Keep It Simple Apps For Organization
by
Cristen Reat 
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What’s Appening? Keep It Simple Apps For Organization
The New Year brings with it a fresh start and mantras about getting organized, de-cluttering and resolving to be more efficient. While these are helpful suggestions, with all we have to do as parents and caregivers, the messaging can feel like an added pressure. We know all too well that keeping up with children’s school schedules, therapy and medical appointments can be daunting tasks–on a good day, and seemingly impossible on a not so good day.
Sometimes integrating a simple tool into your routine can have a big payoff on efficiency and more peace of mind. Take Google Calendar, for instance. It is a free Internet and mobile app calendar, which is an effective way to track your events and share your calendar with others. A helpful mobile tool for managing life’s events, the Google calendar interface is simple and powerful.
The recommended apps below can help both caregiver and child to manage schedules, break down tasks into manageable chunks and offer visual supports that benefit the whole family.
Google Calendar: Get Organized
By: Google LLC
Google Calendar is a great scheduling app that allows for the ability to sync schedules with family and friends. Users can easily create events, tasks, and reminders and include the title of the event, date, people involved, location (physical addresses or links for virtual events), any additional descriptions or notes, as well as when they would like to receive reminders about the upcoming events. It is really like having a virtual secretary for you and your family! Google Calendar comes already installed on Google phones and some other Android phones, however, is available in the Google Play store and the Apple App Store for FREE to users of other device types.
Price: Free
Google Tasks
By: Google LLC
Google Tasks (formally known as Google Reminders until May of this year), can help you manage, capture, and edit your tasks from anywhere, at any time, with to-dos that sync across all of your devices. Another important feature is that because it is part of the Google suite of apps, users can manage tasks created in Gmail or Google Calendar while logged in on the web or from your mobile device. The other features included such as setting due date for tasks, organizing tasks by date, and receiving notification reminders to stay on track are all tools that older teens and young adults juggling school assignments, doctor appointments, or work meetings and projects could utilize to help stay organized.
Price: Free
Time Timer
By Time Timer LLC
This app is a great tool for anyone who may benefit from a visual representation of the abstract concept of increments of time. The app includes three different kinds of timers: the original timer, a custom timer, which creates a full circle visual out of any increment of time you set, or a clock-based timer, which shows your desired increment of time on a real-time clock-face.
Price: FREE | Offers In-App Purchases
Brili Routines
By Brili GmbH
Brili helps with the chaos of daily routines with kids. Simply set up a routine for mornings, bedtimes, and any other time of the day. Brili’s timers, visual and audible activity prompts and motivating rewards quickly teach your child to stay on task and on time. They are able to learn and develop time management skills, better pace themselves, and lessen the off-task distractions.
Price: FREE | Offers In-App Purchases
If you are interested in searching for more apps, creating your own list of apps and sharing them, please go to BridgingApps.org. BridgingApps, a program of Easter Seals Greater Houston, is a community of parents, therapists, doctors, and teachers who share information about using mobile devices (iPad, iPhone, and Android) with people who have special needs.
Cristen Reat is co-founder of BridgingApps and a mother who found success when using a mobile device with her children who have special needs. Amy Barry is the Content Manager and Editor at BridgingApps.
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This post originally appeared on our January/February 2015 Magazine
I have been wanting to get a good app that is going to be capable and free iOS apps for adults with behavioral issues chores and visually impaired audio apps thanks
Glad we could help!!