3 Ways Sunrise Keeps Me Productive and Inspired
Calendar apps can be really boring. Calendar apps in general are viewed as tools for the extreme type A individual, or the person who simply can’t stay organized. The truth is most of us fall somewhere in between this spectrum. We’re generally on top of things, but reminders are welcomed in the midst of our busy lives.
In general, I’ve found most calendar apps slow to sync (which translates to being completely unreliable), and frustrating to look at on my phone’s tiny screen.
I was reluctant to try another calendar app when my friend introduced me to Sunrise, but I decided to give it a shot. Sunrise App, not exactly “new”, but recently acquired by Microsoft, “combines beautiful design and great engineering” to reimagine your calendar app. I was skeptical of such bold claims, but within seconds I had my calendar, my colleague’s calendars, my tasks in Asana, and my husbands calendar, all synced to my phone.
I’m sure Sunrise can do everything—that’s how much faith I have in the app—but I’m going to share just a few quick tips on staying productive, and how the innovative Sunrise helps me do this in unexpected ways.
- Today’s Calendar is all I see in the morning – My notifications (or pull-down menu) exclude stocks, Evernote, tomorrow’s tasks can all wait. When I pull down my menu, all that’s there is today – what I need to accomplish and who will be there.
- I have 3 apps on my home screen – These are, Clear for jotting down quick notes or sparks of inspiration, Google Maps because I’m always going to new places, and Sunrise. Just because your phone has the space for more apps doesn’t mean you have to use it. Where do other apps live? On my second home screen hidden away. They don’t scream in my face when they’re hidden, and if I really need to access something I simply pull down the search and type in the first few letters of the app.
- I count my weeks – Sunrise has lots of fun calendars you can add to yours – US holidays, sports schedules, weather, but my personal favorite is the week counter. I find that thinking about the year as a series of weeks keeps it fresh, keeps me on track with my goals, and reminds me just how short a year is—and not to waste time.
It’s fun thinking outside the box when using your productivity tools. The way a tool works for one person may not be the way it works best for you. Plus, these interesting hacks are where the coolest innovations come from.
And plus, Sunrise is a perfect name for this app—the sun rises exactly as predicted each day of the year, but every sunrise is different, full of new colors, and is an inspirational start to each day.
antedote is a strategic insights and innovation consultancy based in San Francisco, and we have helped many of the world’s leading brands like Pepsico and Unilever to garner deeper insights about their consumers and identify opportunities to grow their brands.
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