By Elana Amir

As you walk quickly down the hallway, maneuvering yourself through the crowd of people waiting at the bottom of the stairwell, you hear snippets of many different conversations. Some students talk about the newest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, many discuss how difficult lacrosse tryouts were yesterday, and others compare answers on the chemistry test they just took. Though there are many conversations going on around you, the most common discussion is usually one filled with complaints: comparing how much sleep you got the previous night and the amount of school work you had to complete. It often seems like a contest, though people should not be proud that they got a mere three hours of sleep.
Although it is true that students at South have particularly packed schedules, many students procrastinate to finish their school work when they have the time. It is not just a lack of motivation to complete school work efficiently; students tend to get easily distracted and stray from their task. There is a simple way to eliminate these problems, keep from getting distracted, and stay on task: 30/30.
The app 30/30, available for free on the App Store, is a way to solve the issue of a busy schedule and a multitude of distractions that keep you from doing your homework. It is extremely easy to use, for after you download the app you are taken through a tutorial on how to use it. It’s simple: when opening the app you see a clock. Underneath the clock is a line and and a lot of empty space. In that space you drag open a box for every assignment you have to complete. With this app you are able to organize your assignments similarly to the way you use a planner, but more efficiently. Since your phone is being used to run the app, it is eliminated as a distraction.
The main feature of the app is that you can set a certain amount of time for each assignment you have to complete. You can always add a few minutes if you feel like you need it, but by initially setting an amount of time for each assignment, you set a goal for yourself to improve on time management. After the amount of time for each assignment runs out, the timer switches to the next assignment. This teaches you to move on if the assignment is taking too long, for students often spend more time on an assignment than the teacher planned for it to take. By allotting an amount of time for each assignment and having the timer in front of you, you are motivated to finish the work quickly and more efficiently.
This app provides an efficient way to organize your assignments so that you know exactly how much work you have to do. You can color code the assignment based on subject or flag it with a symbol based on the type. Once the list of your assignments is compiled, it is easy to tell how much work you were assigned from each class. This feature can help you prioritize work from different classes based on the amount of studying you have to do for others. When grouping your assignments, you are able to organize the list so that those you need a computer for are after one another. By doing this, you can complete all the assignments you need your laptop for at once. This increases productivity so that you won’t have to waste time taking out and putting away materials you might need again.
Though the many features of this app have several benefits, it can take time to get used to using it. This program is unlike many similar ones: it combines the organizational aspect of many electronic planners with the timer feature pre-installed into most phones. The features of the app can be extremely beneficial, but only if you work hard to stick to your task and to not get distracted. Using the app can eliminate your phone as a distraction, but someone can easily click out of the app and in just a few seconds become distracted again. It is not easy to break a habit, which is why using an app like this requires a lot of self-discipline. Although this method may work for some people, it will only work for those who truly want to change their habits and increase productivity. Investing your time in getting used to this app is completely worth it at the end, for learning how to defeat procrastination and to improve time management are necessary and useful skills in life beyond high school.
Task timer enhances productivity—The app 30/30 by Binary Hammer helps you organize your tasks and better manage your workload. In only 30 seconds, you can arrange your assignments and assign a time limit to each one. This not only ensures that you complete everything you have to get done, but also minimizes wasted time.