10 iOS and Android Must-have Apps for Quick Breaks

We all know that feeling. You clock in at 7 AM, settle down at your desk, pull up the tasks for the day. You spend a few minutes playing around to do your social media. And by 7:15 you begin your tasks. After some time (feeling like it’s been 4000 years since you stopped working), you decide to pause for a short break. You glance at your desktop clock. It’s just 7:45. What. The. Heck. You groan and forcefully rethink your life choices. Is this all there is to life?

If you’re a certified multi-tasker, you’d dread this kind of situation. That’s why it’s important to pause in between tasks, and not do them all at once. And with our trusty Android phone or Apple iPhone always at our sides like Robin is with Batman, it’s just fitting to make use of it while on your super quick break. 

Here are 10 iOS or Anroid must-have handy apps for that quick work pause

Pomodrone

Pomodrone works as a timer for any kind of office work, giving you 25 minutes to do whatever it is that you need to do and five minute breaks in between. It even sets off an alarm (not an annoying one) for every countdown. Clever, right? This helps you improve your focus, and gives ample time for the brain to rest and recover from all that work. (Get the app here)

Corridor Z

If you can’t get enough of everything Zombie or The Walking Dead, this is the perfect break time game. It’s somewhat similar to Temple Run, only in the reverse perspective. While running away from Zombies, your view is shifted in front of the character, so that you can see the Zombies chasing you. The perfect game to give you that mental alertness after an extremely boring task. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Bored Panda

This app contains various list-type articles ranging from the weird, cute, scary, funny etc. Each list is almost endless, and it’s a good way to pass the time.  Perfect for the bored and soulless millennial who’s trapped within the confines of an office with nothing left to do but work. You can’t help but be amused while looking at cool images of street art or cute animals that are waiting for your love to come down on them. It’s also available online as a website, but who would want to spend their break time looking at their computers again, right? (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Steppy Pants

A game for people with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Have you ever heard of the phrase “don’t step on the crack?” This  brings it to life. The main objective of the game is to help your character walk the sidewalk without touching the cracks on it. Sounds easy? Hell, no. Your character is designed to walk awkwardly (mine often wobbles), and you have to learn how to pace and make him walk properly. Once he steps on a crack, he dies (momentarily). (Get the app on iOS or Android)

WRITER’S NOTE: My high score is 128, and I’ll gladly take up your challenge of beating it. Believe me, it’s a HARD game that requires concentration.

Reddit

The home of people who love internet threads. Now it might sound boring, but there are a lot of things that you can learn and laugh at just by reading through each thread.The thing that makes Reddit a perfect quick break buddy is that it contains millions of threads by users all over the world. You can choose from the most ridiculous topics or even a serious one. My favorite is the “r/AskReddit” thread as you basically read through any kind of question posted by Redditors (their official geek specie name). I leave the imagining to you, because whatever question you can think of, it’s here. I mean it. Even the weirdest of the weird. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Pinterest

This is for the visual learners and art geeks out there. It’s also a social media app that features ALL kinds of art ideas. From poster designs to home remodeling ideas, you name it. It’s the best quick break app for designers and creative writers as it helps refresh your creative juice with fresh art from artists all over. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Instapaper

Just like Pomodrone, it’s not actually a quick break app unless you make it as one. Instapaper saves articles that you come across the internet for later viewing, even offline. Maybe there’s an article that you’d like to obsess over but you can’t because you’re working. All you have to do is download the app, install the extension to your browser and it’s as simple as right click, save to Instapaper. Once you take your break, you can pull up the app on your phone, and read to your heart’s content. One thing that I love about this app is that it completely removes the unnecessary website elements and ads when it saves, putting the article in a paper-layout complete with images. Very minimal yet very efficient. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Flip Diving

I’ve been featuring games in this list, but this will be the last and trickiest of them all. As what the title says, your goal is to do a perfect flip dive. You can change landscapes, swimmers and even add a few swimming gears. I don’t know, there’s something about this game that makes me feel refreshed after finishing a stunt. And if you’re someone who loves the ocean plunge, this could be the perfect escape while in the comforts of your seat. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Prismatic

If you  love to raid the internet of all kind of articles, this app helps you do that. Prismatic’s role is to suggest articles that are based on your preferences that you’ve set and chose yourself. It’s purely algorithm–based, and I love how it sort of “guesses” what thing I want to read for the day. (Get the Android APK file here)

Lumosity

The best app that you can have to train your brain while on a quick break. It’s split into three sessions where you can fit according to your focus areas. These include the memory, attention, problem solving, processing speed and flexible thinking. Each game is played within a timer and it changes everytime you play it. According to the developers, playing this once a day can help improve your mental skill. What’s good about this is that you can track your progress. So if you want to achieve great results while taking a quick break, this app is for you. (Get the app on iOS or Android)

Well, there you have it! Of course, you’d have to clarify if using your phone during breaks doesn’t belittle the company policy, but I’m pretty sure that any sane boss would allow you to do so. Duh. It’s a break. Make your breaks a legit “break” from work! Say goodbye to the heavy grudge of slow-moving time with these cool apps. Now, go ahead and relax.