I Tested Many Calendar Apps and Found the Best Apps to Plan and Schedule My Goals
Apps that are worth trying to increase productivity, personal development, and wellbeing.
A good way to stick with your goals is to find a perfect tool that would help you achieve them.
I'll be sharing some handy apps for time blocking and planning your goals :)
But first, a little backstory.
Before settling on a calendar to schedule my days, I had a long journey of trial and error about what platform or app to use.
There are ways for an account to have a calendar, like Microsoft, Apple Calendar, and Google.
I mainly used my Google account to link the calendar in an app.
I never found satisfaction in an app, though. I ended up using Google Calendar itself.
You might ask, if Google already has a calendar, why did I not use it in the first place? I thought Google was overwhelming me with too many options to customize events, or it looked more for professional use, so I kind of wanted something that would bring a personal flair to it—an app mainly for scheduling my routine.
If you're using the website, Google Calendar has a calendar and Google Tasks on it. For some reason, the idea that having separate apps with the purpose I intended them for was a strong feature in deciding what to choose.
I've tested a ton of apps. I can't emphasize that enough.
For quite a while, I stuck with Notion Calendar, but I quit Notion after a couple of months to look for other apps & I somehow felt dissatisfied using the calendar without using some features if I had the Notion app—in short, I felt conflicted.
I explored and found a ton of apps. When I discovered that there were many apps to choose from, I quickly jotted down on a piece of paper the kind of features I wanted on my calendar. (A.N.: I was very future-focused, I'm serious, I really can't emphasize it enough, but I'm giggling while typing this.)
Features I wanted on my calendar:
Must be accessible offline
Can color-code (to personalize)
Has encrypted privacy
Strictly does calendar only (if possible)
Has a repeat feature on events
Also, it must have a duplicate feature for events
Has a desktop and mobile app
Available on iOS and Android
Lastly, and obviously, it must be free
The reason I wanted a repeat and duplicate feature was that I came from Notion Calendar, and it was very helpful for me when planning my schedule or routine.
Other than not having the Notion feature for the Calendar, I believe it was only accessible on the desktop (A.N.: I just checked and there's already an available mobile app for iOS & Android), and it wasn't accessible offline. In short, you need an internet connection to make some changes to the schedule.
Because my account is synced with Google, there has to be an internet connection, but with Google Calendar itself, I'm allowed to make changes even offline. Then, it'll save once the internet is restored.
Honestly, I went through so many calendar apps to check if it ticks all the boxes.
Here are some calendar apps I liked with a few reviews:
Sunsama
I liked Sunsama, it's also an app that's ADHD friendly. There was a calendar and even some to-do lists, as far as I can remember. Apparently, I only had a free trial, and you have to pay after it ends, so I quit after realizing the fact.
Vimcal
I liked this one too and remember wanting to stay using the app. It's very easy to learn the commands and shortcuts. It automatically enters an emoji for certain events, like, for example, 'Sleeping,' which will have a bed emoji beside it. (A.N.: Google Calendar does something similar, but as a cover photo to an event, instead of an emoji near its title) However, it only works online, and apparently, it was also a free trial.
Any.do
I really loved the minimalistic interface of this app. The free version didn't have the color coding to make events on my calendar personalized. The to-do lists also came with categories, and I was interested in how the app makes you focus on the task at hand by labeling which ones are for tomorrow, today, or next week, etc. It also wasn't accessible offline.
Amplenote
This app was really promising, it was encrypted and even accessible offline. Plus, the personal plan is free forever, although there are pricing benefits, as well. The idea of this app is to first jot an idea on a note, make it a task, then schedule it on a calendar—it was kind of like a funnel.
Thunderbird
One of the most amazing software discoveries I have ever seen (A.N.: I don't think I have seen much, but I was exhilarated). Not only can you schedule a calendar, but it also has a task tool, your contacts, and it also handles your emails. It is a free, open-source encrypted software, working on donations from its users (A.N.: If I remember correctly). The personalization available here is crazy: color coding, priority lists, categories of events--you name it. Thunderbird works offline too, but it doesn't have a mobile app, and because of its complexity, to my hyper brain, I had to leave the app, sadly.
Morgen
I stuck with this app for months. The personalization on this app was heavy. Just like other calendar apps, this one also has a Tasks feature. You can view in weeks, months, etc. As far as the design goes, it was also minimalistic and super-clean. When creating a task, I could also add subtasks. I was given at least a week to use the pro subscription, but after it was done, it was still as effective. The mobile app broke me. Sometimes, when I try to change something, it just doesn't work offline, so I came back to Google Calendar.
Routine
It was similar to Any.do having both a calendar and a to-do list. As far as I remember, this app has a habit tracker and even a Notes feature on it too. An integration tool is said to be required when syncing Google Calendar to this app. I remembered news about them is that a mobile app was on the rise soon (A.N.: I checked and apparently, they launched it this year, in March). I wasn't sure how I was going to use all the features, so I left it for good.
Lunatask
Similar to Routine, there were many features, and like Sunsama, it is a good app for people with ADHD. The following were available: a journal, tasks (with a calendar), notes, habits, and relationship tracking. The free version is very limited, but I liked the features so much that I wanted to try how the mobile app would work, so I could check on my phone even when I'm away from my desktop. Its mobile app is on TestFlight, meaning it's still in beta version (A.N.: And I just checked, they now have the app out on iOS and Android, congrats to you, Mike). Finally, the limitations of the app stopped me from using it.
Obviously, I used my calendar for personal and school schedules, but they are pretty much marketed for businessmen and professional people in all industries.
Timestripe
Several months later, I found a life-changing app called 'Timestripe' and I call it a "game changer."
Even though the app is only accessible with internet, I still chose to stay and use it.
Let me quote what I found on the internet: "Timestripe is designed for individuals and teams who want to manage goals and tasks with a focus on long-term planning and personal or professional growth."1
The app lets you make life goals, annual, monthly, weekly, daily, and even hourly. There are free and available templates to use, such as kanban boards, Project Plan Template, SWOT Analysis for personal uses like GTDs, Bucket Lists, Habit Tracker, and so on.
Like Morgen, they offer a free trial, and once it expires, expect the limitations.
This was the right app for me, so despite having to deal with some boundaries, I stuck with it (A.N.: They do many discount offers, anyway).
Similarly, this was what I used for my visual board to better my lifestyle, which I wrote about in the last post about time-blocking and planning.
If you plan on using Timestripe, it might get overwhelming at first, but they offer video tutorials via email, and it's really easy to get used to if you're like me, who's very passionate about getting their goals and tasks done hehe.
And because you could do project management with Timestripe, the boards you create on the account can be shared as a link with others to collaborate on them. You are also free to make spaces with various boards if you'd like. I have three spaces in mine, each one for Personal, Academic, and Career.
When I went to visit Canada, I used a board on my Personal Timestripe Space to plan what I would wear, things I would buy, places I would like to visit, or experiences I would like to try.
It's also very fortunate that they can be integrated with Google Calendar now. The first time I used Timestripe, it still wasn't available, but now, I could see the goals I created in Timestripe inside my Google Calendar.
Timestripe also has a mobile app, which I can create as a widget on an iPhone. I have a whole screen of widgets with the Reminders app, Timestripe, Google Calendar, and Google Tasks in my phone (A.N.: The view on my iPhone is very goal-centered lol).
Hi, thank you for reading :)
I hope it didn't overwhelm you.
I'll see you next week on this journey to personal development and having a wellness lifestyle. Babye :)
🥰happylivin9soul
https://timestripe.com/magazine/blog/timestripe-vs-todoist/#overview