Published: January 7, 2025 by Gabe Farmer

Ready or not, the new year is here. With it comes a chance to reset and refresh your study habits as we prepare for the spring semester. As iSchool students, we juggle coursework, jobs, hobbies and life responsibilities, so staying organized and efficient is key. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools and techniques to help us streamline our academic and personal lives. From productivity apps to smarter note-taking, here’s how you can make 2025 your most productive and balanced year yet.

Productivity Apps for Staying Organized

Managing deadlines, tasks and projects can feel overwhelming, but the right productivity tools can make a huge difference. Knowing which task to tackle next can save you time and stress. Todoist, a personal favorite, is perfect for tracking assignments, creating recurring deadlines and prioritizing tasks. The best part is the serotonin boost when you check something off, rewarding you with a satisfying sound and some imaginary points. 

Trello is another great option, allowing you to organize projects visually with boards, lists and cards, making it especially useful for group collaborations. If you want a more customizable tool, try Notion, which lets you create to-do lists, take notes and even build study schedules.

For scheduling, Google Calendar remains a tried-and-true option, and you already have access to it through your SJSU email. Time blocking works wonders. Assign specific time slots for tasks like “research for INFO 202 paper” or “write discussion posts.” Consider color-coding your calendar by course or task type to make things easier to navigate.

I suggest giving each app a quick trial, then deciding on the one that best fits your workflow or the one that you think looks the nicest (that IS important for something you’ll use often).

Note-Taking Apps to Make Writing Papers a Breeze

Digital note-taking tools can elevate your studying and paper-writing game. Obsidian is a fantastic option as it allows you to create an interconnected ‘web’ of thoughts in the style of Zettelkasten. Imagine you are reading an academic study containing themes similar to a seemingly unrelated study you took notes on last year. With Obsidian, you can effortlessly connect your notes for both studies, which is a challenging feat with the more common ‘folders’ organization system. 

Evernote is another popular choice that provides a more polished appearance. Evernote offers a space to store class notes, scan handouts and clip articles from the web. Like Notion, Evernote includes making to-do lists and blocking time on your calendar alongside your note-taking.

For those who prefer handwritten notes, GoodNotes and OneNote are ideal for tablet users, combining the tactile experience of writing with the convenience of digital storage. On the other hand, if you prefer to keep things old-school pen and paper, try using the Cornell Method for structured note-taking or create mind maps for brainstorming assignments.

Decluttering Your Digital Space

A cluttered computer or inbox can lead to unnecessary stress, so why not start the year with a clean slate? Set up a folder system for your coursework. This will save you a mountain of effort when it comes time for your e-Portfolio! For example, you might organize everything by class. Your INFO 202 folder could include subfolders for Weekly Readings, Assignments and Group Projects.

This is also a great time to sort assignments into folders for each competency. If it fits the organization, saving an assignment to multiple folders is not harmful! That’s the beauty of digital storage. While at it, upload ALL of those folders onto your Google Drive. Please don’t let a failed hard drive or lost computer wipe out the work of your entire iSchool career.

Once your local files are organized, let’s look at your email. If there is one complaint I hear the most often from other students that I talk to, it is that we receive a MOUNTAIN of emails to our SJSU accounts that don’t necessarily pertain to us. If your email inbox is overwhelming, consider using tools like Spark or setting up filters in Gmail to automatically sort school-related emails into specific folders. 

Now, how about those tabs? If you’re like me, when you’re in the thick of the semester, your Google Chrome or Firefox browser begins to collapse under the weight of your 30+ open browser tabs. Keeping tabs on your research and readings is also easier with tab management tools like Toby or OneTab, which allow you to save and organize open browser tabs. They can save you from the headache of clicking through a dozen tabs looking for that webpage you desperately need to get back to.

Building Healthier Study Habits

Being productive is important, but so is taking care of yourself. Incorporate Pomodoro timers into your routine to keep study sessions manageable and structured. YouTube has a plethora of Pomodoro videos with fun themes from Lord of the Rings to Animal Crossing. Apps like Forest can also help you stay on task while reminding you to take regular breaks.

As I mentioned in the ‘Tips for Making the Most of your Winter Break’ post, now is a great time to prioritize getting enough sleep. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule that will support you once the semester starts is an excellent benefit to both your body and mind.

Consider creating a wind-down routine. Stretching or light journaling before bed can help you relax, recharge and prepare for the next day.

Start the Year Strong

I know, I threw a lot of information and a lot of links at you in this post! Now is a great time to test out a few workflows with some of these apps to see what works for you and what doesn’t. If even one of these apps works well for you, you’ll have a powerful new tool in your arsenal.

Whether you’re using apps like Notion and Google Calendar to organize your life or dedicating time to declutter your digital space, these small changes can have a big impact. Remember to balance productivity with self-care to make 2025 your best year yet.

What tools or tricks do you swear by? Share your favorite methods in the comments below. Fellow students would love to hear what works for you!