of getting their literary fix from their phones.

Available On: iOS

For the Introvert: Avoid Humans

This app will show you which local restaurants, bars, cafes, and parks are full of people—and which are nice and quiet. If you know someone who frequently expresses a wish for a calm place to do work without being overwhelmed by crowds, passing along this tool will earn you the person’s eternal gratitude.

Available On: All devices

For the Freelancer: Timely

Timely is both a planning and time-tracking app. Input your meetings, phone calls, and projects, then use the timer to ensure you stay on schedule. Since the Timely phone app syncs in real time with the desktop version, you can effortlessly toggle back and forth between your phone and computer. And bonus: It’s very well-designed.

Available On: All devices

For the Social Butterfly: Flashgap

Think of this app as one of those old single-use cameras, but for your phone. Flashgap is designed to be used when you’re out and about. You take a picture, and it disappears instantly—but shows up again the next day, when you’re ready to relive the experience.
Available On: iOS and Google Play

For the Live Music Fan: Bandsintown

If you’re the person in your group of friends who’s always finding the newest bands and the best live music events in your city, Bandsintown is perfect for you. Not only does it help you see when your favorite artists are touring in your area, but it also syncs up with your calendar so that you’ll always be up-to-date with what’s going on.

Available On: iOS and Google Play

For the Inspiration-Seeker: Nugget

Quotations are a powerful way to change your mood, focus your efforts on a specific goal, or motivate you to keep chugging away. That’s why Nugget is so awesome. It shows you visual quotations from business and personal development books, so you’ve got a constant source of inspiration in your pocket. In addition, you’ll be introduced to tons of thought-provoking and educational books—when you find a quotation you love, just click on it to see the source!
Available On: iOS and Google Play

For the Procrastinator: QUEST

There are a lot of to-do apps out there. So what makes this one different? It treats your life like a video game and each task like a step in your quest to achieve victory. The more you get done, the higher you level up! For those of you who need a little extra motivation to clear your to-do list, QUEST is perfect.

Available On: iOS

For the Ambitious Professional: Elevate

“Soft skills” like focus, comprehension, public speaking, and memory are critical to career progression. However, unlike learning how to code or use Google Analytics, learning these soft skills isn’t straight-forward or structured. Until now. The Elevate app helps you zero in on the abilities you most want to develop, then creates a personalized “brain-training program” that includes short games and lessons. Not only is Elevate really fun, watching yourself progress via both the in-app progress tracker and your personal experiences is highly rewarding.

Available On: iOS and Google Play

Source: themuse.com, Aja Frost