In 2001, Geek interviewed with then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who hinted how important Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's) were for consumers. Fast-forward eighteen years down the road and the PDA has given way to something more powerful, more versatile and smaller than it could ever be, and what's more, most people in the world have one. The Smartphone revolution gave us technology that was more powerful than anything we could have dreamed about having in our pockets in 2001. For those of us who are very particular about organizing our lives, a smartphone offers many ways to do so without getting too complex. How exactly can our smartphones help us be more organized people?

1) Note Taking Applications

Every single person who has had to take notes, whether for a class or in a business meeting, has heard of Evernote. The versatility of this app lies in its ability to save notes as text, pictures, even audio that can be organized into notebooks dealing with any topic imaginable. Evernote can even snapshot webpages that can then be commented on. The best feature to many is its ability to synchronize across multiple devices so that notes are always accessible. Tech Radar notes how good Evernote it, but also makes mention of its inability to integrate with Microsoft's Office Suite []. Luckily, as an alternative, OneNote from Microsoft exists. While more limited in its function, it still provides a robust method of note-taking that can be used in conjunction with other productivity software from Microsoft. Evernote still takes the win for being easy to organize around thanks to its notebook functionality.

2) Scheduling Applications

Missing appointments used to be a regular thing before we started realizing we could set reminders on our phones. Google has made life so much easier with the inclusion of Google Calendar which automatically synchronizes all of our appointments and makes setting reminders a simple ability. Awesomely Techie tells us that Google Calendar has the potential to be the only scheduling application that we will need. The versatility of the calendar is combined with the ability to send reminders directly to email just in case you miss the notification on the phone for an appointment. Notifications can even be sent over a period of time, and multiple notifications can even be set up for those crucial meetings.

3) Timers and Alarms

All of us have had to use a stopwatch or an alarm at some point in time to get something done. If you're someone who enjoys doing their cooking, having a timer allows you to make sure you can cook with precision and not overdo any of the stuff you're making. There are a lot of timers that replace the standard timer on iOS or Android, and each of them has strengths and weaknesses. Runtastic Timer is very easy to use, with a clear display and even a voice warning that can be used with multiple interval timers in case you need one timer to flow into another. For setting alarms, most smartphones offer a built-in alarm that is great for basic functionality. For more in-depth functionality with alarms, there are in-depth apps like Sleep Cycle or Sleep As Android which present themselves as aids for daily living. Both of these applications keep track of sleeping habits and allow for advanced tracking of metrics like snoring or ideal sleep times to make sure you're getting enough rest.

4) Finances

Personal finance is a struggle for most of us, but thanks to easy apps that can help you track how you spend, save, and even invest, there's hope for each one of us. Mint is by far the most popular smartphone application when it comes to tracking finances and keeping an eye on growth. Thanks to its integration with banks, Mint offers ease of operation and makes it a simple task to track multiple bank accounts, even across different banks. The downfall where Mint is concerned, according to Investor Junkie, is that it doesn't allow for payment of bills. For those who aren't happy with an app having direct access to their bank account, there's an alternative in DollarBird. This app allows tracking of expenses and can even set up automatic debits and credits.

5) Housework

We have to do it, yet we hate having to do it. Housework is one of those chores that you can hear the collective sigh go up from the audience when it's mentioned. With an app like BrightNest, however, you can set up times for cleaning to happen and even get tips and hints about what would be best to use to get certain jobs done. While it seems to make sense to set a simple calendar notification, it's nowhere near as effective as having an app to 'ease" you into the cleaning spirit when the need arises. Regular cleaning ensures that things don't get out of hand, so having BrightNest can help you not to have to battle back entire colonies of invaders when you want to do some light dusting.

Self-Organization is a Breeze

Smartphone technology allows us to do beautiful things in short periods. In all of human history, it has never been this easy to arrange and organize the little things in your life. The technology we have that makes life so easy to live can be difficult to utilize to make us more productive people, and that's partially because no one tells us that we can do these things or that these shortcuts even exist. The more we learn, however, the better we get at using smartphones to make our lives so much better.