Can’t focus during revision? These productivity apps can help

There’s an app for everything nowadays — apps to sleep, apps to remember, and even if they seem ironic by virtue of existence, apps to focus.

For students, the last category might be one of the most important creations, especially when exam season comes creeping around the corner.

Revising isn’t always easy. Distractions are everywhere, even more so when you’re revising on your laptop — all it takes is one click to go down the rabbit hole of procrastination.

Or worse yet, you’re getting into the zone of revising but then your phone screen lights up with a new notification from your many social media platforms…

So do yourself a favour — instead of doomscrolling for three hours, download these apps to focus on what you’re really here for: getting some revision done.

The best productivity apps to focus on studying 

On average, over the past two decades, the world has consistently lost three million to four million hectares of tropical forest every year. Combating that, the Forest app has planted 1,742,231 trees since its inception. Source: AFP

Forest – Your reward? Saving the trees

The premise of Forest is simple — every time you begin to focus, you plant a seed. This seed will grow into a tree for as long as you stay on the app and resist the temptation to use your phone. If you keep that focus up, you’ll eventually have your very own virtual forest. 

What’s better is that this reward-based model translates to actual change.

You can earn virtual coins for focusing, then use them to plant trees through “Trees for the Future,” Forest’s not-for-profit partner.

One reviewer of the app writes, “It’s great because it works like a phone game, but it’s a phone game that gives you time rather than taking it away.” Now, isn’t that just neat?

Flora – Be productive with friends

Think Forest, but with a multiplayer aspect to it; Flora allows you to challenge your friends to be productive and save the environment by planting trees together.

By successfully staying off your phones together, you and your friend will win an additional tree. There’s also a chat function available for you to share your progress to motivate each other and keep everyone on track. This way, you’re sure to graduate with flying colours together!

Like Forest, Flora partners with tree-planting organisations, such as the Trees for the Future and Eden Reforestation Projects to trees that diversify nutrition and trees that can provide forage and fuel-wood around the world.

This way, you’re not just working towards your academic goals but playing a part in environmental conservation too.

Your phone can also be a source of distraction. Source: Tony Karumba/AFP

Focus To-Do – Olympic-level organisation

Let’s be honest, being productive can be challenging — there’s just too much to do and too little time. Luckily, the trick to get around this is easy: a little organisation can go a long way.

Focus To-Do allows you to create lists for different areas of your life, which can be synced across all your devices — even your Apple Watch!

In this way, the app helps you plan your day and improve time management to clear that list. On top of that, there’s a built-in Pomodoro timer to help you focus in short windows.

While the app offers premium features like Daily and Weekly Reports and Task Templates, the free version has more than enough for students. This includes features like seeing your Daily and Total Focus Time or accessing Focus Music and White Noise.

Freedom – Control your distractions

Self-discipline may well be your greatest challenge when studying. Thankfully, on the multi-platform app Freedom, you can choose and schedule what distracting apps to block at certain times.

With this app, you won’t be constantly checking your phone when you sit to write that paper or revise for an exam. There will be no temptation to scroll Instagram because your friend sent a meme, and the risk of falling into a Reddit rabbit hole will be postponed until a more suitable time — Freedom blocks them all.

It goes a little to the extreme too: Freedom can block the internet. And for those who want to take it a step further, the app’s Locked Mode prevents you from ending a Freedom session, ensuring you’re distraction-free until your study session is complete.

Brain.fm – Optimise your soundscape

Your environment contributes to how well you focus. Sounds and smells can influence your mental state. That’s the driving principle behind Brain.fm, which allows you to customise your background music to suit your activity level.

Whether you need to get productive, relaxed, or to bed, this app curates “functional music” to encourage what the creators call “strong neural phase-locking.” This means your brain can make new, varied connections more often based on the type of music you listen to.

And if you aren’t sure where to start, we’ve got a guide on the best music to study with, so check it out and have a productive study session!

Disclaimer: This article was last updated on November 11, 2024.