As a personal growth enthusiast, I always find myself perusing books, blogs and videos about work/life balance. Interestingly enough the Challenge Detroit fellowship is based on 5 pillars that lie at the core of this balance: Work, Live, Play, Give and Lead. It takes a lot to balance all those aspects in an ever-changing city like the D. That’s why I’ve been using a few helpful apps to make sure I’m on focused in all the right areas of life! Here’s my top 7 picks for app that help with Work/Live/Play/Give/Lead Balance:
1. Temple It’s pretty hard to balance working, giving or playing when your boy isn’t balanced. Temple is an amazingly simple health and fitness tracker. Not only can you track a variety things like water intake or exercise, but the app also send you reminders through the day to stay hydrated, get in some exercise or have a healthy snack. It also gives you warnings if you are way under or over your daily allotments (spelled: Coney-Dogs-and-Faygo!) Now that I have temple covering the basics, I can focus on working, giving and playing in the city. 
2. Happier Happier is a appreciation platform. It’s basically a gratitude journal turned into a social media network. It is basically a way to keep track of all the things that have made you happy in a day. The app sends insightful questions like “How was your day? Share a few moments that made it better.” This app really gets me aware of how amazing my life in Detroit is. It also helps to see the positives in all areas of my life. It’s funny, I downloaded it as a way to take my mind off of work when I’m at home but the app has helped me to find many small moments of happiness amongst the bustle. The benefit of this app can be summed up in this simple quote: “We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” ~Thornton Wilder
3. Balanced Everyone has their professional/work to do list but what about a personal/wellness to do list? That’s where Balanced comes in. This friendly little app helps you live life to the fullest with a bit of structured fulfilment. The free version let’s you add up to 5 actions for balance. I purchased the app so that I could have unlimited actions. It’s really great to have an app that reminds you to meditate, read a new book or take a walk in the park. Less time in front of the computer/TV and more time LIVING! And what a great city to ‘live it up’ in?!
4&5. Cal & Any.Do My fellow fellow, Meiyi, introduced me to these handy little apps. Actually there is nothing little about these apps, they are a powerful task managing duo with super clean interfaces and easy navigation. But this isn’t your average calendar and to do list app. Both apps have a feature that help you to plan your day. Not only do the apps have many features for ensuring a productive work day but the app also integrates with Facebook and Uber so you can coordinate your fun time too! These apps do so much that I think I’ll let these videos explain how awesome they are:
https://vimeo.com/69827636
6. I am There are many qualities that all great leaders share. Among those traits are confidence, bravery, composure…the list goes on. Actually that list is built into this amazing daily affirmations app! Daily affirmations help rewire our brains, build self esteem and change negative thought patterns. This app empowers users to choose from many daily intentions and set reminders to be delivered throughout the day. It’s a little app, but it makes a big difference before stepping into work or attending an important meeting.
7. Mindfulness Daily In my experience, I’ve learned that balancing work, personal life, social life, service and leadership is best when one is mindful and aware of his/her self and impact. That’s why this last app, has made it onto my list. Mindfulness Daily helps users build a practice with just a few minutes sprinkled throughout the day. The app leads awesome guided meditation in the morning, quick breathing exercises during the day and a nighttime wind down exercise. Even when I become a little off-balanced or unsure of myself (it’s inevitable,even with amazing apps) Mindfulness helps me to quickly recenter, put my life in focus and carry on with ease! The app also comes with a fun lifelog so you can track your ups and downs and continue on your journey towards balance!
So there you have it! Seven simple, beautifully designed app, that have helped me to balance Challenge Detroit, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Our/Detroit, Social Life, Family, Service, a committed relationship and MUCH more of my life in Detroit! Download one or all of them and get your Work, Live, Play, Give and Lead on without a hitch! Love and light, Brandi