5 Best Apps for Boosting Your Morning Productivity

You’re reading 5 Best Apps for Boosting Your Morning Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

There are a lot of ways people differ from one another, and nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to their mornings, or their morning routines, to be more specific. If were to take a broad look at it, we could say that there are three different types of people. The first type would be those which get out of bed immediately after the alarm has gone off and start their daily activities. The second type involves those whose biggest ally is the snooze button on their alarm clock. Finally, there is the third type, which does wake up right away, but instead of getting up, they start checking out social media and messages they have received.

In this day and age, it’s safe to say that most people are the third type, which is a shame, because there are so many benefits of getting an early start. We are not just talking about having more time, but also about feeling better mentally and physically. Making that switch is difficult, but thanks to these 5 apps we have rounded up for you, you will be able to do that, as well.

1. Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

One of the reasons why you feel so beat up and exhausted in the morning, even if you have went to bed on time, is because you woke up during the wrong phase of one of your sleep cycles. You see, if you happen to wake up during one of the lightest phases of you sleep, you will feel recharged and well-rested. Thanks to Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock, you will be able to wake up during the light sleep phase, and go about your day feeling energized. The way it does it is by keeping track of your movement during the night, and activating itself when you enter one of the light phases, which lasts around 30 minutes.

And if you are still finding it hard to wake up, this app also has a snooze option, which will wake you up at the end of your light sleep phase, giving you about 20 extra minutes of sleep.

Download: Android | iOS

2. Body Stretch

We all enjoy a good stretch when we wake up, but rarely do we continue to do stretching exercises when we get up, which is a shame, because it does our bodies the world of good. Stretching improves your flexibility, circulation, helps you relieve pain and tension inside your muscles, especially if your work involves sitting down for long periods of time. However, if you don’t know how to stretch properly, you might end up hurting yourself, which is why we recommend using the Body Stretch and Flexibility app.

The app features over 40 different stretching routines and exercises, which are suitable for all ages, and all genders. All exercises have detailed explanations and a video that goes along with it, showing you how to perform them. Choose between different difficulty levels, create your own routines, and keep track of your results with this app.

Download: Android | iOS

3. Calm

In this day and age, it’s fair to say that we lead very stressful lives, and our morning are no different. Getting up, showering, having a quick breakfast, getting dressed and rushing out the door is what it’s all about, which only makes you even more stressed out. One of the best ways we can fight stress is through meditation. Aside from being able to help you battle stress, meditation also improves your concentration, the quality of your sleep, and your mood for the day.

Calm is a brilliant app which enables you to enjoy all the benefits of its mediation programs, and choose a meditation routine which fits in with your morning schedule. Each program is accompanied by serene sounds from nature and a soothing soundtrack.

Download: Android | iOS

4. Todoist

Getting early, as we’ve already established, is great, but it gets even better when you have a schedule that can make the most out of your time, while at the same time, being able to create a balance between your personal life and your career. With Todoist, you can easily achieve all of that, since it is probably the most complete task manager of them all. It allows you to add and update tasks from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, browser, email, and even while you are offline.

Keep track of important work milestones and deadline, and break up your projects into smaller sub-tasks for improved efficiency, collaborate on projects with your colleagues, assign tasks to other people, and view your progress with graphs. You can also integrate Todoist with other apps, such as Google Drive, IFTTT, Zapier, and many others.

Download: Android | iOS

5. Fabulous Motivate Me!

If you are prone to procrastination, it doesn’t matter how early you get up in the morning, since you won’t be able to make the most of your day, unless you start changing your habits. Now, as you know, building positive and productive habits is much harder than developing bad ones, but with Fabulous-Motivate Me! App, you will be able to do that to, thanks to its analytical approach to fighting procrastination.

It helps you deal with it in four different ways, by boosting your energy levels, improving your sleep, losing weight, and keeping your focus as sharp as ever. Each of these categories can be adjusted to fit your lifestyle. Also, the app allows you to meet and unlock new goals, similar to a video game, which adds another level of motivation.

Download: Android | iOS

Conclusion

With these brilliant and effective apps, you will be able to transform your mornings, as well as yourself. Become a more productive, healthier, and a more satisfied individual. Start doing it today.


Brenda Savoie is a content marketing magician at Essayontime . A grammar tutor master and desperate dreamer. Writing her first romantic novel. Seeking contentment through mindfulness. Find her on Twitter and Facebook

You’ve read 5 Best Apps for Boosting Your Morning Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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Penthouse in Holon / OMY design


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

From the architect. When we first saw the grand space we couldn’t ignore its height and incredible view.

We decided the best way to tackle it would be to focus on a few elements to fit its proportions. 

We chose a minimalist design concept so that the view remained the main focal point. 


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

The flooring tiles are large and resemble cement, providing a wide clean surface for furniture on it. Black furniture and lighting fixtures contrast with the white kitchen. 


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

The living space was kept soft with several textiles: a mint green velvet couch, a vintage private collection carpet, and a custom-made entertainment center and coffee table fit the size and ambiance of the living room. 


First Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

The heart of the living room is an entertainment center made of brass colored metal profile and aluminum net, which gives the space it’s industrial and approachable feel. 


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

The dining room lighting fixtures are made of thin metal wires, making them almost see-through in order to avoid disturbing the views. 


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

The family of five who lives here loves to entertain; therefore we selected a large dining table suited to the size of the sofa. 


Section

Section

The kitchen is full of storage, creating an organized and minimalistic space. The same goes for the parent’s master bedroom features. A walk-in closet constructed from thin metal profiles and industrial glass, elegantly matching the bed-room and serving as its main focal point. 


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

Product Description: We chose to use a large colored metal framework in order to create an anchor to the bright white open space of the living area.  Metal profile is a material that is typically thought to be cold and industrial, but with the right color and accompanying materials, it can transform into something new.

Using a metal framework allowed us to build this storage unit on a very large scale. The slick and elegant design compliments the apartment’s proportions, keeping a homey feel.


© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

© Gideon Levin / 181 architecture photography

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North Yorkshire, Englandphoto via natasha

North Yorkshire, England

photo via natasha

DressingForFun / NTYPE


© Xiao Yi

© Xiao Yi


© Xiao Yi


Interior Courtyard . Image © Xiao Yi


Interior . Image © Xiao Yi


Open deck. Image © DressingForFun

  • Client: DressingForFun

Before-After. Image © Joao Lemos

Before-After. Image © Joao Lemos

Chinese residential buildings dated from 1980s/90s are now facing challenges of being upgraded in order to adapt to new needs and current way of living.


© Joao Lemos

© Joao Lemos

The site consists of two parts, the front part along the street, and the back part which is an apartment with a separate access from the residential building. In-between there is an open space, forgotten and abandoned by its previous users, hidden behind by a brick wall.


Floor Plan Diagrams

Floor Plan Diagrams

In the design, this open space is revealed, transformed into three green patios, and a transparent glass pavilion connecting the front and the back, providing the space with a continuous sense of interior/exterior with natural light, enriching, and adding stimulating moments to the overall experience of the space. Extended into the front space, one of the green patios can be seen from the street level. While standing inside of the glass pavilion, street life can also be seen directly or captured by mirror reflection.


© Xiao Yi

© Xiao Yi

The shop is called DressingForFun. Located in a local Chengdu street, it encourages young people to come back to our street life rather than spending enormous time in shopping malls. A series of fun elements are designed, creating interesting and interactive moments in the space. The space itself is also designed to be flexible, allowing the possibilities for events and exhibitions.


Axonometric

Axonometric

The entrance revolving door has the shop logo cut out from the front steel panel, with back-lit colorful acrylic plate behind, which can be rotated by a door handle from inside, accordingly the logo will show different color.


Entrance. Image © Joao Lemos

Entrance. Image © Joao Lemos

The idea of clothes racks comes from unfolding paper clips. Two types of clothes racks are formed by “unfolding”: moveable standing ones, and fixed hanging ones with lighting integrated.


Interior Courtyard . Image © Xiao Yi

Interior Courtyard . Image © Xiao Yi

The changing room is a moveable box with ceiling open. Its location in the shop can be varied according to the program and layout in the space.


Interior . Image © Xiao Yi

Interior . Image © Xiao Yi

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The Joyful Church / The Beck Group


© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum


© Seung-Hoon Yum


© Seung-Hoon Yum


© Seung-Hoon Yum


© Seung-Hoon Yum

  • Architects: The Beck Group
  • Location: Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea
  • Area: 35600.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2014
  • Photographs: Seung-Hoon Yum
  • Design Architect: Beck Architecture
  • Llc: Rick del Monte, Jay Chung, Ik Joo Lee, Yoo Sook Lee, Yoon Kang, Michael Kiser, Tom Greenwood
  • Architect Of Record: Posco Architects

© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum

Joyful Church chose Beck to create a new facility for the church’s growing, vibrant worship and education programs on Sundays and for the church’s many social welfare ministries during the week.  The church’s vision was to have a design that expressed a strong symbolic Christian message, but that also used traditional Korean symbols in a fusion of architecture, faith and culture.  The location was a 10 acre site in a new town development area of Pohang.  This site had many development challenges included steep, wooded hillsides and strict zoning limitations. 


© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum

Beck’s solution provided a 383,500 SF design that integrated into the landscape with gently flowing lines that wrap around a large central plaza. Spaces included a 2700-seat sanctuary, 800-seat chapel, cafeteria, cafe, library, fitness facilities, children’s and youth spaces, welfare ministry facilities and a 350 car underground parking garage.  Placement of the buildings into the natural hillsides and careful orientation of the windows allowed ample natural light into the spaces while providing greater energy efficiency.  Forms and patterns in the architecture were inspired by traditional Korean crafts and calligraphy, and the use of natural materials and colors further harmonized the entire building into its unique place.


© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum

Courtesy of The Beck Group

Courtesy of The Beck Group

© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum

Courtesy of The Beck Group

Courtesy of The Beck Group

“Beck showed its devoted effort and undivided attention to our church until completion of the building and advised church step by step during church’s decision making procedure.”    Senior Pastor Park, Jin Suk, Joyful Church


© Seung-Hoon Yum

© Seung-Hoon Yum

Product Description. Brazilian granite was used to create forms and patterns in the architecture which were inspired by traditional Korean crafts and calligraphy, and the use of natural materials and colors further harmonized the entire building into its unique place.

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House M / Jaime Ortiz de Zevallos


© Juan Solano Ojasi

© Juan Solano Ojasi


© Juan Solano Ojasi


© Juan Solano Ojasi


© Juan Solano Ojasi


© Juan Solano Ojasi


© Juan Solano Ojasi

© Juan Solano Ojasi

From the architect. House M is located on a corner plot overlooking a public park, about a mile away from the coast, in Lima’s 1950´s traditional residential neighborhood of San Isidro.                                                 


© Juan Solano Ojasi

© Juan Solano Ojasi

The project has been developed as a basic composition of volumes, planes and materials that define the spaces in response to the views, light, privacy, and a large program.


Floor Plan 1

Floor Plan 1

The four story building is defined by a half sunken garage, office space and service area, all of which raises the living quarters above street level generating a platform for the rest of the building. 


© Juan Solano Ojasi

© Juan Solano Ojasi

The first floor of the house, with the garage roof top garden, living, dining room and the kitchen area sit above the street, overlooking the park through glass walls, while solid concrete walls block the view from the street and generate an entry sequence in to the house.


Section

Section

The third and fourth levels are defined by a two story wood screen and a horizontal white cantilever volume, with the bedrooms, family room and gym that floats along the tree canopies over the ivy covered concrete wall that surrounds the house. 


© Juan Solano Ojasi

© Juan Solano Ojasi

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