Procrastination is a word you’ll probably be very familiar with as a student. Just in case, let’s get a reminder of what it means.
Procrastination
Noun
The act of delaying or postponing something.
Sound familiar? Let’s be fair, as a student, it’s probably your uni work that you’re delaying. It seems like there’s always something better to do when it’s time to study. Hoovering your room that’s not been cleaned in 3 months? Now’s a great time! Forgot something non-essential at the shop? Better go and pick it up just in case… Feel like going for a run for the first time in your life? Why not now? We know the drill. Before you know it, you’re CEO of cleaning your room (basically Marie Kondo!) and yet to start any uni work whatsoever.
But we all know that it can’t go on like this forever – or your parents will go off when it comes to results day…
There will come a point where you need to get serious about studying and remember why you applied to uni – to educate yourself, become yourself and build your future (we know, we’re getting deep!).
This year, things are a little different. With coronavirus, it’s been so hard to keep an everyday routine, celebrate small wins and stay motivated in general. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to help students like you through this weird time.
Sticking with the theme of study, we’re bringing you 11 study apps for students that you can use to beat procrastination and power through your uni work!
Best study apps
Be honest, where would you be without your phone? You’d probably be experiencing FOMO and would NOT be living your best life. Whether you’re looking for study apps for Android, or study apps for iPhone, these apps prove that your phone doesn’t always have to be your enemy when it’s time to study.
What are study apps?
Study apps are applications on your phone (just like Instagram, My Fitness Pal, ASOS etc.) that have been specifically designed to help you focus on revising/studying.
Whether you’re looking for study apps for laptop, or study apps for iPad, we’ve tried to cover all bases here so you can find something that suits your needs.
Study planner apps
Name: Forest
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE on Android, £1.99 on iOS, optional in-app purchases
More info: Forest lets you plant a digital tree when it’s time to study. The more progress you make, the more progress your tree makes. If you leave the app too soon, your tree will die – a motivation in itself to stay focused. Also, if you spend virtual coins within the app, the Forest team donate money to plant a real tree! So far they’ve planted 821, 496 trees – an amazing effort.
Name: Flora
Platforms: iOS
Cost: FREE
More info: Similar to Forest, Flora focuses around trees. It helps you and your friends put your phones down and ‘be present’. You plant a seed with friends, the seed eventually grows into a tree and if anyone uses their phone within the allotted time, the tree will die. It’s perfect for study groups (or even spending quality time together!). There’s also an option in the app to choose plant a real tree.
Name: Habitica
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE to download, a few types of optional subscriptions
More info: ** This is one for all the gamers out there, cross things off your to-do list to level up your character!
Name: Be Focused
Platforms: iOS (Mac)
Cost: FREE
More info: Be Focused lets you plan your day and break your tasks up with timers, tracking your study breaks and progress throughout your journey.
Is there an app that blocks social media while studying?
If you’re a self-confessed phone addict, when you’re trying to study, you may find yourself frantically googling things like ‘apps to block apps whilst studying’. Here are some of most recommended apps we’ve found to help!
Name: Offtime
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE to download with in-app purchase options
More info: With Offtime, you can choose to block distractions from study. You can also view information around your phone usage and tailor parts of the app for different circumstances, for example, work, family or me-time!
Name: Moment
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE, offers in-app purchases
More info: You can use Moment to track how you use your phone and set daily limits for specific apps. There are lots of options including reminders, notifications etc.
Name: BreakFree
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE to download with paid upgrades available
More info: Similar to the above, BreakFree measures your screen time, but it presents an ‘addiction score’ so you can see how you’re doing and motivate yourself to bring your score down. It tracks things like the amount of times you unlock your phone per day and how much you use your apps.
Best exam apps
Name: Study Bunny
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE, contains adverts, in-app purchases available
More info: Study Bunny is great for exams as it’s a specific motivational study timer to help you stay focused. You can time your studying and when things are getting a bit much, hit pause to receive motivational study tips! You can also use to-do lists and flash cards amongst other features.
Name: iPhone
Platforms: iOS
Cost: Free for iPhone users
More info: Okay, so this one isn’t an app as such, but you may not always need a specific app that helps you study… If you have an iPhone, did you know that you can time your breaks and make your phone automatically lock when your break is up?
How to make your iPhone lock after timer
• Head to your timer app
• Select your break time e.g. 15 minutes
• Click ‘When Timer Ends’
• Scroll to the bottom and click “stop playing”.
Name: Trello
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE
More info: Trello is a free project management tool where you can create ‘cards’, tasks, to-do lists and so on to help with your study material. Perfect if you have upcoming exams and a complicated study schedule. Mapping everything out can really help with your time management.
Name: Quizlet
Platforms: iOS and Android
Cost: FREE to download, in-app purchases available
More info: Quizlet is a platform where you can utilise learning tools and flash cards for studying. They say it’s for the ‘the-harder-I-study-now, the-more-I’ll-enjoy-my-holiday’ students.
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