We previously posted a blog about time management, so we’re back with a list of the best productivity apps for students. Check out these apps and extensions to help boost your productivity! Whether you are working on building your own startup or Spike project, or you are trying to stay organized while taking rigorous courses in high school, you’ll likely need to rely on tools to boost your workflow.
Note that these apps were curated with personal productivity in mind as not all of them are equipped for team use. All of these products are available for free! (Some of them offer premium versions and subscriptions.)
The Best Productivity Apps for Project Management
Todoist is a to-do list app with additional features that make it suitable for project planning. Its availability across different platforms makes it easy for you to sync up your devices and access your lists from anywhere. Todoist’s clean UI makes it very intuitive to use.
Trello is a kanban style project planning app with lots of customization available. Trello uses boards with multiple viewing styles. The classic way of using Trello includes three columns: To-do, Doing, and Done where you can drag your boards/cards under according to your progress.
Notion is an all-in-one productivity software that includes databases, kanban boards, wikis, calendars, and more. Its high functionality means that you can do anything with it but it also means that you need more setup.
Like most of Google’s products, Google Calendar has a clean interface, making it very intuitive to use. It requires your Gmail so you can automatically sync up all your devices.
Toggl is a project management software that tracks how you spend your time. You can set time-blocks for tasks which Toggl will then track. At the end of each week, Toggl summarizes how you spend your time as detailed reports to help you understand how to better manage your time.
The Best Productivity Apps for Focus
A Pomodoro and to-do list hybrid where you can set a certain number of Pomodoro cycles for each task. The to-do list helps you break down large tasks into smaller ones and allows you to add notes and reminders so you don’t forget what you need to do. Focus To-do uses your records to give you a summary report of your productivity. Its availability helps you synchronize all of your devices.
- Flora (iOS)
Flora helps you focus by preventing you from accessing social media and games while you are in a focus session and planting a tree. If you exit the app during your focus time, the tree will die. Flora includes a focus with friends mode and a to-do list that you can attach to trees. Flora also offers a paid “Price and Care” service that helps you plant real trees whether you fail or succeed at planting your in-app tree.
- Momentum (Chrome)
Momentum is a Chrome extension that replaces your new tab with a personalized dashboard including your goal of the day, a to-do list, and the weather. Momentum features an inspirational photo and quote of the day to motivate you.
Tide is an app and extension that helps you focus with white noise. It has three focus modes: Timer, Work, and Infinite. Timer is simply a timer while Work uses the Pomodoro technique. Infinite mode works as a stopwatch rather than a timer. Focus includes features such as Immersive Mode which ends your focus when you switch apps. It also helps track your focus over time so you know how much you’re focusing.
- StayFocusd (Chrome)
StayFocusd is a Chrome extension that stops you from wasting time by blocking websites. It allows you to block specific content on specific websites and set the maximum allowed time for different websites, after which they will be locked. StayFocusd is a quick fix for people who fall into internet rabbit holes.
Other Productivity Apps for Students
Evernote helps you “capture ideas and find them fast.” It’s primarily a cloud-based notes organization app but also helps with time management and archiving. You can save interesting things from the internet that you don’t have time for but want to explore later or scan documents and receipts. What’s special about Evernote is that it can search through your handwritten notes, not just your typed notes!
Habitica is a productivity app that helps build habits by treating it as a game. When you complete tasks and build habits, you earn rewards and level up in-game features. You can also fight monsters with other players to earn gold or custom rewards (e.g. gaming for an hour).
While there are many productivity apps out there that can help boost your productivity, start by picking a few that resonate the most with your current style of work. What do you currently excel at? What do you need to improve upon that one of these apps can help with? Also make sure to check our guide on how to more effectively manage your time. Apps are nifty tools to increase productivity, but building your productivity skills is really the foundation to getting things done.
Are you a high school student interested in learning how to maximize your productivity to launch a startup, nonprofit or Spike project? Talk to us to learn more about how we can help.
