Top 5 Best Apps for College Students to Stay Organised and Productive
Why Every Student Needs Productivity Apps
Balancing lectures, assignments, exams, and social life can be challenging. The right productivity apps can help students stay organised, improve focus, and manage their time effectively.
These highly rated apps will help you increase efficiency and stay ahead of deadlines.
Best for: Time management, note-taking, focus, and study productivity.
1. Notion – The Best All-in-One Study Organiser
Best for: Taking notes, managing tasks, and organising coursework.
Notion is a comprehensive, all-in-one workspace for students. It combines note-taking, task management, and project organisation, making it perfect for tracking assignments, deadlines, and study plans.
Key Features:
- Create structured lecture notes and study guides
- Set reminders for assignment deadlines
- Collaborate on group projects seamlessly
- Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Tip: Create a custom study planner in Notion with weekly goals to stay on track.
2. Todoist – The Best Task Manager for Students
Best for: Organising assignments, tasks, and deadlines.
Todoist helps students prioritise tasks, set reminders, and manage coursework efficiently. Whether you need to schedule exam dates or organise group projects, this app keeps everything structured.
Key Features:
- Task prioritisation with deadlines
- Set recurring reminders for coursework
- Integrates with Google Calendar
- Available on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Tip: Use colour-coded categories for different subjects to stay organised.
3. Flora - The Best Focus App for Studying
Best for: Avoiding distractions and improving concentration.
Staying focused during study sessions can be challenging with constant notifications and distractions. Flora turns focus time into a game - when you need to concentrate, you plant a virtual plant that grows while you work. If you leave the app to check social media, your plant wilts.
Key Features:
- Uses the Pomodoro Technique for efficient studying
- Reduces phone distractions
- Tracks progress over time
- Available on iOS & Android, and as a Chrome Extension
Tip: Create different study session lengths for different types of work - try 25 minutes for reading, 45 minutes for writing, and 50 minutes for problem sets to match your attention span for each task type.
4. Zotero - The Best Research Management Tool
Best for: academic sources, citations, references.
Zotero is a reference management system that allows you to collect, organise and cite your sources in one place.
Key Features:
- Save research sources directly from your browser
- Organise references in collections
- Generate citations in different reference styles
- Annotate PDFs and sync with your cloud storage
Tip: Create a separate Zotero collection for each course or research project and use coloured tags to categorise sources.
5. Outlook Calendar - The Best Tool for Scheduling
Best for: Scheduling classes, exams, and study sessions.
Outlook Calendar is a must-have tool for time management. It helps students schedule coursework, set reminders, and manage their daily routines efficiently.
Key Features:
- Syncs with emails for automatic reminders
- Colour-code subjects for better organisation
- Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Tip: Schedule study blocks as actual appointments with yourself and treat them with the same commitment as you would class time.
These top five apps for college and university students will help you stay organised, boost productivity, and improve time management. Whether you are a student at Griffith College or any other university in Ireland, these apps will enhance your study habits and set you up for academic success.
To learn more about Increasing focus, check out Pat Divilly's #lifehacks video on our Youtube channel below!