Summer is gradually fading, leaving behind memories of sun-soaked days and carefree adventures. In its place we see cooler temperatures and stricter schedules. For many, the close of summer and the beginning of fall signals back-to-school, a packed final business quarter, and a general shift in mindset. However, that doesn’t make it easy. Plenty of people struggle with getting back into “real life” after a summer focused on fun.

As the weather changes, so too do many schedules. Even so, it's normal to feel a bit gloomy or to need some time to shake off the summer and get back into a great routine. For a lot of people, this season represents a time to recommit to important goals. Fortunately, we can harness the power of technology to streamline schedules and improve productivity. With your smart phone working as an invaluable tool, you can choose from a plethora of applications designed to help you regain control over your time and improve your daily routine.

From organizing tasks to fostering good habits, apps can help individuals to establish a balanced daily routine and make the transition back to structure a lot smoother. In this article, we’re sharing the best apps for creating and improving daily routines. With these powerful apps for routine, establishing a productive and enjoyable day has never been easier.

Non-Technical Routine Tips

As much as technology is amazing and can help in so many ways, it’s also worth thinking about some other ways to get back into your best routine. Though there are so many great apps for routine-building, you can also work to establish healthier habits outside of your devices. Combining these approaches with the right technology can power your daily routine and make you unstoppable.

Choose Habits That Stick

When embarking on the journey to establish a new routine, it’s essential to select habits that resonate with your lifestyle and values. You can’t always choose your habits - that’s why some people bite their fingernails. However, when you can do so, it’s important to identify activities that you genuinely enjoy and can see yourself committing to in the long run. Start by assessing your current habits and pinpointing areas for improvement.

Instead of overwhelming yourself with drastic changes, focus on small, manageable adjustments that align with your goals. For example, if you want to exercise more, choose an activity you love—like running or hiking—rather than forcing yourself into a gym routine that doesn’t excite you. By choosing habits that fit your personality and interests, you're more likely to stick with them and integrate them into your daily life seamlessly.

Make Room for New Habits In Your Life

Often, getting back into a routine requires picking up some habits that we haven’t focused on in a few months (or maybe even longer). There might also be things that you know would be helpful for your routine, but you have to figure out how to fit them into your current structure (such as trying to go to the gym more often).

Integrating new habits into your existing lifestyle requires thoughtful planning and flexibility. Instead of viewing your new habits as separate tasks, consider how they can complement your current activities. For instance, if you're trying to develop a reading habit, you could dedicate a few minutes to reading during your morning coffee or while commuting. This helps eliminate the feeling of adding even more to your plate; instead encouraging you to blend these habits into your routine naturally.

Additionally, setting specific times for your new habits, such as practicing mindfulness after lunch or working out right after work, can help you to create a rhythm. By fitting new habits into your daily life, you're more likely to remember and perform them consistently.

Design an Environment for Success

Your space plays a significant role in shaping your habits. To find success, create a space that encourages the behaviors you want to adopt. This could mean decluttering your workspace to reduce distractions, placing healthy snacks within reach in the kitchen, or setting up a cozy reading nook to inspire your reading habit.

Visual cues can also serve as powerful reminders; for instance, leaving your yoga mat out in the living room can prompt you to practice when you see it. By proactively designing an environment that supports your most productive routine, you’ll find it easier to adapt.

Make Good Habits Automatic

If only it were that easy! The ultimate goal of establishing a routine is to make positive habits automatic, requiring minimal effort and conscious thought. One effective way to achieve this is through the practice of habit stacking, where you attach a new habit to an existing one. For example, if you already brush your teeth every morning, you might add a quick stretching routine right afterward.

Over time, these actions become linked in your mind, allowing you to perform them without deliberation. Remember, consistency is key; aim to practice your new habits at the same time every day to reinforce them in your brain. The more automatic these habits become, the less mental energy you’ll need to devote to them.

Learn How to Combat Fading Motivation

Motivation can fluctuate, and it’s normal to experience dips over time. To combat this, develop strategies that can reignite your enthusiasm. One approach is to remind yourself of the reasons behind your habits—keeping a journal or a vision board can serve as visual motivation. For example, if you are having trouble feeling motivated at work, create a vision board that shows the potential rewards of your hard work. You can add in glowing notes from colleagues or your latest performance review to remind you of why staying the course is best.

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Find a Reward That Makes Your Routine More Satisfying

Incorporating a reward system into your routine can significantly enhance your chances of adopting new habits. When you complete a desired behavior, treat yourself to something enjoyable as a form of positive reinforcement. This could be as simple as enjoying a favorite snack after a workout, watching an episode of a silly show, or indulging in a relaxing bath after a productive week. If your family misses summer’s more carefree days, commit to each other that getting through the morning routine on time every day will result in a family adventure on Saturday.

Understand How Family and Friends Shape Routine

To put it simply: the influence of family and friends on our lives cannot be underestimated. Our social circles often play a significant role in shaping our behaviors, whether consciously or unconsciously. To foster a productive and fulfilling routine, seek out relationships that encourage and support your goals. Share your goals with people closest to you, and talk about ways to hold each other accountable for taking the right steps on a daily basis.

The Best Apps for Daily Routines

There are a lot of apps to pick from, and if you’re like most people, you already juggle a lot! That’s why it’s a good idea to think about what specifically you want to improve in your routine formation.

Is your daily work schedule out of control? Do you have trouble managing your family’s commitments? Or maybe you’re just trying to find more time to focus on your health and fitness. No matter what your goals are, there’s an app for that. Here, we’ll break down the best apps for routine according to specific categories.

Apps for Habit Building

Habitica - A gamified task manager that turns your goals and habits into a role-playing game (RPG). Users create an avatar and earn rewards for completing tasks, which helps to reinforce positive behaviors. By breaking down goals into manageable habits, users can track their progress and stay motivated. The social aspect, where users can join parties and compete, fosters accountability and community support.

Streaks - This habit-tracking app is designed to help users build good habits by encouraging them to maintain “streaks” of consecutive days. Users can set up to 12 daily tasks, and the app provides visual cues and reminders to keep users on track. The focus on maintaining a streak adds a layer of motivation, as well as a visual representation of how you're doing so far.

Fabulous - This app focuses on holistic self-care and personal development. The platform relies on  science-backed techniques to help users build healthy habits and routines. You can also find  personalized coaching, guided journeys, and reminders to encourage actions like hydration, exercise, and meditation. Fabulous helps users to make self-care more structured, which in turn helps to build a strong overall daily routine.

Apps for Planning and Organization

Todoist - If you follow our blog, then you know we are big fans of this app. Todoist is a powerful task management platform that helps users organize their tasks and projects more efficiently. With features like due dates, priorities, and labels, users can create a structured workflow. By managing tasks effectively, users can reduce stress and improve productivity, which means they’re more likely to adopt good habits and stick to a positive routine.

Google Calendar - Many people are already familiar with this versatile scheduling app that’s part of the Google suite of products. If you already rely on other Google platforms, Calendar will integrate seamlessly and allow you to do more with the programs you already use. By planning events, deadlines, and reminders, users can ensure they allocate time appropriately - whether for work or personal commitments. The ability to share calendars with others adds accountability and can help users coordinate their activities with friends or family.

Trello - This visual project management tool uses boards, lists, and cards to organize tasks. Users can create boards for different areas of their lives, such as personal goals, work projects, or even sports or self-care routines. The flexibility of Trello allows users to customize their workflows, giving them a sense of control and organization, which is essential for habit formation.

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Wellness and Self-Care Apps

Headspace - Meditation can be really beneficial for mental and physical health, but it’s not always easy to set aside the time or find the focus to do it. Headspace is a meditation and mindfulness app that provides guided sessions for relaxation, focus, and stress management. By incorporating mindfulness practices into daily routines, users can enhance their mental well-being and emotional resilience. Plus, regular meditation can help in forming a habit of self-care by creating a sense of calm, leading to a more holistic approach to your overall healthcare routine.

MyFitnessPal - This nutrition and fitness tracking app helps users monitor their food intake and exercise habits. By logging meals and physical activities, users can gain insights into their eating habits and make healthier choices. The app supports a healthy lifestyle by encouraging awareness of nutrition and fitness, ultimately leading to positive lifestyle changes.

Sleep Cycle - Rest is so essential for our bodies, and yet so few people actually get enough sleep.  Sleep Cycle is a smart alarm clock that tracks users' sleep patterns and wakes them up during their lightest sleep phase. By analyzing sleep quality, the app helps users understand their sleep habits and make improvements for better rest. Prioritizing sleep is a crucial aspect of maintaining a busy schedule, and Sleep Cycle aids in forming a consistent sleep routine that contributes to overall health and productivity.

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Apps to Help Focus and Productivity

RescueTime - Do you often get to the end of the day and wonder where it went? There’s an app for that! RescueTime is a time-tracking app that analyzes how you spend your time on various activities. It provides insights into your productivity patterns, helping you to identify areas for improvement and establish a more effective routine.

Focus@Will - Music can be really helpful in fostering concentration and motivation. This innovative music app is designed to improve concentration and productivity. You can find curated playlists meant to enhance focus, making it easier to stick to your tasks during work, study sessions, or any other project that requires your full attention.

Using Shift to Streamline Your Routine

Even the very best apps for routine provide something else to add to your tech stack. If you’re thinking to yourself: “those apps sound great, but I don’t know if I can manage another tech platform”, pause right there.

Shift is here to help, with an innovative app-integrated browser that can manage all of these apps, plus whatever other tools you rely on. Shift is the first browser to merge all of your web apps into one powerful window. Users are able to streamline everything they do online by installing Shift and accessing thousands of apps without leaving their browser.

That means you can connect all of your Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 accounts and manage everything from one centralized window. Take things a step further and build out your Shift browser with apps that integrate seamlessly so you have ultra-fast access to all the tools you use to stream, shop, work, browse, and stay connected. For example, use Shift to manage apps like Trello and Streaks along with your chosen email programs and other apps you use daily. You can also customize notifications, so that you reduce overall distractions and improve focus. By having a central location for all of the websites, apps, and accounts you use regularly, you have much more control over your entire online life - saving tons of time and some headaches.

Even better, Shift allows you to create custom Workspaces for different aspects of your routine. This means you can set up a separate Workspace for work, wellness, personal tasks, etc. Your professional Workspace might have programs like Outlook, Slack, and Quickbooks, while your personal one may hold Facebook, Gmail, and Chase bank. In this way, you can work within the browser that aligns with your current activities, so that you can focus on just what is relevant and tune out the rest. Plus, you can stay logged into multiple accounts within the same app so you can toggle between profiles easily. This is a huge benefit to people who manage multiple accounts.

At the end of the day, re-establishing routines for productivity and well-being is essential for meeting any of your goals, whether they’re personal or professional. Without the right habits and structure in place, it can be hard to maintain the motivation and efficiency necessary to take on the day. The truth is that this doesn’t always come naturally; it does take time, effort, and consistency - but the payoff is worth it and you don’t have to do it alone.

Today’s technology can serve as a partner in the quest to jump back into a hectic routine. Try using some of these apps within the Shift browser to create a seamless and efficient daily routine. You’ll not only have greater organization, productivity, and overall well-being - you’ll  knock last year’s routine out of the park.

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