Alya: 5 apps to help you study

Many people will tell you to bury your phone in a soundproof box 6 feet underground when studying, but your phone can actually be quite helpful. It fully depends on how you are using it. Here are some ways I use my phone to get the most of my revision.


  • Pomodoro

The Pomodoro technique is great and if you’re not using it already I would recommend you to do so. It is a time management technique developed by Franceso Cirillo. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian and references the tomato shaped timer he used when studying as an uni student. The idea is simple, but it can improve your study habits immensely.

First, break a big task into small task and write them down. Do the first task and time yourself for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, you take a 5 minute break and then do the second task, and so on.  After four Pomodoro’s you take a 15 minute break. Working in short intense sessions while taking short breaks improves your concentration and the way your brain retains and processes information. For both Android and the Apple Store, simply search for "Pomodoro".

I use ClearFocus on Android. Its simple design and its ringing tune that is not annoying makes it my favourite app. Also, it blocks your WiFi during the 25 minutes and when the 5 minute breaks comes up it shows a green screen that ticks 5 minutes; enough to grab yourself a snack or make yourself some tea!


  • Rain Sounds (Android)
  • Rain Sounds HQ (App Store)
This app proves that I’m not the only one who finds the sound of rain strangely calming. I use it whenever I’m studying in a crowded place such as the library. Having rain as a background noise helps me to improve my concentration because music with lyrics can be distracting.


  • TimeTune Schedule Planner (Android)

Time management is one of the key things for better grades.  TimeTune allows you to plan your day and to schedule in anything, including study sessions. It has a clear simple interface and it notifies you when you need to do something. It also has a statistics section that shows you how you have spent your day.


  • Free dictionary (Android)

Everyone loves an old fashioned dictionary, right? But a digital version can be a little bit quicker sometimes. This app in particular is great because it has both an offline thesaurus and dictionary for English.


  • Forest: Stay Focused (Android/App Store)

This app is also a timer. It works with 30 minutes intervals and the moment you start the timer you are given a tree. If you try to leave the app, i.e. the moment you are distracted by your phone it gives you a warning that says, “This will kill your little, cute tree”. Believe me, the tree is cute and if you have any morals you don’t want to kill it. After 30 minutes you get golden coins in the app. You can use these to buy bigger, blossoming trees. The more you use it, the prettier your forest gets.
It is free in the Android play store, but 79p in the Apple App store.

Happy studying!