8 After-Work Apps to Melt Your Stress Away And Keep Motivated

So your brutal workday is over and you’re ready for some great entertainment, but you’re not really feeling your usual takeout and Netflix relaxation ritual tonight. Good news, there’s plenty of great apps out there designed to make sure you have fun.

These eight apps will pretty much cover any mood you’re in and help you unwind your way — whether it’s lounging around solo, getting together with friends or perhaps meeting someone new. You’ll want to come back to them over and over again for fun ideas and hours of entertainment, helping you ease the stress of your day and feel refreshed for tomorrow’s grind.

1. Plenty of Fish

Tired of hitting up the Happy Hour at the local after-work watering hole just to scope out your potential soulmate? Your smartphone can take care of that problem with dating site Plenty of Fish’s mobile app.

The app will not only show you who is online out of the 50 million members available, but give you a peek to who is online and nearby you. Having a new drink date for the evening is just a message and a tap away.

2. Zappos

Sometimes, on those really manic days, the only thing that can really cure your woes is a great deal on some killer new shoes. Already the mainstay for plenty of savvy online shoppers looking for a good deal, Zappos integrated its core ecommerce platform in a handy app for the buyer on the go.

The app enables you to not only buy shoes, but also to check out reviews and share your favorites on social media. Factor in free shipping and returns, and you can have yourself a fabulous night in trying on shoes that won’t cost your paycheck.

3. Minecraft - Pocket Edition

Beware: This indie game success story is so addictive, you may not want to put it down during work the next day. This minimalistic MMO with no rules is fully ported over to your smartphone, with all of the bells and whistles to keep you toiling away for hours.

Unfamiliar with MineCraft? If you’ve been uninitiated by its legions of hardcore fans, the indie game has become one of the biggest phenomenons since its release in 2009. Gamers use the open world, with nearly unlimited decision-making and crafting possibilities, to create absolutely mindblowing things. It’s a must-play, but you’ve been warned: don’t get too caught up, or you’ll definitely lose sleep!

4. Mixology

There are nights when going out feels like the right thing to do after work, and others where you just want to spend time indoors with friends. If you’re looking to put on a swanky after-work shindig (or just impress your friends with a well-stocked bar and a little bit of ingenuity), Mixologist is a great resource to pull off impressive and tasty cocktails.

Mixologist is the ad-free version of the free Mixology, and it comes with hundreds of cocktail recipes as well as the ability to add in your old standbys. If you’re unsure of what to make, or if you’re brainstorming for the right drink to suit the mood, Mixologist also features a randomizer to help you find certain drink types or beverages that utilize a certain alcohol. This app is a go-to if you want to bring the party back home.

5. Poynt

If you’re planning on painting the town red, it’s important to find the best place possible. There’s plenty of apps to show you where the best and most interesting places are, but if you haven’t already, you should give Poynt a try.

Poynt goes one step further than traditional guides by integrating valuable information within the simple app. For example, if you’re interested in seeing a movie at your local theatre, Poynt will not only give you the name and address of the theatre, but a list of available show times and each movies’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. These add-ons help you make your decision quickly, so you spend less time thinking and more time having fun.

6. Flixster

Okay, so, forget about all that other stuff -- maybe curling up and watching a movie is exactly what you want to do right now. If you’re not interested in a subscription service or you’ve just scoured the dredges of Netflix and found no good options, Flixster is a great choice to stream movies and feed your cinephile tendencies.

Simply scroll through the app and pick the movie that tickles your fancy -- the first one is always free. You can also register some movies you own with UltraViolet and play them whenever you want through Flixster at any time, making it a key option for travel or business conferences.

7. How About We

If you’re looking for someone new in your life, it can be a challenge to find someone with your interests. The bar scene isn’t usually the best for picking out a perfect match and it can be exhausting to subject yourself to the routine after-work cocktails with people that you’ve been set up with.

If you’re looking for more interesting experiences and meeting new people, HowAboutWe is a good place to start. Instead of searching through dozens of profiles and then coming up with an innocuous get-together to test the waters, HowAboutWe allows people to connect over experiences rather than interests. For example, in scoping out the app, you see that someone is interested in catching the newest exhibit at the museum -- Van Gogh. You love Van Gogh, so it’s a no-brainer, and you have a new and exciting date to enjoy while also meeting a new person. It’s a win-win.

If you already have a significant other, the app now enables couples to pick out pre-planned activities.

8. Snapseed

Let’s be real: Half the fun of going out on a work night is taking some awesome pictures with your friends and posting them on social media. If you’re a budding photographer who loves to snap shots of your after-work (or weekend, or anytime) shenanigans, then Snapseed is a great app for you.

Snapseed is an all-in-one photo editing app that not only allows you to put on those filters everyone loves these days, but to crop, center and color-correct your photo to enhance it all in just a few quick strokes. Then, you can either save the photo back to your photo roll or share it immediately on social media. Your nights just got a lot more artistic.

Source: http://goo.gl/fMj1P