“Forest” is a study app that allows you to set timers ranging from 10 to 120 minutes, and during this time, you “grow” a plant. (It sounds sort of silly, but it works really well for me.) The plant you choose starts off as a seed then fully sprouts/grows up as time passes. To successfully grow this plant, you have to stay on this app. It prevents you from accessing any other app on your phone, and if you want to, you have the option to click a “give up” button. However, that’ll sadly kill your plant. If your plant(s) stay alive, you can grow a garden that tracks your progress every day.
Because I set goals to finish certain tasks before the timer runs out, I spend my time more efficiently and productively. Also, I feel more accomplished seeing the plants in my garden that symbolize the amount of time I spent on homework. If you have the same problem as me, you should try this app out. It can also help you if you have a hard time staying off of social media or mobile games.
The only downside is that you can easily disregard the timer and plant. You can uninstall the app completely if you wanted to, but all in all, what do you think about this app? What about study apps in general? Would you ever try it out? Do you think it would be effective for you?
- Priscilla Lee
I have this app and have to say it's indeed been helpful in motivating me to focus on homework and complete tasks in a specific amount of time. Admittedly, though, there have been times where I've completely disregarded the goal of the app and purposely killed the plant, doing so just so I can use my phone for another purpose (typically a less productive one). Forest can definitely be helpful for some individuals, but it undoubtedly takes a degree of self control in order for the app to be most effective. Sometimes, however, I do find it more impactful for me to simply turn off my phone, stow it away in another room, or give it to someone else (e.g. a parent) who I know will refrain from returning my device until after I've truly completed my work. Overall, though, I do like the concept of goal-setting Forest promotes, and I still to use the app every now and then, primarily for this characteristic.
ReplyDeleteI have come across this method months ago and it helped me a lot. I do not use the Forest app, but I have apps similar to this, however I always find it ineffective for me since I use my phone way too much. What I find more effective for me is just playing all the songs I have in my playlist and when all the songs have finished, I take a break then resume working. This method is actually inspired by the Pomodoro Technique and basically it acts as a time management lifehack and helps you break down work into intervals that are separated by short breaks in between. The app may not necessarily work for everyone, but it certainly helped improve my work ethic.
ReplyDeleteI've never used apps like this, but the Forest app sounds really interesting. There is a goal to strive for so users will be more motivated to use this app. It sounds like a fun app to use, and it will definitely help with phone distractions. Having more and more plants will keep motivating me to have a bigger garden. I would consider using this app, and it will definitely be effective for me, but I'm not certain for how long because repetitive things can get boring. Furthermore, the other functions of the phone really is too enticing, so I might delete the app after a while.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried an app to keep me motivated to finish my homework and complete chores in a specific time. What keeps me motivated is the thought of my grade. When I am working on an assignment, I think of the effects it can have on my grade if I don't finish it, and this is enough to keep me motivated since it stresses me out when I get inadequate grades. I don't think that this will be effective for me since I get distracted by the simplest things. I feel like if I had this app, I would end up staring at the plants grow instead of focusing on my work. What I do find effective is turning off my phone or putting it as far away as possible.
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