Forest

Forest is one of the best apps for students who know exactly what they’re supposed to be doing but keep getting distracted by messages, social media, or any other app on their iPhones. 

The idea is simple: you start a timer, and you get to work. Once the timer is done, you plant a virtual tree in your forest. If you stop focusing for longer periods, your tree dies. It sounds almost silly at first, but it works surprisingly well if you’re willing to give it a shot.

Instead of just telling yourself not to get distracted, you’re protecting a little timer-based goal that feels more manageable. That can be enough to keep you from bouncing over to social media or opening an app every few minutes.

It also manages to feel motivating without becoming too childish. Who doesn’t want to make their forest grow? Not only that, but because of how huge and popular this app is, the team behind it has even planted trees in real life, which means you’ll be doing yourself and the world a favor.