Working at home means you're surrounded by all of your stuff: from that pile of dirty dishes in your sink to that pile of laundry that's still unfolded. And maybe you have a pressing deadline along with a pressing need to sort that pile of books (you sure do have a lot of piles!). Good news: you can do both with the help of a few time management and chore management apps that can double as productivity boosters when you need to get a handle on your day.

There's no shortage of budgeting apps out there, but sometimes, rather than futzing with categories, charts, graphs and daily alerts that you're over a pre-set budget or have "irregular spending" in a certain category, you just want something simple to track the money you're spending.

There are plenty of great apps to keep track of your running mileage, and a clear winner when it comes to cycling (Strava, duh). But it's a bit harder to pick a winner when you're lifting in the gym. Until recently, all the apps were clunky and hard to use. Now... well, only some of them are.

Being a notepad and pen replacement is just one of the roles that smartphones fill for us now — alongside being a digital camera, a musical jukebox, an address book, and an ever-expanding encyclopedia. Not all the options are created equal, though. Whatever the reason you need to take down notes, these are the best tools to do the job.

Instagram is making it easier for people with visual impairments to experience its site. Today it started rolling out a new automatic alternative text feature which will create descriptions of photos uploaded to the social networks using object recognition technology.

These days, most websites automatically switch to a mobile-friendly version when you view them on your smartphones. Unfortunately, the results can still be cluttered and difficult to navigate - especially if you aren't rocking a huge phone.

The last few iterations of Google Chrome have been taking care of this problem with a 'Simplified View' option. Here's how to switch it on.

Do you know what the weather is supposed to be like later this week for your kid's soccer game? How about that picnic you have planned for Saturday? Should you start thinking about an indoor venue instead?

We all know a to-do list can help keep you on task. A to-don't list can sometimes be just as helpful. The idea behind creating one is exactly what it sounds like: create a list of all the things you shouldn't do that day.

Sneaking a quick nap on your regular commute is a risky move. If your alarm doesn't wake you (assuming you had the foresight to set one) then chances are you'll miss your stop, be late and end up somewhere you don't want to be. Fortunately for those living in Victoria, Metro Trains has an app called "Stop Here", specifically designed to avoid this scenario

Earlier this year I embraced the greatness that is Instagram stories. While I'll typically spend a good deal of time trying to capture the perfect image with the perfect caption to put on regular Instagram, with Instagram stories I'm willing to post pretty much anything. When given the choice I also like to add stickers and GIFs to what I post, sometimes at a level that (wrong) people might call excessive.

All browsers: Google and Dropbox are now collaborating on a brand-new "Dropbox add-on for Gmail", which will make it easy to share the contents of your Dropbox directly within Gmail. If you're going the other way, it's also a lot easier to dump files directly into your Dropbox, saving you the step of having to pull up your Downloads folder and manually drag the file over yourself.

iOS, Android: Keepsafe, the company behind privacy-focused apps like Blur for iMessage and Private Photo Vault, launched a new app this week for browsing the web privately. Aptly named Keepsafe Browser, the browser prevents third-party trackers from snooping on your mobile web browsing and comes with a built-in ad blocker to give you a little more privacy as you peruse the web.

I've lost almost $400,000 worth of bitcoin so far. Now's the bit where I'm supposed to tell you it's all fake and I only lost it in the cryptocurrency trading simulation game Bitcoin Flip. But no, I actually bought $500 worth of bitcoin back when it was cheap, then left it in the hands of the Mt. Gox online exchange, which then lost it.

Carrot Weather, the famously mouthy weather app for iOS and Mac, is now in beta on Android. The app reports the weather with sarcastic patter, doing a mediocre impression of the abusive AI from Portal. Thankfully, you can switch to "professional" mode and enjoy a sophisticated, customisable weather app without distractions.

iOS: Earlier this year, Google teamed up with Nintendo to turn Google Maps into Mario Kart, replacing the app's usual location icon with a fist-bumping plumber riding a red go-kart. The crossover didn't last very long, but Google is now bringing back some of that magic with a new update to the Maps app on iOS.

Earlier this year, Snapchat rolled out a drastic redesign meant to make the confusing social network a little easier for newcomers to understand. But the new layout flopped and now Snapchat is admitting defeat with a second redesign that undoes almost all of those changes.

We're all probably a little more addicted to our phones than we'd like to be. I know that I instinctively pull mine out whenever there's a break in the action of the day be that when I'm on the train, between meetings, or even waiting on food at a restaurant. It's easy to take your phone out and get absorbed in what's happening on Facebook or Instagram.

iOS: Making GIFs yourself has always been a pretty involved process either made too simple to suit my desires or too complicated to be intuitive. GIF Toaster blends the best of both worlds, offering more than enough control over the GIFs you're trying to create in an interface that's simple to use and free of ads (if you pay).

I already know I'm addicted to my smartphone, and if you've ever absentmindedly reached into your pocket and switched on the screen without realising it, you're probably just as hooked as I am. These devices have become so ingrained into our lives that it's hard to tell how often we check them, but a new Android app lets you dig into the data to see exactly how much time (and battery life) you're wasting on a daily basis.