Productivity apps to keep you dialled in

The root to success

AN extension of the Pomodoro technique, Forest helps you to disregard the WhatsApp group messages and focus on the job in hand. Touch a button to ‘plant’ a seedling and then ignore your phone until it grows into a tree — if you leave the app to check messages, your tree will die, while metrics allow you to check how well your self-control is developing. Available for Android and iOS

News when you need it

THE distraction of a compelling news article is lessened when you can know you can keep it for another time. Pocket allows you to save articles and videos, which you can read offline later. Easy to use, it will recommend other content based on what you’ve saved, and Pocket Highlights showcases the most relevant content in your list. Available for Android and iOS

Prioritise your daily chores

A to-do list makes life manageable. The amusingly entitled Remember the Milk app allows you to organise your life with email, text and Twitter notifications, and lets you share your lists with others. You can organise the tasks in terms of priorities, due dates, etc, as well as search tasks and notes and stay in synch on all of your devices. Available for Android and iOS

Be a password professional

THERE are few things in life as irritating or as time consuming as forgetting passwords. 1Password keeps all your passwords securely, behind one master password that only you know. This means signing into websites with just a few taps, while a security audit feature can check for duplicate and weak passwords. Available for Android and iOS