While the Apple Watch is well-known for aiding users in monitoring their health and fitness, it also serves as an excellent device for staying on task and boosting productivity. This is particularly beneficial for anyone who finds themselves easily sidetracked by their smartphone.
Beyond its basic productivity tools like Reminders and Calendar, the Apple Watch supports a range of third-party apps that extend its capabilities and can further help you stay productive.
Todoist
Image Credits:Todoist
Todoist is a handy solution for task management on your Apple Watch, especially when you’d rather not reach for your iPhone. With Todoist, you can add and control your tasks, categorize them into projects, mark them as finished, and set reminders. Tasks can be entered using voice commands or the on-screen keyboard.
Todoist is particularly useful for anyone who prefers the convenience of reviewing information on their wrist—like checking off items on a grocery list or making a quick note—without needing to unlock their phone.
You can conveniently track your daily task progress directly from your Apple Watch. For example, you can opt to display either your upcoming task or the percentage of tasks you’ve completed for the day.
Todoist is free to use, but a $4 monthly subscription unlocks premium features such as advanced reminders, an AI-powered assistant, a calendar view, and more.
Drafts
Image Credits:Drafts
Because the Apple Watch doesn’t offer a built-in Notes app, Drafts is an excellent option for anyone wanting a note-taking tool without needing their phone. You can quickly create notes using voice, Scribble, or the keyboard on watchOS.
Your drafts inbox syncs with your iPhone, showing the current number of notes and highlighting flagged drafts for easy access to important items.
When you open the app, you’re greeted with a blank note, giving you a distraction-free space to jot down ideas instantly. You can organize notes into folders or just use the app as an open workspace.
Drafts is free to download, and for $1.99 per month, you can access extra features such as custom themes and the ability to send emails directly to the app.
Focus
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Focus is ideal for those who benefit from a productivity timer and prefer handling tasks individually. The app divides your work into smaller segments, referred to as “Focus Sessions.” Working in these intervals helps you concentrate on a single task before moving to the next.
By relying on your Apple Watch instead of your phone, you can cut down on interruptions. Simply glance at your wrist to check the remaining time in your Focus Session and then get back to work. The app also reminds you to take breaks between sessions.
Focus is available for $7.99 a month.
AutoSleep
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AutoSleep stands out as one of the leading sleep tracking apps for Apple Watch, and it’s clear why. The app provides detailed insights into your sleep quality, consistency, heart rate, and more. It measures how long it takes you to fall asleep and assesses your overall sleep efficiency.
AutoSleep presents your sleep data in a clock-like display with sleep rings, making it easy to review your stats—much like the Activity Rings on your Watch. You can quickly determine whether you’re getting sufficient rest or need to improve your sleep habits.
The app also calculates a “readiness” score that evaluates your mental and physical preparedness for the day based on your sleep, similar to how the Oura Ring app works. It can even recommend the optimal bedtime to help you catch up on rest.
AutoSleep can be purchased for a one-time fee of $5.99.
Streaks
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Streaks is useful for anyone wanting to establish positive habits and monitor their consistency. Every day you complete a task, your streak continues; break the streak, and it resets. You can track up to 24 different habits, such as brushing your teeth, learning a new language, or choosing healthier foods.
You can also set tasks that don’t need to be completed daily. For example, you might want to walk to work on weekdays, hit the gym three times a week, or avoid unhealthy snacks during weekends.
With a quick look at your Apple Watch, you can immediately see what tasks remain for the day, check your progress, and mark items as finished.
Streaks is available for a one-time price of $5.99.
Fantastical
Image Credits:Fantastical
Fantastical is an outstanding calendar app that helps you manage your schedule right from your Apple Watch. You can easily create new events and set reminders, all accessible with a simple glance.
There are three different layout options on the Apple Watch app. The “Up Next” view gives you a snapshot of your upcoming appointment along with current weather information. The “List” view displays your events and tasks for the next few days, alongside the weather forecast. The “Tasks” view shows all your pending tasks so you can check them off easily.
You can also get notifications for scheduled events and tasks. For those who want calendar updates on their watch face, Fantastical’s Smart Stack widget provides instant access to your agenda.
Fantastical is priced at $4.99 per month.
Things 3
Image Credits:Things 3
Things 3 is a powerful productivity app designed to help you manage to-do lists, oversee projects, and monitor your progress toward your objectives. It enables you to organize various aspects of your life—personal, professional, financial, and more—into dedicated “Areas.”
Included features are reminders, calendar integration, widgets, and tags for organizing tasks. The app supports repeating to-dos on a custom schedule and has a section called “This Evening” for evening plans.
Throughout your day, you can quickly cross off completed tasks or add new ones directly from your wrist.
Things 3 can be purchased with a one-time payment of $9.99.
