With the amount of distractions present in the daily life of everyone living within 100 miles of civilization, it goes without saying that we need something to keep us organized  and focused. Think about it: just watching a television program can have you literally questioning what you were going to do 5 minutes before with all of the commercials you get blasted with!

Thankfully, there are like-minded folks out there who believed we should be focused and "on task" as well. In this article, I’d like to spotlight 3 apps that can go a long way towards keeping you focused and productive.

Evernote

Evernote

The reigning king of productivity is Evernote. It's been lauded by lifestyle gurus everywhere (Tim Ferris, etc.) and with good reason. Evernote simply has enough features to make sure you can easily remember the simplest of tasks through recording audio, pictures, and GPS integration with your mobile device. What makes it additionally attractive is that, like all the apps in this article, there is a desktop version, as well as a mobile version, allowing your portable and your home life to be in perfect synchronization.

Evernote has been used for:

• Cooking recipes
  
• Remembering where you parked your car
  
• Taking notes at school
  
• Shared productivity
  

The company behind Evernote has even made it possible for web developers to add an Evernote Remember button to their site. When a user pushes this button, all the proper tags, information, and more is stored within the user's favorites... But with organization that you provided.

In your quest for more focus, I’d highly recommend stopping here first. Evernote also has a premium account that boosts how much can be uploaded per month, adds to the different kinds of files that can be uploaded, expands collaboration ability... And, one other thing: Additional support. The total cost is $5 a month.

Comments: Try out the freebie first!

Wunderlist

Wunderlist

With a nice list of accolades from many highly respected magazines as well as webzines, Wunderlist has made a name for itself. And, while it doesn’t incorporate as many features as Evernote, it does do one thing really well. It keeps you on task, while being completely free. This would also include the ability to share your tasks with others, one thing that Evernote lacks. 

On the minus side of things, Wunderlist does not have all of the application, audio, file capabilities that Evernote has. But, it’s free, stable, and does allow a quaint visual customization (backgrounds) that can make things aesthetically comfortable!

Comments: A to-the-point app that will definitely help you organize your life, and because it’s so simple, you don’t have to worry about getting lost in the features.

Producteev

Producteev

If you are using multiple web services like Gmail, AIM, IM, Google Calendar, etc., then you might find Producteev extremely helpful. Through Producteev, you can send yourself tasks through all of your social networking services by simply sending yourself messages. Suddenly, you’ll have your alerts that were made easily popping up with notifiers on your supported mobile device, or desktop (Mac only). 

Producteev, I should note, has seen some mixed reviews in the Apple store, etc. And, it’s true, getting used to its integration services will take you a few minutes to setup, and get used to. However, if you’re really as active on all of these social media services as you say you are, you’ll get good usage out of this. 

Comments: One thing that I noticed is that most of the true power of Producteev comes not from the application itself as much as the website control panel. You can actually maintain, control, and check all of your tasks, but also set up your numerous email, calendar and social services, which is something you can’t do in the desktop client. 

Producteev’s services are free for up to two users. If you run a team, you may want to check their prices, as well as thoroughly investigate their services to see if they are right for your business.

Conclusion

All, in all, I found all of the apps helpful in their own way. Certainly, Evernote has the largest feature set. But, more can be less to some, and in some cases, downright intimidating. More can especially be frustrating when you need to capture thoughts, assignments and words as quickly as possible. I’d say take your time in finding the right package before you start relying on anything. It’s your focus & productivity, after all!