School is hard on its own, but homeschooling is even harder. With that in mind, here are the apps I use that make it that little bit easier. Some people say your phone can make you less productive but, when you use it right, I say it can make you even more productive.
Adapt
Adapt is the perfect revision app! You can select the subjects you do, and which topics; then each day adapt will give you suggestions of which topics to revise that day. It also helpfully tracks which topics you've done and how long you've spent on them. They also give notifications to articles or videos that are always super useful. You can create a to-do list for the day and set when tasks are due. You can also import your school timetable! It really is an all in one revision app.
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. It is a proven method that is perfect for revision, as it helps with retention and concentration. I used to struggle using the technique because I lost track of time, but now this app helps to keep me on target. It also records how much work you've done, and has a large variety of white noise sounds to create a perfect revision ambience!
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.
Quizlet
I'm sure most people know about Quizlet and it's my absolute favourite for revising. On Quizlet, you can make flashcards and then use the app or website to learn them in a number of ways. I really like the choice of different learning methods as some days I don't want to do standard flashcards and a game is much more fun. As well as this, you can print them out as either a glossary, flashcards or even a test. It's also super handy having the app as I have them all on my phone if I'm on the go.
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.
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. Unfortunately, on the free version, you can only create two routines but I only use it for my morning routine anyway.
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!
Plant Nanny
Plant Nanny tracks how much water you've had in the day and reminds you to drink with a twist. When you drink water, you water your cute digital plant. If you don't drink enough, you can guess what happens. I find it a great way to motivate me and remind me to stay hydrated. Keep drinking water and watch your garden grow.
Memrise and Duolingo
I really wanted to recommend a language learning app and I honestly know loads. (Top language learning apps post coming soon.) I could not choose between these two for my top spot as they are both amazing for different reasons. Memrise is great for starting a language from scratch or learning course-specific vocabulary. I use it every day to learn my AS German vocabulary and learn basic Spanish. Duolingo I find is better for an overview of the language rather than specifics. It is also great when you just want a refresher. I use both of these for language learning together to get a really comprehensive style of learning and they are both great!
Historical Calendar and DailyArt
My last two apps fall into the category of wanting to boost your knowledge and I also couldn't pick just one. (Top knowledge boosting apps list coming soon?) As a complete history nerd, I am always looking for a way to learn more and more and more. Historical Calendar tells you what happened on this day in history in chronological order with links to the relevant Wikipedia pages so you can learn more. It also tells you famous births and deaths on this day, not just events! They even have quizzes so you can see how much you know about that days' history.
DailyArt gives you a daily dose of art history. Each day the app shows you a piece of artwork and tells you its' story. I don't know much about art but this app is slowly teaching me more about it. It's also fun to see something new each day.
So that's the post! I hope you got to know some new super useful apps. Tell me what your favourite revision apps are in the comments below and share with a friend to make their life easier too, or don't and be ahead of the game. (Please do, it helps my blog.)
Have fun revising! - Louise @ ahellaloadofhistory.
