We’ve all been there: we are sitting by our computer with 13 different readings open that we should be doing…alongside Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and you name it. Having your time-wasters and your studying materials all on one device can be a deadly combination. There are, however, some inventions that use the power of the internet to help you with your studying endeavours. Here are some of my personal favourites.
Speed
Speed is a chrome extension which allows you to speed read through your text. You simply have to copy the text you want to speed read and drop it into the extension. From there you can set how many words per minute you want to read and hit go. It’s really great if you are in a time crunch to finish all your readings or if you need something to keep you focused. Being forced to read things at an abnormally fast speed is bound to make sure you don’t get distracted.
Noisli
One of my personal favourites is Noisli. If you find sound super distracting this is the one for you. I cannot count how many times I have used music to try to drown out people only to be distracted by what I was listening to. Sometimes you get so distracted by the lyrics of the song that they even end up in the paper you’re writing. With this chrome extension, you can create custom natural soundscapes to listen to while you are studying. They have some pre-set soundscapes that you can use if you are in a time crunch, but it also allows you to play around with the various sounds to create something customizable to you.
FocusMe
Another extension I use on the regular is FocusMe. On this application, you can set a timer for how long you want to focus and how long you would want a break time to be. It helps you keep everything regimented by breaking up your work and break time consistently for optimal focus potential. You won’t have to worry about checking your phone to see if your timer has gone off, meaning your phone doesn’t have to be out at all. If that won’t help you study, I don’t know what will.
The tools we use to study can turn out to be one of our biggest distractions, but if we use the applications available to us we can be more productive than ever. When it comes to midterms all your time is crunch time so having applications that can help you along your studying journey is always great. Taking advantage of the technology available to you is one of your best strategies towards success.