We all love scrolling through social media, or playing mobile games. Indeed, many of us have spent hours on these apps. But have you taken full advantage of the apps geared toward organizing your life and being more productive? Juggling your exams, internships, social life, and many other activities in college can be tough.
Here are 6 awesome apps that will let you get more done in less time.
1. Evernote
Evernote is one of the most famous note-taking apps, and it's easy to see why. It lets you store all of your notes - be it in the form of text, sketches, pictures, videos, PDFs, web articles, and many more. In college, for example, you can use Evernote to review lecture notes, write to-do lists, and set reminders. During group works, you can share these notes with your friends for discussion. A similar app that lets you stay organized is OneNote. However, I prefer Evernote because of its cleaner interface and better ability to sync across all devices. Read a detailed comparison of Evernote and OneNote here.
2. Google Calendar
An integral part of my productivity system? Google Calendar. This app has helped many students, including me, manage their busy schedules. In addition to classes, you can keep tabs on your exams, internships, club activities, social life, and other events. Plus, it can send reminders, both to your phone and your email. To learn more on how to use Google Calendar efficiently in college, check out this article.
3. Get Pocket
Over 15 million people have used Get Pocket. Basically, it's a bookmarking app. When you come across interesting articles or videos but don't have the time to view it, you can save it to "Pocket". It's super easy! And the great news is, Get Pocket doesn't simply save the link and then bring you to the original website. Instead, you can read the article inside the app. This means you can block out all distractions, including banner ads and links to other articles.
4. Instig CamScanner
This app comes in handy every time I need to scan and share documents, such as notes, textbooks, and whiteboard discussions. Developed by INSTIG, CamScanner is popular as it's packed with great features. You can crop and auto enhance images, extract texts from the images, merge files, convert them to PDFs, and set passcodes to secure important documents.
5. Quizlet
Remembering key facts, concepts, and definitions are crucial for your GPA. Numerous studies have shown that active learning methods are very useful for long-term retention. One of the best ways? Flashcards. With Quizlet, you can create your own set of flashcards or choose from the millions created by other students and teachers. What's more, it has excellent text-to-speech technology and offers six distinct study modes - including multiple choice, true or false, and matching. It's a wonderful application with simple aesthetics.
6. Forest: Stay Focused
Forest: Stay Focused is a productivity app that motivates you to beat phone addiction. It presents an interesting twist to the Pomodoro Technique. The app's concept is simple: Whenever you want to focus, start the timer. A seed will be planted and it gradually grows into a tree. However, if you cannot resist the urge and leave the app to procrastinate, the tree will be killed. In the settings, you can whitelist certain apps so that using them won't kill your tree.
As one reviewer wrote, "The thought of killing a tree, even a virtual one, drastically changes how I think about work." It's also fun to use. You can track your progress and compete with friends in building your virtual forest.
So, those are the 6 apps to boost your productivity as a college student. Have an even more productive semester ahead!
