We have all become increasingly reliant on our phones for everything from ordering a cab to paying the rent and finding out if it’s going to rain.
To help you enjoy your weekends to the full, we’ve come up with 7 apps you need to make life a little easier:
Getting a good night’s sleep
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Sleep Cycle will make sure you wake up feeling refreshed and not frightened by the sudden chiming of your alarm. The app uses your phone’s accelerometer to keep track of your sleeping habits through movement and sounds.
Its alarm works by letting you choose a window of time that you need to get up within so it judges when is the best time based on your level of sleeping to wake you up. By keeping a record of your sleeping habits, you can look to the app for help to improve your sleep quality over time.
➤ Sleep Cycle ($0.99) [iOS | Android]
Food, glorious food
The weekend is usually a time when you can get a little more indulgent in the kitchen since you’ve probably got more free time than during the week. Epicurious has inspiration for every meal and occasion imaginable – over 30,000 collected from popular cookbooks and sources like Bon Appetit and Gourmet, and over 100,000 user-submitted recipes as well.
It’s easy to search and modify to disregard anything you might be avoiding, like wheat or nuts. Once you’ve found a recipe you like, you can add all of items needed to an in-app shopping list for later. Or you can search with the ingredients you already have to make something quickly.
➤ Epicurious (Free) [iOS | Android]
Kick start the spring cleaning
Weekends can also mean having to catch up on all the housekeeping you managed to procrastinate over during the week. Luckily, BrightNest is full of tips and tricks to make those jobs a little less painstaking. It’s got ideas on how to keep the house organized, quirky tips (did you know coca cola can clean the toilet?!), as well as countless DIY hacks.
You can also create a personal to-do list and add to it all week so you don’t forget anything.
➤ BrightNest (Free) [iOS | Android]
Work out
The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App
You don’t need to go to the gym or even really leave the house to get fit with The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App – all you need is a chair and 7 to 11 minutes spare.
It caters for beginners and fitness veterans alike, so you can choose the level of intensity that works best for you and each routine is accompanied with a short video from a personal trainer to help. You can also create and save your own custom workout if you already know what you want to do.
➤The Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App (Free) [iOS | Android]
Get out of the house
YPlan shows you what’s going on in your city on any given day, provided you live in London, New York, San Francisco, Bristol or Dublin.
You can search for free events or in categories, like Theatre, Film, Music, Food or Comedy. If the event is ticketed, YPlan usually has a discounted offer and you can share or invite friends from directly within the app.
➤ YPlan (Free) [iOS | Android]
Getting around
Whether you’re out and about in the city you live in or you’re traveling elsewhere, Citymapper is probably the best way to navigate.
The app is available in over 30 cities around the globe, including London, New York, Tokyo, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Toronto, and more.
When you search for your destination, Citymapper gives you every available route in a neat list, along with the time each one will take, the calories you could burn if you walk or cycle and a price estimate for cab rides. It also gives you the weather at your destination and how long it’d take should you happen to own a teleportation device.
➤ Citymapper (Free) [iOS |Android]
Unwind
After a hectic week or weekend, everyone should find some time to relax and clear their head, even if it’s only 10 minutes. Headspace offers just that and is perfect for people who might be skeptical about meditation.
The app guides you through the basics and helps you learn how to really relax in a series of 10-minute sessions. You can also track your progress over time and add friends who use the app so you can share how you’re getting on.
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