During the holidays, we can never seem to avoid being overwhelmed in some fashion. This was a great article with helpful apps that can take away some of those stressful feelings of "Omg, I need.." or "No! I forgot to.." This was a helpful article from Forbes.com by Bryan Borzykowski and Cole Haan
As much as Vivek Jain likes the holidays, December is one of his busiest months.
The founder of Loko, a new dating app where people communicate through video — instead of text and photos — has to work even harder to get everything done before his 10-person staff, and the potential investors he’s trying to woo, take off for the holidays.
Jain is often on the road but takes even more trips before the break.
“I don’t think I’ve slept more than four hours since I became an entrepreneur,” he said. “But those first two weeks in December are even busier.”
One of the ways Jain manages his time is by using apps that allow him to do more things at once. For instance, by ordering dinner via a food delivery service, he’s able to go to the gym and shower while his meal is being prepared.
For Jain, the minutes saved here and there are especially important around the holiday season.
Food: FreshDirect, DoorDash
If Jain is at work and can’t get home for dinner, or if he needs to get a workout in later in the day, he can order his favorite foods and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning up. Most of the time, Jain orders wraps or something else healthy using Uber Eats or another restaurant delivery service like DoorDash.
“Once the food is there, my laptop is open, and I don’t have to focus on anything else,” he said.
If you’re planning a big holiday meal but don’t have time to get to the grocery store, use Instacart or another grocery delivery service like FreshDirect, said tech journalist Derek Malcolm. Instacart, for example, is an app that connects you to a personal shopper in one of a number of U.S. grocery stores. You choose the groceries you want on the app, and the shopper will look for them in the store. If they can’t find what you want, they’ll text you with an alternative.
Shopping: Giftster, Hautelook
One of the most stressful parts of the holidays is finding gifts for family and friends. Giftster allows you to create detailed shopping lists where you can keep all your gift ideas in one place. Add links to online stores, put in gift-related details, such as price, and then check that purchase off when you buy it. The best part, Malcolm said, is that you can share these lists. Family members can add their gift ideas to your list. Or, if two people are shopping for the family, you can quickly compare ideas.
“You can see if a gift on a list has already been bought or claim a gift so no one else buys it and steals your glory,” Malcolm said.
When Jain needs to buy gifts at the last minute he uses HauteLook, an online store that sells items from luxury brands, such as Cole Haan and Olive & Oak. He said everything he needs to buy is there.
“I haven’t found a better retailer — the customer service is amazing,” he said.
Travel: PackPoint
While there are plenty of good booking apps out there, such as Hopper and Kayak, they all do essentially the same thing, Malcolm said.
One travel app that stands out is PackPoint, which helps with the most frustrating and time-consuming part of travel: packing. Users plug in where they’re going and what they’ll be doing there. The app will then create a list of things you need to pack. Attending a fancy dinner? It’ll remind you to bring something dressy.
You can delete the items you don’t want and share the list with other travelers in your group, too. “You won’t leave anything behind,” he said.
Destress: Headspace, Fitbod or 8fit
As fun as the holidays can be, the stress that comes with the break — family time, finishing work — can slow you down. To destress, Malcolm recommends using Headspace, an app that guides users through 10-minute meditations. The app’s bedtime sounds, meanwhile, can help induce sleep, while “SOS” exercises are designed to pre-empt total meltdowns in especially stressful moments. It also syncs with Apple Health.
“It’s a great way to reduce stress and improve sleep and focus, which is what we all need during the holidays,” he said.
Those looking to sweat the stress away may want to use an app like Fitbod, which helps you focus your gym routine. Another option is 8fit, which gets your heart going at home and offers.
Organization: Dropbox, Cozi
Being organized around the holidays is critical. For Jain, that means ensuring every work file is available at a moment’s notice. He’s a big fan of Dropbox, a site that allows him to store and share files in the cloud. He doesn’t like to lug around his laptop when he travels, so, with the Dropbox mobile app, he can open and share files from his phone. Not having to search for documents on his computer saves a ton of time, which directly translates into more time that he can spend with his family, he said.
For Malcolm, Cozi is a must-have app. It allows groups of people – he uses it with his family – to share calendars and to-do lists. When one person makes a list, it notifies the other that they have things to do. The person who made the list can see what tasks have been completed.
“A big part of making it through the holidays is making sure the family is working together,” said Malcolm. “This helps.”
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