Three Android apps to help you manage your life like a boss

The 21st century’s penchant for multitasking takes the idea of having one’s finger in too many pies to staggering new levels. We’ve become Android app-hopping machines that keep a window open on the Cardinals game as we input figures into our spreadsheet, all the while answering colleagues’ emails and responding to Android group chat with that perfectly chosen gif. With our attention spread so thin, it can be hard to keep up with everything we have going on in our lives — on and off our Androids.

Overwhelmed and scatterbrained — and missing more due dates than hitting targets — it’s time to accept defeat: multitasking might not be your forte. Our brains just aren’t hardwired to handle so many things at once, so you can blame you noggin for forgetting to pick up milk on the way home or for having a whopping $78 fine on your library card.

Luckily, a fine-free future where you actually do what you meant to do on time is in your future. Your Android can help you stay on top of tasks by streamlining your calendar and to-do lists into one convenient app. Here are just a few of the best task-management apps for Android that will help you take control of your busy life.

Wunderlist

By far the most popular to-do list, it’s available for Android, iOS, and, since it was recently bought out by Microsoft, Windows Phone. Its popularity is due to its beautiful and simple interface that makes it easy to use for any skill level.

Wunderlist makes it possible to plan for all sorts of activities, events, and tasks whether it’s your grocery list for the night’s dinner or a super important presentation due in a month’s time. It has its own calendar system, so you can set deadlines and receive reminders of impending due dates. You can even use Wunderlist to collaborate with family, friends, and co-workers, as the app makes it possible to update lists, message users, and share calendars with important people.

This basic version is available for free, but for $50 a year you can unlock certain premium features, including delegation of tasks and uploading large files to your lists. It can also help you customize the look of your app with cosmetic backgrounds.

Any.do

If it weren’t for Wunderlist, Any.do would place first. Available for both Android and iOS, you can use this app on the latest Pixel or beat-up Moto G. It’s similar to Wunderlist in that it’s able to organize your tasks in one convenient place on your phone, mixing messaging and scheduling with the ability to create lists and assign tasks. It wins points for offering an accessible hands-free feature that allows you to create new entries by voice command.

The basic version is free, and the upgrade to premium is just $27 a year. By taking the leap, you can unlock limitations on features available in the free version, including sharing to-dos, setting recurring tasks, and customizing its design.

Since there’s a minor difference in cost from Wunderlist to Any.do, you could use the leftovers to invest in a skin for your Android. Though inexpensive, the Android decals coming out of the dbrand warehouse offer fun ways to personalize and protect your phone. When you check out the latest skins from dbrand you can find a decal that matches the cosmetic settings you unleash in the premium app, so that your newfound concentration on task management comes in color-coordinated perfection.

Google Keep

How could we make a list about task management and not say the G word? Like most of its apps, Google’s to-do list application — available for Android and iOS systems — is in the top running.

While both Wunderlist and Any.do take a minimalist approach towards its design interface, Google Keep embraces a colorful nod to your analogue post-its that once littered your desk and wall calendar. In this way it mimics Evernote, as it offers a way to store important documents in addition to tasks. Like your now neglected collection of post-it notes, you can assign certain colors and labels depending on the task, so you can tell just by a quick look at your phone what kind of duties (work or otherwise) are in your immediate future.

It doesn’t matter whether you load another Google app onto your Moto or opt for Wunderlist on your Pixel. The important part is that you find a management app that works with your lifestyle. Check out what each of these top 3 apps has to offer, and see if they mesh with your routine. And if they don’t, don’t worry! There are tons more like them waiting for you at the Play Store.