Summer has ended and it’s back to school time for students, with aisles at Target littered with pencils and backpacks, and school bus traffic on the roads again. For adults, it’s back to the daily grind, too. The fall calendar is packed with projects, initiatives and activities. Second to New Year’s, it’s the time of year when people make resolutions to get – and stay – organized.

I don’t know about you, but I ditched my paper planner years ago and keep my contacts, to-do lists and work files close at hand using helpful apps for my smart phone and tablet. To get your 3Q off on the right foot, I’m sharing three of my favorite apps (all free, with in-app optional paid upgrades) for keeping organized:

• Dropbox – It’s simple, easy to navigate and – most importantly – efficient. Upload a file from either your desktop, tablet or phone into your personal Dropbox folder, and it’s available across all of your devices. Want to access work files on a flight? Enable your files to be accessible offline and skip paying for plane Wi-Fi. Accidentally hit delete on an important file? Dropbox stores files for 30 days before they’re gone forever. Crisis averted.

• MyScript Memo – Skip the touchy tablet keyboard and use a stylus to take notes in your next meeting directly on your screen. Import PDFs or files to draw or write over them, then export back out as an image, PDF or other option. The app analyzes your handwriting and converts it to text, so you can highlight words, make easy edits, or search for something you’ve written down in the past. You can even doodle in the margins – just like you’d do on old-fashioned paper.

• Wunderlist – I love lists, and this app makes it easy for me to make them and – more importantly – check them off. Whether I’m creating a project task list or itemizing things I need to pick up at the market on the way home, this app is perfect for setting due dates and reminders, assigning the task to another user, or communicating through in-app chat. Simple collaboration. Ahhhhh.

What are some of your top organization app recommendations? Sound off in the comments and share your picks.