It’s August! How crazy fast is time flying?! August, in school lingo, basically means summer is wrapping up and school is starting again. When I styled this outfit I realized that this is probably what I would wear to the first day of school- fashionable yet still comfortable. So, I decided to dedicate this post for some back-to-school guidance and share five apps you need to help survive this school year and really just life in general!
EVERNOTE
This app was a little confusing at first, but if you use it to its full potential, its a lifesaver! Evernote is basically your digital notebook. You can use it to write notes, create to-do lists, save PDF files and share them with other people or send it to your email. It’s convenient because if you don’t have your laptop on you, you can pull up the Evernote app on your phone and access your notes from there since everything is on your account. I also like that you can attach files to a page, for example if you have a chart that goes with your notes you can just copy/paste it to your Evernote note and have everything in one place. Also, I have Apple everything so I’m not sure if this applies to other technology brands, but gone are the days of hours of typing and writing- hello talk-text! I use talk-text all the time! Even when I write papers. It’s such a time saver and can help me get my ideas on paper before going through and editing everything to perfect it.
If you have the Evernote app you NEED to get the Evernote Scannable app. Between school and work, I have a ton of papers and contracts that I have to sign/fill out and submit via email. What you do is place the paper on a flat plain surface (you don’t have to be picky- I use my floor, desk, granite countertops, etc) and hold your phone up and allow it to scan your paper. It’s usually spot on and even automatically straightens and brightens the page. You can scan as many as you need at one time, keep then as images or change them to a PDF file, and then you can share them literally anywhere- Evernote, mail, messages, import to books, print, import with dropbox… literally anywhere. The app only saves them for thirty days before deleting them so I create a file in Evernote and then share those files there. This is great for school notes but I also use it for life stuff like saving important documents that I may need to have on hand or for saving receipts.
WUNDERLUST
If you love making lists for everything, you need this! This one is a new one for me but I LOVE it! So basically you can have a simple list, or create a list in a list in a list. You can create a folder, for example “English Class” and then create a list for “Chapter One” and then create a sublist for “Read pages 1-25” or “Answer Questions 1-5” and then check them off when you are done. There is also a place to fill out a due date, set a reminder, write notes, and even attach a file to that list. The attach a file feature comes in handy for me because I screenshot everything, but when I need it I have the hardest time finding it! With this app I can create a category and attach those screenshots there that way when I am trying to find that long lost screenshot, I can just scroll through the categories and it’s all in one place. You can also use this to create your grocery list, list the movies or books you want to watch, errand list, etc.
SLEEPYTIME
I have been using this app since way back in high school! Every time I need to set my alarm, I make sure to check this app first to make sure I wake up rested. Do you ever wake up to an alarm and although you slept a good 7-8 hours, you still feel tired? Maybe it’s because you’re waking up in the middle of your sleep cycle. This app helps give you options of when to wake up/go to sleep that way you make sure you don’t wake up in the middle of your deep sleep leaving you feeling groggy and tired. You can either select what time you should wake up if you go to sleep now or what time you should go to bed if you know what time you need to get up. Then, it gives you a list of time options and you can set your alarm accordingly.
SPOTIFY
I loveeee this app! It’s like having an iPod with you at all times except you don’t have to buy every single song you want, you have pretty much every song at any time… speaking of… do iPods even exist anymore?! So anyways this app can be free but you kind of have your hands tied- you can’t download songs to listen to offline and there are ads that play frequently among other downsides. If you are a student though, right now you can get the app for $4.99/month instead of the $9.99/month. That’s a morning of coffee at home instead of Starbucks if you put it in perspective, so if you love listening to music, it’s worth it. What I really love about it though is you can create your own playlists but there are also tons and tons of playlists you can listen to. There are playlists for whatever mood you’re in, study music, workout playlists, after work commute… literally anything.
FOCUS KEEPER
If you have trouble staying focused on a task or find yourself constantly picking up your phone to check the time but end up opening every social app that ever existed and realize an hour later what you’re doing, you need this app! This app allows you to set a timer, say 45 minutes, and then it will beep when the timer is over and allow for a break, usually 5 minutes or however much you set, and then will beep when the break is over and start that 45 minutes all over again, 5 minute break, 45 minutes, etc. This is great to have if you have to study for a huge test, or even to focus on a quick assignment. What I like about it is that even if your phone isn’t open, it will still run and beep in the background that way I can put my phone across the room and not be tempted to pick it up until I’m done with my assignment.
CARDIGAN (NSale Buy, more colors available, wearing XXS) || TANK || SHORTS (similar HERE) || SHOES || LIPGLOSS (form THIS kit, also NSale) || SUNGLASSES || BAG (similar from the NSale HERE)
I hope you all find this post useful- student or not. I would love to know what other apps you all use to survive school or just help with productivity for everyday life 🙂 Let me know in the comments below!
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I too love Spotify! I'm going to test out the sleepytime app. Last night I woke up a million times it was so annoying, I was having crazy dreams. Thanks for sharing these apps!
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Spotify is the BEST! I use it all the time and love the playlists on it 🙂 And yes! Let me know how you like sleepytime. I use it to make sure I'm rested in the morning, but if you're having trouble sleeping at night and like lavender, I'd try the lavender pillow I talked about in my night shift post. I have been sleeping so well with it despite being overly stressed lately!