Modern life can leave you in a muddle.
Some days, the complexity and volume of tasks required to make it through to bedtime are enough to send you into the foetal position.
Before you swear off technology for good, wait one moment. That phone -- and tablet and desktop computer -- could help provide the solution to the mountains of paperwork and undone to-do lists stressing you out.
Here are five apps to make life less of a chore.
Money management
Tax time can be a giant pain in the depreciating asset.
Instead of rummaging through old shoeboxes for faded receipts, try Pocketbook (iOS and Android).
The free mobile app syncs data with accounts from most major Australian financial institutions. Users can track spending habits, set budgets and receive notifications when bills fall due.
Come tax time, Pocketbook comes into its own, storing receipts and calculating deductions. How easy is that?
Grocery shopping
Man cannot live on Thai takeaway alone. Neither can woman, which means every now and then, you’re going to have to shop for groceries.
Instead of roaming the aisles trying to remember what you wrote on the shopping list you left on the kitchen bench, download AnyList (iOS).
It’s a grocery shopping list, recipe manager and meal planning calendar. Best of all, it’s shareable with family members or flatmates, and changes show up instantly on everyone’s iPhone or iPad.
The basic app is free or there’s a premium option.
Just remember not to leave your phone on the bench.
Time management
Procrastinators of the world, meet your new bestie. WAVE Calendar (iOS and Android) is a free calendar app that makes organising your time a cinch.
Its sleek interface is drop-dead gorgeous, but this app is not just a pretty face. It features multiple views, colour-coded events, an integrated invitation handler and drag and drop appointments.
The app syncs with Google, Exchange, Hotmail, Outlook and Facebook calendars, and even adds the local weather.
Who needs a secretary?
Remembering passwords
The sheer volume of alphanumeric gobbledygook floating around people’s brains these days makes it a wonder anyone can remember to tie their own shoelaces.
From passwords and pin numbers to user names and account numbers, the information overload is overwhelming.
Enter LastPass (iOS and Android), which promises to be “the last password you have to remember”. The free app boasts AES 256-bit encryption with routinely increased PBKDF2 iterations. That means really, really strong protection, and there’s a premium option, for unlimited syncing.
Kids’ chores
Nagging children to do their chores is up there with head-lice as one of the least enjoyable aspects of parenting.
If traditional threats and bribery aren’t working, ChoreMonster (iOS and Android) enlists cartoon monsters and fart jokes to motivate children to finish their jobs.
The app integrates with the website, and parents can add photos to help younger users recognise their chores.
“While we make no guarantees that your child will beg to do their chores, it has been known to happen,” the website says.
Brought to you by ahm health insurance. Helping you keep things uncomplicated.