The vast majority of Apple Watch wearers use the smartwatch to keep track of their fitness or monitor their general health and wellness. For those who don’t want to look at their iPhone as much, the Apple Watch can help with productivity, too.

Admittedly, the Apple Watch doesn’t naturally lend itself to productivity — it’s an extension of your iPhone, meaning any text, call, notification or alert you’d get on your iPhone, you’d also get on your Apple Watch. And that can be distracting.

But if you change certain settings (such as managing which apps can send notifications to your Apple Watch) and take advantage of built-in features, such as Do Not Disturb or create custom Focus settings, your Apple Watch can help you be more productive.

You can receive quick notifications and reminders right from your wrist. No need to touch your iPhone. And remember, social media apps — such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Facebook — don’t have dedicated Apple Watch apps.

Additionally, certain productivity apps work really well across iPhone and Apple Watch. This way, you can get vital reminders and alerts, without all the distractions that come every time you open your iPhone. You can even add them to your Apple Watch’s Smart Stack for quick access.

Reminders

Apple

• Price: Free
• Supports Smart Stack? Yes

Apple’s default Reminders app is a to-do list app that works great on Apple Watch. It’s super simple, allowing you to manage and edit reminders right from your wrist. And thanks to Siri, it’s really easy to add new reminders without having to touch your iPhone.