Ten Time-Management Apps For Adult Students
For students pursuing an online degree, time is of the essence. Deadlines are apparent and, often times, consequential whether in class, work or everyday life.
Time management can help cyber security students studying for bachelor’s or master’s degrees successfully organize school, work and home.
App Prerequisites
Among the many options, choosing the right apps for your needs is key. Start by determining where you need help: adding items to a calendar, checking the calendar in advance, breaking projects into more manageable tasks, avoiding distraction, setting priorities, or motivating yourself.
Time-management apps fall into three broad categories: those that help users keep the different parts of their lives in sync (often with features such as color coding to separate classwork from home or social responsibilities); apps with timers that keep distractions from taking over one’s day; and motivators that may include prizes or group participation to help users reach their goals.
Here are ten popular free options.
Calendar, Reminder and Organizer Apps
1. Evernote: Evernote is a basic organizer that can work in tandem with a range of other apps, including PomoDone which tracks workflow; Task Clone, which instantly sends checklists created on Evernote to Todoist, GCal, Basecamp, and Trello; and MailButler, a productivity app that converts emails into Evernote notes. Busy people on the run to the store can make a quick pick-up list on a smartphone or tablet. It also let users store recorded voice instructions to themselves, record a professor’s lecture, upload snapshots of a Post-It note or the syllabus of a class, and jot down gift ideas for later shopping excursions. It can also remind you when you need to turn in the outline for that research paper for class (available for Apple, Android, Windows, and Mac).
2. Remember the Milk: This positively reviewed and recommended app organizes to-do lists across multiple platforms. The newest version breaks projects into subtasks, whether for class projects or party planning, and may also help users overcome procrastination or get results while managing a busy schedule. One of its main features is a reminder function that let you know when to do your tasks. You can postpone a task if you want, but be advised: RTM will let you know how many times you’ve put something off. It syncs up with Evernote and can be shared with others. (Apple and Android products).
3. Planner Pro Personal Organizer: This newest version of Planner puts events, tasks, and notes in one spot, according to a GooglePlay review. It can be used as a day planner in the free version. The paid versions offer weekly and monthly planners with more options.(Android).
4. Google Calendar: The newest version of the popular calendar syncs your devices to Gmail as well as software applications such as FitBit (Android).
5. Listastic: This app makes it simple to share checklists among classmates for work project teams or among family members for tasks such as meal ideas and shopping lists (Apple and Mac, including Apple Watch).
6. 2Do: 2Do is a quick-entry app that allows fast sorting, a handy feature when you need to enter information into a mobile device quickly before logging on to a class or running to a job (Apple and Android products).
Task and Timer Apps
7. RescueTime: Designed to track and limit how much time users spend online, RescueTime runs in the background of computers or mobile devices. It alerts users when the time limit they’ve set for a particular site – Facebook, for instance – has expired. It also lets users block themselves from sites if they spend more than a designated amount of time there. Reactions are positive from PCmag.com, lifehacker.com, and consumer review sites (Mac, PC, Android, Linux).
8. 30/30: This timer allows users to set up multiple tasks with a designated length of time to complete them. For large projects, set a timer to work at full concentration for 30 minutes or an hour. When the timer rings, you take a break – 30 minutes to check emails, for example – and then start again. The time-management theory behind 30/30 is that getting 30 or 60 minutes of concentrated work accomplished will get the job done eventually, while staring into space hoping for inspiration to strike often does not end well (Apple products).
Community and Rewards Apps
9. Lift: This app is a task planner that pushes the usual functions up a notch to let you share motivation with people who have the same goal. As a PC magazine review explains it, “if you search for Practice Spanish, you can add that task to your daily list and join 2,299 other people who have done the same.” Lift doesn’t require you to join a community. You can opt out and privately track your goals and progress (iOS, Android).
10. Habitica: If rewards or winning are what motivate you, game your life. Habitica “rewards” users with creatures that resemble Pokémon and gives points for finishing tasks on a to-do list. The goal is to develop good habits, as well as to become task-oriented. (ios, Android).
Those wishing to master time have the right tools at their fingertips. Apps can help busy adult students develop time-management skills and successfully balance the demands of school, work, and family life.
Maryville University – Online Degrees in Cyber Security
Maryville University offers undergraduate and master’s degrees in cyber security. Coursework includes topics such as cryptography, cloud security, incident handling, mobile forensics, and penetration testing. Students can log into their classroom anywhere, on any device, at any time with the Maryville Virtual Lab.
Contact an enrollment advisor for additional information.
Sources:
Evernote.com
Rememberthemilk.com
Listastic.com
Itunes.com
Googleplay.com
Timecamp.com
“Finally, apps that build productive habits” – editors of ADDitude.com
“30/30: An app that won’t let your ADD get the best of you,” Leslie Horn, – Gizmodo.com.
“Get motivated by these apps,” Jill Duffy – Pcmag.com
Rescuetime.com
Habitica.com