We all know that our day-to-day jobs can often feel overwhelming. Between managing to-dos, attending meetings and conference calls, tracking expenses, and doing the always-delightful (*heavy sarcasm*) inbox sweep, it can often seem like we never have time to actually get things done.

Our smartphones seem to only add to the noise, with endless push notifications and pages upon pages of apps that we download and only open once. But, believe it or not, there are a rare few that can actually help us take control of the chaos and become more efficient.

Here is our must-have list of apps sure to make your workday easier:

• Ifttt – Ifttt allows you to create connections or “recipes” to determine how your apps will interact with one another. Want to save some time? Instead of adding a photo to Instagram and then adding it to Dropbox, you can instead create a recipe where any photo you add to Instagram is instantly added to Dropbox (or vice versa). Another great example for sales people – a recipe to automatically invite any new iPhone contacts to connect on LinkedIn. Price: Free

• Dispatch – We have all been there. You are traveling for work, but the emails don’t stop pouring in. Dispatch helps you empty your inbox quickly by assisting you in archiving, starring or marking items as unread. Price: $4.99

• Focus@Will – Based on neuroscience, Focus@Will streams music that is intended to boost your concentration and get you into the metaphorical “zone” while you are at work. Just make sure if you are in an open office situation that your co-workers are onboard with your music choices, or invest in a great pair of noise cancelling headphones for them! Price: Free 30 day trial, then a monthly or yearly subscription

• Letterspace – My new favorite note-taking app! Super clean and easy to use, the app uses hashtags or @ mentions to organize your thoughts and notes by topic – a great way to organize thoughts during meetings. Price: Free

• EasilyDo – Ever wondered what it would be like to have a personal assistant? Introducing EasilyDo, an app that anticipates your daily tasks and offers to execute them for you… so kind of a personal assistant, minus the trips to Starbucks. The app checks traffic so you know when you have to leave for a meeting, adds flights to your calendar and notifies you of delays and security wait times, tracks packages for you, and even identifies emails that you may have forgotten to respond to. Price: Free

• Humin – Humin is designed to help you keep track of your contacts and your relationships in a more “personal” way. If you are as bad at remembering names as I am, this app is great. You can search for contacts based on how you met them, like “met last week,” “lives in Austin,” or “met at training conference.” Humin will also auto fill the contact with missing information and a photo so you can save time and never worry about putting a name with a face again. Price: Free

• Talkboard – Originally designed as a virtual tool for the online classroom, Talkboard is a collaborative whiteboard that enables you and your team to sketch and brainstorm together in real-time. It is great for remote teams that need a visual representation of thoughts or ideas – because sometimes lengthy, descriptive emails just don’t cut it! Price: Free

• 1Password – Is exactly what it sounds like, an app that creates strong passwords, keeps track of them and then logs you in. Because, let’s face it, the list of passwords that I have on a sticky note in my desk drawer…not that secure (and yes, I am going to move it now). Price: Free

• Carrot – A to-do list with a bit of a “personality.” Carrot gets angry at you for procrastinating and rewards you for being productive. The more that you check off of your to-do list, the more upgrades and mini games you can unlock. Price: $2.99

• Prezi.com – Sick of PowerPoint (who isn’t)? Check out Prezi – a simple way to spice up your presentations. This is an oldie, but a good one that I still haven’t seen catching on the way that I thought it would. There is a bit of a learning curve to using Prezi, but once you have it figured out, you will be the master of quickly created, visually stunning presentations! Price: Free

What apps help you get through the day? Tweet us at @MeridianKS to start the conversation!