A place for everything, and everything in its place. These tools help minimize the clutter and waste in your life.
Maintain your to-do lists your own way, whether or not you cling to the typical Getting Things Done method. Things ($9.99, www.culturedcode.com) neatly shows the tasks ahead of you, including multistep goals. Our productivity has risen by breaking down our projects into manageable chunks. Things can even schedule items to appear in the future--that reminder to “buy a Mother’s Day gift” won’t clutter up your list until you get closer to that day. Add the Mac version ($49.95), and the two can sync wirelessly over a local network.
The elegant overview page gives an impression of your tasks ahead.
Organize your digital life by storing files online. Dropbox (free, www.getdropbox.com) gives you 2GB for a free account, accessible from any Mac, PC, or iPhone. Sure, online storage is no big deal for a desktop computer, but the iPhone app enters new territory. Right from your device, you can stream or download a range of file types, including music, movies, PDFs, and Word docs. That way, you can view your important files anywhere or just take a break to stream some songs.
You can even stream--or download--iPhone-supported movies.
SplashID ($9.99, www.splashdata.com) encrypts your sensitive data so you can have it ready anywhere. You just enter a single password (make it a good one!) to unlock everything. Archive credit card numbers, web logins, bank account details, and anything else. Great-looking presets are included for most situations, and you can customize the layout for anything, such as those not-very-secure password reset questions. With SplashID, don’t type in your high school mascot; the software will remember any answer, such as “xS34_wwE.” We recommend adding the sold-separately Mac version ($19.95) for quicker entry and syncing. Or use the desktop version free for 30 days to build your database and decide whether or not to buy the license later.
Scroll through your dozens of passwords and bits of data, or just search for the right entry.
If your household has multiple people buying groceries or at least adding to the list, Grocery Gadget ($4.99, www.grocerygadgets.com) lets anyone make changes to the list and cross off purchases. You’ll create a group list on the website and log in from an iPhone, iPod touch, or Web browser. Then carry your list to the store. The software even learns the order in which you check off items, roughly organizing the next trip to match the store layout.
Sync lists between family members, then check off items in the store.
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