March marks the middle of a period when students of all grade levels feel pressured to balance their academic responsibilities with extracurricular activities and social commitments, while seniors in particular struggle with senioritis and college decisions. Luckily, there are digital tools designed to help you manage your time, organize your tasks and stay focused on your goals. Whether you need to improve your productivity and time management or simply need support developing healthier habits, here are the top productivity apps that will help you manage your time and stay on track during this second semester.

Opal:

Opal is an app blocker and timer app that helps users stay focused by blocking distracting apps during designated focus times, allowing users to concentrate on their tasks. When downloading the app, it will ask users questions based on their daily average screen time and which habits users would like to change, such as constantly checking their phone, feeling anxious or stressed and mindless scrolling. Opal then allows users to select up to three distracting apps, such as TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat. The app connects to your iPhone’s screen time to lock you out of your chosen distracting apps, turning staying off of them into a game by rewarding users with gems for achievements. Users can intentionally take breaks to unblock an app for a limited time, however, if you use the breaks wisely and are motivated to eliminate your mindless scrolling, this is the app for you.

Finch: 

For those looking for an app to manage over-exhaustion and stress, Finch is the perfect option, allowing users to develop healthy habits while improving their mental and physical well-being. Finch enables users to practice self-care progressively by assigning small tasks to users, including drinking water, stretching and taking three deep breaths. These tasks are designed to keep the users motivated to try and better themselves by forcing productive habits. Because this app is more gamified, as users can earn cute pets and complete quests, it is more oriented towards self-care than towards completing tasks such as homework or writing an essay. However, if you are looking for motivation to get through day-to-day tasks, check out this app.

Structured:

Structured is a productivity app designed to help users organize their day by breaking down tasks into manageable portions. The app allows you to create a timeline of your day from waking up to winding down, helping you set tasks and deadlines, and sending you notifications as reminders to keep you structured throughout your day. Users can assign a specific time and duration that they have to complete an event or task. Structured also allows users to customize the colors of their schedule to make it visually appealing. Once you complete tasks, the app allows you to check them off, making completing tasks feel rewarding for users. 

Flora: 

Flora is another focus app that gamifies staying productive while avoiding distractions. The app is simple to use: when you want to focus, you plant a virtual seed in the app to help “grow your tree.” Users set the duration for how long they want to stay focused and keep the app open. If they work without interruptions, the seed grows into a tree. However, if users leave the app, there is a countdown warning of five seconds before they must return to “save their tree” or else it dies. This visual method of allowing your tree to grow with a consequence if you become distracted by other apps makes the process of focusing both engaging and rewarding for its users.

All of these apps are designed to make completing your daily tasks and assignments more effective and rewarding. If you are looking to block out your top distractions, such as scrolling on your phone, I believe that Opal is the most effective as it won’t let you access your distracting apps. If you are feeling overwhelmed as it gets further into the second semester and have difficulty finding your focus, be sure to check out these productivity apps to help you organize your schedule and complete your tasks.