If there is one thing all students across the globe and across time share, it is their ability to procrastinate. However, it seems that today’s students, thanks to perks of modern technology, have taken it to a much higher level and turned it into an art of sorts. All joking aside, nowadays, students have so much more distractions to deal with than their predecessors, and by the looks of things, they are taking full advantage of distractions.
Whether they are binging on Netflix, spending time on social media, texting, chatting, going to parties, or even cleaning up their rooms, students will do anything to postpone their work, and wait for that elusive moment of inspiration, so that they can start writing their essay that is due tomorrow. But, one’s ability to write is not necessarily linked to inspiration. It is about eliminating all the distractions, and focusing on getting the first few sentences done. After that, most students will find that they are able to complete their essays much easier than they thought they would.
Still, help is at hand with these 10 fantastic apps that will put an end to your procrastinating ways and help you become a more productive writer.
1. Best Dissertation
If your writing chops could use some polishing, or if you are finding the topic of your essay or other academic paper too difficult to handle, you can always get in touch with professional writers and editors over at Best Dissertation, which can guide you through every single aspect of essay writing, including brainstorming, creating an outline, writing, and editing. They can also teach you how to avoid plagiarism, do research, and provide citations using different styles.
2. Marinara Timer
Marinara Timer is a fresh new take on the tried and true Pomodoro productivity method, which involves working intensely for 25 minutes, and then resting for 5. After four repetition of this cycle, the student is allowed to take a longer, 15-minute break. Marinara Timer allows you to check out that method, but it also enables you to adjust the time intervals to your studying and writing habits, using its Marinara mode. It also comes with a Kitchen Timer feature, if you prefer to use countdown, instead of multiple intervals.
3. MindMeister
Most students will try and justify their procrastination by not feeling too inspired to write their essays. Be that as it may, there are still ways you can get your creative juices to flow, and that includes brainstorming and mind mapping techniques to develop your ideas and bring them to life. We recommend using MindMeister, which provides you with an attractive graphical interface where you can brainstorm, work on an outline for your essay, and even collaborate with other users and writers.
4. Productivity Owl
The trouble with most distraction-blocking apps is that they limit access to websites like YouTube or Wikipedia, which can be very distracting, but are also a valuable source of information you’ll need at times when writing your essay. Productivity Owl, however, may have gotten it right. It comes as an extension for Chrome, and it allows you to access distracting websites for a few minutes, which should be just enough for you to find the information you need, before closing the tab. While the app is very strict, it does allow you to customize the way it works, so that it doesn’t hinder your progress.
5. ZenPen
Having a powerful word-processing app is nice, but it might not be the best thing if you are struggling with productivity, because they tend to be complex and downright frustrating at times. ZenPen, on the other hand, adopts a different approach. It is a web-based app with minimalist user interface that provides you with only the most basic formatting options, such as bold and/or italic text, hyperlinks, and quotes, which shifts the focus toward writing itself, instead of fiddling with all those unnecessary features.
6. Prompts
Sometimes, the best way to go about writing an essay is to write about something else entirely, because it will allow you to stretch your creative muscles and write an essay afterwards with greater clarity. As its name indicates, Prompts is a great resource for writing prompts, which you can use to get into writing mode. It is a lot better than just waiting for inspiration to strike.
7. Ilys
Ilys is probably the most unorthodox writing app of them all. Not only does it not allow you to edit your essay until you have hit the word count, but it won’t let you see it at all, apart from the last letter you have entered. It may sound pretty insane, but you won’t get distracted by glossing over what you’ve already written or tempted to edit it. You simply write and aim to hit the word count.
8. Write or Die
On the face of it, using an app like Write or Die may seem incredibly counterproductive if you are trying to write your essay. Why? Because Write or Die will start deleting your work if you are not writing fast enough. Its destructive nature forces you to concentrate on writing and nothing else. It’s great for getting you out of your rut and into a creative state of mind. Just like Ilys, it’s a little bit crazy, but it works.
9. Nirvana
One of the reasons why you are always procrastinating is because you don’t know how to organize your time. Fortunately, with Nirvana, a browser-based task manager and scheduling app, you will be able to organize your time and use it in the most productive way possible. What makes Nirvana stand out is its sleek and attractive user interface, which is miles ahead of the interfaces of its competitors, and numerous features.
10. Omm Writer
If there was ever a competition for the most beautiful and relaxing writing app, Omm Writer would win it by a wide margin. We guess you could say that Write or Die is its evil twin. Omm Writer boasts a visually pleasing user interface, with plenty of eye-catching backgrounds and ambient music as soundtrack for your writing process.
By using these brilliant apps, you will be able to drop your procrastination habits and get your writing done in no time. It is much better to finish all of your assignments first, and then binge on your favorite series. Also, you will become a more productive and capable writer which will never experience the stress of an approaching deadline.
Author Bio
Antonio is a marketing specialist and a blogger. He loves writing about SMM, marketing, education and productivity. He’s also crazy about riding his bike and bumping into new people (when he’s on foot). He will be happy to meet you on Facebook and Twitter.
