The Internet: Thy best friend and worst enemy. No matter how bad a reputation the Internet receives, it's ridiculously useful. This is especially true when you're living away from home for the first time, have little or no money to spend on non-food items, and don't exactly know what to do with your body. Never fear! Here, my good Internet friends, are six online resources to make your college life a little less stressful this semester.
1. Habitica
Someday, somehow, all the dirty work has to get done. Lucky for you, there is Habitica, an online task list presented in the form of an RPG (role-playing game). Create to-do lists, habit lists, and daily activity logs that you can check off to gain experience points and gold. Spend that gold on items to deck out your avatar and even your pets. Still need some motivation? Gather some friends, create a party and to go on quests to defeat monsters like the Laundromancer and the Snackless Monster. The success of your party depends on whether or not members complete their daily activities and to-do lists. Habitica is also available as an app so you can check your progress on the go.
2. RescueTime
Ever wonder where all your time went while you were supposed to be typing your final essay? Now you can track your Internet activity with Rescue Time, a Google Chrome extension that keeps track of and organizes your daily activities. Every website can be classified as distracting, neutral, or productive (most popular sites are already organized by the program). View and compare your productivity rates on the statistics page and even set goals to limit nonproductive time
3. Canva
For the amateur creators in us all, there is Canva. A simple graphic design tool, Canva makes it easy to create infographics, posters, and even cover photos like the one on this article! The easy to use to us interface and hundreds of free fonts, pictures, and graphics makes your hardest graphic projects fun and simple!
4. Zotero
I’ve yet to meet a person who truly enjoys citing their sources (though I don’t doubt their existence). For the rest of us there is Zotero, a downloadable citation program that makes bibliographies easier on the soul. It is available as an app for Google Chrome and Firefox. It’s even available as a stand-alone computer program. Simply sign up for your account, connect all your apps, and unlock the ability to automatically cite and save sources to your own digital database.
5. Don't Break the Chain
Made popular through the humor and antics of "Seinfeld," the “Don’t Break the Chain” system has helped many people keep up with their recurring activities. The idea is that physically crossing off a task after a set period of time keeps you motivated to stick to your good habit. Now you can download the app (Apple/Google Play) to keep you on track this year. If you still love the idea of crossing off days, graphic designer and YouTuber Karen Kavett has designed some free printable templates to tape up in a visible space around your room.
6. The School of Life
Questioning how much high school actually prepared you for adulthood and life in general? Founded in 2008 and headquartered in London, The School of Life provides educational resources, classes and events to help fill in some of the blanks left by normal schooling. Think the UK is too far to travel just to learn how to be an adult? Why not stop by the YouTube page for The School of Life? It includes videos on everything from Plato's Allegory of the Cave to the history of capitalism and even the practice of masturbation!
Take charge or your routine and productivity! Don't let college stress you out too much (especially when you have such a good friend like the Internet to help you through it).
