If I were to list a single skill I wish I had already mastered, it’d be productivity. Being a full-time student has taught me so much about prioritizing and not procrastinating. But of course, it’s not always easy. I’m always looking for more ways to be productive. And living in the smartphone generation, apps are one of those ways. Social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest definitely get the most use on my phone, but those don’t allow me to be very productive. That got me thinking about the apps that come in handy the most when I am in school. Which ones help me stay on top of everything? So the following apps and resources are ones that I personally use and recommend to any busy person looking to maximize the time they have and stay organized.Update: Don’t miss !
RefME (Free / ) I’ve been using for all my papers this semester, and I don’t know why I didn’t use it before! It’s such an amazing resource! Nobody likes figuring out how to cite a source. does all the hard stuff and lets you collect sources fast and keep them organized in groups. You can either search for the reference title, author, url, etc., or simply fill in the boxes with the appropriate information, select what citation style you need, and voilá! A perfect bibliography/works cited is born! Some other great features are that it allows you to export your bibliography directly into a Word document and shows you the correct inline citation to use. With their app, you can even scan book/journal barcodes to get citations. How easy it that? Sunrise (Free / , , ) While the default calendar app is fine for appointments and schedules, I find the Sunrise app even better. Upon opening the app, you can see your schedule for the next few days with little icons beside each event letting youknow if it’s a class, meeting, work, etc. I love how simple and straightforward it is! MyWater (Free / ) I’m super bad at drinking enough water I use this app to keep track of how many water bottles I drink in a day. You can set your daily goal, what size bottle you’re using, and have reminders go off at different times during the day. It’s easy to use too, just swipe up when you drink a glass of water! Sleep Cycle ($0.99 / , ) I hate that feeling of waking up all groggy and tired for an early morning class. Sleep Cycle analyzes your sleep and wakes you up when you’re in the lightest sleep phase. Graphs provide you with information about your sleep quality, what times you went to sleep in the past 3 months, the average time you spend in bed, and your sleep quality on certain days of the week. Definitely worth the $0.99! Shopkick (Free / , ) Free gift cards? Yes, please! Use shopkick to get points for walking into stores like Target, American Eagle, and Best Buy. Then, redeem yourpoints for gift cards. Shopkick also has coupons and deals for tons of stores that you already go to on a regular basis. Pocket (Free / , , ) Don’t lose track of the all the interesting things you find by letting tabs pile up in your browser. Pocket allows you to easily save articles, videos, and more for later. Everything goes to one place, so you can view it anytime, on any device, even without internet. Perfect for when you want to read an article or watch a video but don’t have time at the moment. Mint (Free / , ) This is the perfect app for creating a budget and keeping track of where you spend your money. Set up financial goals such as saving up for spring break, paying off your school loans, or buying a car and get advice on how you should budget and distribute your paychecks in your checking and savings accounts. She Reads Truth (Free / , ) She Reads Truth is an online community of women who read the Bible and encourage one another. Devotional reading plans can be read on theirwebsite for free, emailed to you, or read through the iPhone app (for a small fee depending on how recent the plan is). The app also includes beautiful lock screens with scripture on them! Duolingo (Free / , , ) I have to take a language class for my Bachelor of Arts degree, so I’m getting ahead of the game by learning spanish for free on Duolingo. This app can help you learn Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, or Italian using easy exercises to help you spell and pronounce the new words! You can set how long you want to learn each day (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.) making it easy to do in between other tasks. Dropbox (Free / , , ) I have this fear of my laptop crashing and losing all my photos and documents. That’s why I save important things in Dropbox. Another plus is that I can access it on my phone! It makes sending photos taken on my phone to my Mac super easy. Any.Do (Free / , , ) I’ve tried SO many to-do list apps, and this one is by far my favorite! Simple and straightforward,the app allows you to set tasks for today, tomorrow, upcoming, and someday. Once a task is complete, just click it to make it disappear. I like using the website version since I usually have it open in my web browser. Caffeine (Free / ) Don’t let your Mac fall asleep while you’re working on paper ever again! Install Caffeine on your computer and a little coffee cup will appear in the toolbar at the top. Just click on the cup to keep your Mac awake for a set amount of time (I have mine set for 30 minutes). Once the time is up, your computer will go into normal power saving mode. theSkimm (Free / ) This last resource isn’t an app, but rather an easy way to stay current with the news. I don’t have time to read or watch the news every day, and sometimes I feel like I’m disconnected with what is going on in the world. theSkimm breaks down headlines and delivers the news to you in a simple, easy-to-read email that is sent to you every morning. Read it while brushing your teeth or eating yourbreakfast, it only takes a few minutes. I hope these apps are as helpful to you as they are to me! Enjoy! Don’t miss ! What are your must have apps? P.S. Make sure you have these !!