The impact of lockdown has been extreme on everyone. Every single person’s daily routine has been changed and people’s personal productivity has definitely taken a hit. As a student, the lockdown has completely changed my routine and work environment. Doing work at home has been a really struggle for me but these apps have made it that little bit easier to be productive.
Routinery
On Routinery you create routines and allocate the amount of time for each task. I use this to help me complete my morning routine as I find if I don’t start my day right, I feel super sluggish all day and don’t get anything done. The use of time limits mean I don’t get distracted doing one task for too long or sitting around doing nothing.
Dreamfora
On dreamfora, you can input all of your dreams and set habits or tasks you need to do to accomplish your dreams. The app has loads of pre-made dreams with habits, tasks and milestones but you can also create your own! For example, I want to learn Spanish to an intermediate level; dreamfora tells me every day to learn new vocabulary and every Sunday to listen to a Spanish YouTube video. Their morning notifications really give me a motivation boost!
Focus To-Do
Focus To-Do is a Pomodoro timer. The Pomodoro technique is when you work for 25 minutes and then have a short 5-minute break, repeat 4 times then have a longer break. This is a proven method for concentration and is my favourite way to do work. The app also lets you create a To-Do list and set the number of pomodoros needed for each task. It tracks the amount of work so you can see your productivity flourish.
Forest
Forest is another timer app, which is used to keep focus for solid blocks of time. Whenever you complete your chosen amount of time you plant a tree, but if you leave the app or cancel the time the tree dies. I find it a really good motivation to stay off my phone. They also have a chrome extension to keep you off certain websites on your computer. You can put the trees in certain categories and add notes so you know what you spent your time doing. You can also join a group so if any of you leave, all of your trees die. This is super useful when you need that extra concentration motivation.
Daylio
Daylio is a diary, journal and mood tracker all in one. At the end of each day, I choose the emotion that best represents my day from rad to awful. Then I select what activities I did that day, the app gives you a set of examples but you can add your own. There is also room to add a few notes about exactly what you did. I love this app so much as it’s a simple and quick way to track my days. It is also a great way to reflect at the end of the day and helps me fall asleep easier. At the end of each week, the app gives you a report of what your overall rating was for each day, the most activities you did and how it compares to last week. This app is truly amazing and I’ve used it for over a year now!
What are you lockdown productivity tips?
