Life can be hard. But making it a little simpler is easier than you might think, with watch apps designed to help you out one tap at a time. We’ve picked five of our favourites and threw in a pro tip for each.

It’s all too easy to forget essential items when you’re rushing through the supermarket. Make a detailed shopping list just by choosing icons and numbers with this handy app. Add everything from pineapples to paper towels to your list, then tick them off one by one without having to reach for your phone or notepad.

Recently purchased items stay in your history so that you can easily add them for your next trip.

Behavioural science-based Routinery helps you form healthy habits and stick to them. Accomplish simple tasks like flossing every day or ambitious goals like training for a marathon. You can set how long you want to spend on each individual task, and keep yourself honest with a built-in timer. Track progress with minimal disruption to your day, using simple gestures to signify a completed task.

Start small with little habits, like making your bed or looking over your daily calendar in the morning.

Because your parents aren’t always around, Water Drink Reminder is here to help you stay hydrated. After entering your weight and average daily time awake, you’ll get a personal 24-hour goal. Hit the plus sign and select your cup size to track your water intake from your watch. Throughout the day, you’ll get reminders to drink more and log your hydration.

Use the companion phone app to see your hydration history on a calendar.

When lightning strikes, make sure you’re ready. Easy voice recorder is just a tap away for those moments when genius simply has to be preserved. Just tap the microphone and start recording. Access previous musings in the app on your watch or phone.

To save space on your watch, you can set the app to auto-delete recordings after they’ve been synced with and stored to your phone.

Whether you’re trying to discover your new favourite restaurant or just need directions to the closest pharmacy, look no further than your wrist. Search for destinations by name or category – like 'supermarket' or 'barber' – to see results near you. Then get essential information like opening hours and street address in a tap, plus directions from your current location. Use 'Compass mode' to scan the streets from your sofa to see what’s around you.

Adjust the search settings on your watch to voice-to-text so that you can speak enquiries without having to type.