by The dog is barking, the kids are whining, there’s nothing in the fridge, and you’ve got piles of homework to do. You’ve just battled intense traffic and were stuck at a broken stoplight for 10 minutes while the guy in the car next to you blared Frank Sinatra and screamed every song off key with his windows down. You’re stressed, and with good reason.
Whether you’re a full-time or a part-time student, life can get extremely hectic balancing work, school and home life. Sometimes you feel like you’re running constantly, all the while trying to ignore that rumbling stomach and giant pile of text messages you need to answer. Luckily, new technologies have made it possible to become better organized, reduce that stress in your life, and erase that Old Blue Eyes wannabe from your memory. When you’re in school online, it’s all about apps.
Carrot To Do
CARROT To-Do, a basic to-do list app, gets rave reviews from real-life students. “I like it a lot!” says Joan Silverman, who is studying for her early childhood education degree online. “It helps me organize my tasks and is interactive in a quirky sort of way,” she says. Carrot is an app with a personality, or rather, a dual personality. It loves you or hates you, depending on which settings you choose. It also awards points to you for completing your tasks. Carrot is more than affordable, weighing in at just $1.99.
Any.do
Online student Jenny Kubo says when she needed a replacement for the soon-to-be-shut-down task management app Astrid, she checked into Any.DO. This free app is complex and sophisticated, with plenty of bells and whistles. It lets you set tasks and provides both time and date reminders. It also suggests additional companion apps based on a customized assessment of keywords you use. “You can export Astrid into Any.Do, which is why it appeals to me,” Kubo says.
ToodleDo
Toodledo – To Do List is a little bit pricier than some of its counterparts here, but it’s still affordable at $2.99. It’s perfect for students, because it has a sharing feature that allows for sending items via email. This is great for those who need to collaborate on class projects, and it lets you set your tasks in order of priority. Student Sara Jane Victar says “Astrid was glorious but is being shut down. I really like Toodledo as a replacement, which works better as a browser app on a computer or tablet, but there are Android or Apple third-party apps for it, too.”
Mindmeister
MindMeister (mind mapping) – MeisterLabs allows users to “mind map” thoughts in a way that can be organized in hard form. It’s sort of like brain or mind-storming in a spider web format. This is great for specific projects, goals, home, school, or business, but it’s especially helpful for student collaboration, because it allows for team sharing. It’s a bit pricey at $9 per user per month, but according to reviews, it’s worth it.
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