Becoming a student brings with it a number of firsts.
For many, it’s their first time away from home for prolonged periods of time – suddenly responsible for their own cooking, food shopping, cleaning, and time management. For others, it marks the first step towards the career of their dreams, whether they be enrolled on a job-specific course or something broader with transferable skills.
Whatever your personal experience, one thing which unites virtually all students across the UK (and beyond) is the sudden need to be more productive and intentional with your time.
Which is where this blog comes in.
With unrivalled access to the lives and routines of hundreds of students every year, living in our award-winning residences and housing solutions, here at Liv Student we’ve pulled together a list of 8 of the top productivity apps which we believe support life as a student.
8 apps which are “app-solutely” brilliant!
The following 8 apps are all easily accessible and can be used across any device favoured by students.
We have selected this list based on a number of different factors, spanning everything from time and task management to writing support apps and more. And of course, being budget conscious, all of these apps can be used for free! There are paid/premium versions, but most of the time the free versions give you more than enough.
1. Trello
One of the great things about using Trello is a student is that you will benefit from a head start when you enter the world of work. Why? Because Trello is regularly listed as one of the top productivity apps for companies and teams across a multitude of industries.
The app essentially lets you create different task lists and boards, ticking off certain projects and assigning deadlines and responsibilities to different users.
You can create personal boards which reference your own tasks, and create group boards for those collaborative projects that University lecturers seem to love…
2. Grammarly
This is a useful app which can quickly and easily turn segments of writing into polished prose – whether for a creative task or a critical essay. The main benefit of Grammarly is the visibility of errors and mistakes across both spelling and your use of grammar, as well as the suggestions which can streamline and shorten sentences so that they are easier to understand.
Grammarly is particularly useful for students who do not consider themselves writers, but who need to write essays as part of their course.
3. Zoom
Back in the Covid-19 pandemic days, it felt like every business in the UK was using Zoom to communicate. Now, Zoom remains a great app for those who want to stay connected with other students as well as friends and family back home – indulging in group video calls and screen sharing as you share the latest stories from your Uni nights out.
You may also find that lecturers want to, or are prepared to, host certain lectures and workshops via Zoom, making it an accessible app to download and have ready to go!
4. Evernote
The ultimate note-taking app, which enables students to quickly and easily capture what is being said in lectures so that they can revisit certain arguments later in the day.
As well as a powerful search tool which lets you find that nugget of information that you can vaguely recall despite not having a clue when in the term it was said, Evernote lets you save snippets of web copy alongside your notes, scan documents, and even make recordings which are transferred into written notes.
5. Google Drive
Call us cheats… but we like Google Drive because of the access that you get to all sorts of other Google-led apps, including Google Sheets, Google Docs, and more.
Consider this as an alternative to Microsoft Office 365, replacing word documents and excel spreadsheets, with the added ability to share access and let other users directly edit your documents.
Not only does Google Drive save the hassle of sending multiple versions of different documents backward and forward, instead working from a single master document, but it makes saving and accessing files easy for individuals and groups.
6. Freedom
We couldn’t create a productivity blog and not talk about at least one web-blocking app.
Freedom works by inviting you to “Start a Session”, during which apps like Instagram and WhatsApp will be blocked to avoid distractions. By doing this, you can minimise your access to apps which otherwise distract you from study or work, making it easier to tackle your to-do list and browse social apps later.
7. Monzo
A slightly different angle for this app – and yes, we know there are countless different options out there. But the concept of Monzo is one which is worth exploring for students, allowing you to track spending, split bills with incredible ease, and create different pots of money to protect your funds. Simply open a new current account via the app.
You can even block a card within seconds of losing it, making this a valuable app to have access to during your day and nighttime adventures as a student.
8. Productive
Last but not least, an app for those students who decide to spend their downtime and free time exploring a new hobby or focussing on a new habit.
It could be a daily workout, journaling, or spending a little bit of extra time finessing healthy recipes – whatever it is, using an app like Productive allows you to break the formation of habits down into manageable tasks.
Using apps to support your life as a student
All of these apps are designed to make different parts of your life easier as you navigate life as a student – managing your time and different activities and tasks, while retaining good connections with family and friends, and keeping up with good habits.
We hope this helps – and if you’ve got any other apps that you would recommend, let us know!
