One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing people fumble their way to their phone. So I want to share my method in arranging apps so it isn’t such a chore.

Arranging your apps might seem obsessive but it really pays off in the long run. It creates clarity and predictability. The main idea is to categorise your apps into three main groups: the often-access apps, the must-access apps, and everything else. I’m using an iPhone but this method should be easily applicable to any phone.

The Often-Access
These are apps you often use: messaging, browser, map, etc. You group them under one screen—the first screen—with no folder. This way they are readily accessible. I limit the number of apps to the number of apps the screen can contain: in iOS it’s usually around 20 or less. I position the apps according to how I often need them. The bottom-left corner will be the most used (this is Facebook for most people—no judging). The less I use the app, the higher they stay on the screen, since they will be out of reach for my thumb.

The Must-Access
These are apps that you must have access to but might not use often. For example, the camera app, a note-taking app, or a voice recorder. They reside on the dock since it is always present on any screen. This makes them very accessible specially in spur-of-the-moment situations like taking a picture, sending an important message, or even capturing the title of that fleeting song (Shazam!). In my case, I have 3 types of apps that must be available all the time: messaging, capturing, searching, and phone. 

Everything Else
The rest of my apps are on a separate screen, grouped by classification. These are apps I barely used such as banking apps, utility apps, games, etc. I just find them using search—which in iOS is just swipe down from home screen.