Hello Readers,
This was orginially a Daily Prompt offered by WordPress, and in my goal to do 30 essays in 30 days, i did this one because I thought it was fun. I have lost the Daily prompt draft I created but still wanted to share. Enjoy! Any of these apps want to sponsor a post. Reach out to me!
I saw this prompt on WordPress and it stuck with me: what are your top five apps on your phone? Not top five rappers (though that’s a whole other debate we need a scoring system for), not top five anything else just the apps I reach for every single day. So, here’s my or , unranked by cool factor, ranked by real life list. Along with a few extra, and one that I tried to leave off the list but… I couldn’t Pikachu wouldn’t allow it.
5. Voice Recorder
This one might surprise you, but it’s been essential since the beginning of COVID in 2020. I use my phone’s recorder to capture my thoughts before they disappear into the ether. Ideas I can’t get out of my head, ramblings that turn into essays, voice notes that are basically my personal diary. Half the blog posts I’ve ever published started as me talking to myself in the car. Some of it turns into something good. Some of it is just me sounding unhinged. Either way, it works.
4. Spotify
Yes, I know. I know Spotify barely pays artists and has its own controversies. I’m trying to be a conscientious consumer, but I also host trivia and I’m always on the go, so realistically, Spotify runs my life. My only real complaint: it used to introduce me to new artists and genres constantly, and lately it just keeps feeding me the same 150–200 songs on repeat. I don’t need “Don’t Stop Believing” again to give me something new.
The audiobook addition, though? Genius. I’ve “read” three books I never would’ve paid for otherwise. I’ll start a book physically at night, forget to bring it to work, search for it on Spotify. So, I can continue to listen to the book at work, or even on the drive home. Then once I’m back home, I pick the physical copy back up right where I left off. Seamless.
3. Plague Inc.
This is the one game that made the list. I don’t download it often because I will lose hours to it, but there’s something about building out epidemiology scenarios and watching how diseases spread that scratches an itch in my brain. It doesn’t teach me public health (that’s what school is for), but the modeling side of it is genuinely fascinating. An ex-introduced me to this game, I think it freaked him out how much I loved the game and would show him all the different ways I would create diseases.
2. Too Good to Go
When I’ve got a little extra cash and want food from a new spot, this is my go-to. Some of my favorite markets, Whole Foods or Fresh Market, sell surplus food through the app for a fraction of the price. Right now, I am in love with Pure Raw Juice, because Too Good, to Go. It’s how I get to try places I’ve never been, eat well, and not feel guilty about food waste. It’s also perfect for stocking up on food or a quick surprise meal.
Honorable mention: Tumblr. I’ve had this account since 2008 and I’m not leaving. It’s my refuge from every other chaotic social platform (you know who you are… Book of Faces) a little corner of the internet that still feels like mine.
1. Google Maps
No contest. Even with the “raggedy” voice I keep meaning to change, I check this constantly not just for directions, but to gauge traffic before I even leave the house. It tells me exactly when I need to walk out the door to make it to work on time, and honestly, it’s saved me more stress than almost anything else on my phone. Yes, I know it’s tracking me. No, I don’t really care, I’m just going to work and back anyway. Sometimes it saves me from driving to Virgina, when I am just trying to go to Bowie.
Runners-up that almost made the cut: Keep Notes, Google Docs, Audible, Kindle. Maybe YouTube probably not due to this new algorithm.
p.s. It Pokémon Go. I have logged one too many hours on that app. My quest to get a shiny Charmander again, has driven me to the ends of Baltimore Street. I am embarrassed to say Pokémon Go is the reason I get 20,000 steps in every weekend like clockwork. Walking around and catching little Pokémon and sending them to Professor Oak, we all know he runs an illegal chop shop of Pokémon.
If you would like to support my Pokémon hobby à https://ko-fi.com/chemichelletales
P.S. if any of these companies would like to sponsor a post… I am here for it 😊
Awesomeness! Thanks😊
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