Looking to stay organized? Here are my recommendations for the 8 best productivity apps for students! If you’ve struggled with time management, organization, and staying on top of your assignments, these are for you. Here we’ll discuss task and project management apps, note-taking apps, calendar apps, and more so you can stay on top of all aspects of your life.
1. Task & Project Management Apps (Stay on Top of Deadlines!)
1.1 ToDoist – The Ultimate To-Do List App
Todoist is a great way to keep track of everything on your plate. You can separate these to-dos into different projects (home or school) allowing for easy organization. You can also set due dates so you never miss another deadline!
Key Features:
- Task lists
- Recurring Reminders
- Priority Levels
1.2 ClickUp – All-In-One Student Project Manager
ClickUp is the best project management tool for students. You can create different workspaces for different aspects of your life. I have one for the blog, one for each of my jobs (read more about working while in school here), and one for just school work. You can create different types of sub-spaces within your main workspace: lists, documents, dashboards, etc. It’s a great way to organize assignments, track due dates, and set personal goals.
Key Features:
- Task Boards
- Goal Tracking
- Collaboration Tools
2. Best Note-Taking Apps (Never Lose an Important Lecture Note!)
2.1 Goodnotes – Handwritten Notes, Organized Digitally
This is probably the best investment (second to my iPad) that I made in my college career. GoodNotes is the most versatile note-taking app I’ve ever used. It is primarily for Apple products, but you can also download it on Windows, and the integrations are constantly getting better. I have it on both my iPad and my Windows laptop. It is amazing for taking handwritten lecture notes, sketching, annotating or re-arranging PDFs. Notability doesn’t have the same organizational power that GoodNotes does, in my opinion, but I could do an entire post on that. I’ve used both.
Key Features:
- Digital Notebooks
- Apple Pencil Support
- Search handwritten notes
2.2 Notion – The Ultimate Student Workspace
Notion is another all-in-one tool that can be used for SO many things. Notion is great for organizing coursework, study schedules, and collaboration with others. You have so many different views like pages or databases to store information. The options really are limitless, and that can be incredibly overwhelming. That’s why I recommend starting with a template. You can see my recommended templates below!
3. Best Calendar Apps for Student Scheduling (Never Miss a Meeting!)
3.1 Google/Outlook Calendar – Sync Everything in One Place
If you don’t use some type of electronic calendar, you are seriously missing out! I LIVE in my Outlook calendar. Google and Outlook calendar both work pretty similarly and it’s more a matter of preference. I use Outlook because that is what my work used and what my school offers. You can color code things with categories or different calendars. An electronic calendar truly is one of the most essential productivity apps! It’s great for time blocking, keeping track of your class schedule, and event reminders.
3.2 Tiimo – A Visual Planner for Focus & Productivity
Tiimo is primarily an app-based program that is great on your phone or iPad. It is a great productivity app for students with ADHD (like myself). The app has customizable reminders, you can build to-do lists, as well as schedule in breaks throughout the day. It also helps you to build structured habits, while trying to stay on top of a crazy life!
4. Homework & Study Planning Apps (Stay on Top of Assignments!)
4.1 myHomework – Never Forget an Assignment
Another one of my absolute favorites!! I love to look forward to all my homework assignments and keeping track of due dates (especially with five classes) can be a nightmare. I use myHomework (the free version) to keep everything straight. You can set up your different classes and then input your different homework assignments incredibly easily! I’ve used this for the last 2 years with great success.
5. Best Cloud Storage for Students (Access Notes & Files Anywhere!)
5.1 OneDrive – Store & Sync Study Materials Across Devices
If there is one thing I think all students should learn, it is how to use cloud-based storage of some kind. I prefer OneDrive over Google Drive because I prefer Microsoft products and you get WAY more storage. It has automatic back-ups and you can use real-time file sharing (just like Google). Organization of your OneDrive is key. I have a personal and school OneDrive which I organize very similarly. Be on the lookout for a post on that soon!
Finding the right productivity app for you can be quite daunting, especially with so many options out there. I have used each of these and have found them helpful in one time of my life or another. Which apps are your favorite? Be sure to leave a comment!
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