If you're rolling into retirement with expectations of remaining active and finding new adventures, you may discover that your life is busier and fuller than ever before. For example, if you make the move to an independent living or assisted living community, you may make new friends and discover numerous activities you want to get involved with — and those are on top of the activities, hobbies, friends and family you already have.
For busy seniors, keeping schedules and other details in order can become a major task. If you have a smartphone or tablet, though, you can make use of a few apps to keep your life in order. Discover some of the easiest options to use below.
Instead of hitting the app store to download something new, you may want to first consider the functions that come standard on your phone. Almost all smartphones come with a calendar function that lets you:
You may be able to set up notifications from your calendar as well. For example, you could say that you want a notification about an event 24 hours before it starts so you'll be sure to remember it. You can also set up a notification at an appropriate time reminding you to leave for the event.
The clock app on your phone can serve a similar function. You can set alarms to remind you of important tasks or events. You can also often set recurring alarms, such as for 8 a.m. every day or 6 p.m. every Tuesday. Your phone alarm can be a great tool to help you:
Focus To-Do is a Pomodoro-based to-do list app. It helps you keep track of what you want to get done and stay focused on the tasks once you start them.
The concept of the Pomodoro method is that people can only truly focus on something for a certain period of time and then the brain needs a break. Focus is also a skill you can hone over time.
The Focus To-Do app lets you create a list of tasks to accomplish and add due dates for each. You also set the number of Pomodoros you think it will take to get the task done and the app will calculate how much time you've planned for each day.
You choose the length of your Pomodoro session, though it defaults to 25. So, say you want to work on a crochet project for 50 minutes. You would set that task for two 25-minute Pomodoro sessions.
When you're ready to focus on your tasks, you can start a Pomodoro timer in the app. It reminds you when it's time to take a little break. You can also check off tasks as you complete them.
You don't need a to-do app to use the Pomodoro method. You can search your phone's app store and find plenty of Pomodoro timers. Set your focus time and get to work cleaning, creating, learning or doing whatever else you have in mind.
The great thing about the Pomodoro method is that you can train your mind to focus for longer. Only have 10 minutes in you? Start there and work up to focusing for longer sessions at a time.
The Medisafe app helps you organize your medications and manage chronic diseases. You can set it to remind yourself about important medication doses. You can also track prescription and over-the-counter medication use as well as supplements you take. Knowing when you last took something and being able to see the big picture of your medication use can help you avoid overuse or unwanted interactions.
You can also use Medisafe to track important statistics like blood pressure, blood sugar and SpO2 readings. Medisafe includes built-in information about drug interactions to help you stay safe, and you can also set appointment and refill reminders to stay on top of your health.
Older adults who have a wealth of family recipes stored in their head or a grease-splattered binder might want to find a way to easily pass those recipes on to others. The Paprika recipe manager lets you organize recipes so others can access them. It also makes it easy to create meal plans and grocery lists around specific recipes, which might come in handy for seniors who have unique dietary concerns.
