Helpful Apps for Midterm Season

Midterm season never seems to end, it mostly just slowly drags on into 10th week and before you know it, it’s time for finals. As you juggle any number of tasks every day, from friends and family, to academics and actually getting enough sleep, it’s often overwhelming to stay focused and motivated while also maintaining a healthy work-life balance. See below for five apps to help you manage stress and increase productivity as you tackle midterms and keep many other important things in your life organized!

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1. Remember the Milk

WHAT IT OFFERS: This is a task list manager that reminds you about your to-dos. Enter the label, due dates, priority, and repeat properties for each task and you will get reminded through email, text, and other mobile apps. You can also break a task into sub-tasks or attach files from Google Drive or Dropbox to keep files handily organized alongside the related tasks.

COST: Free with $39.99/year pro subscription option

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2. Forest

WHAT IT OFFERS: This app helps you stop procrastinating and stay focused on your task. Whenever you are on a task, you set a timer and plant a seed in Forest. The seed grows into a tree over time. However, if you access anything other than the app on your phone, your tree will wither. Your forest becomes lusher as time passes. It prevents you from being distracted by your phone and provides sense of accomplishment to keep yourself motivated.

COST: $1.99

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3. SelfControl

WHAT IT OFFERS: Similar to Forest, SelfControl helps you stay focused by blocking certain websites of your choice by a given time. You will be unable to access the webs on the block list until the time expires, even if you restart your computer or browser. Customize which websites to block and avoid digital diversions.

COST: Free for iOS

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4. 30/30

WHAT IT OFFERS: When you are managing several tasks at the same time, it’s difficult to maintain maximum productivity. That’s where 30/30 comes in. This app divides tasks into 30 minutes time period with 30 minutes of break in between. By repeating the work-break cycle, you can force yourself to stay focused in the given time constraint. It also customizes your tasks list by time, color, label, and icon. Completely gesture-based, 30/30 helps you to stay on track

COST: Free for iOS

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5. Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep

WHAT IT OFFERS: Want an effective relaxation technique? This app allows you to reduce level of anxiety, stress, and depression through audio therapy. You choose from a list of 6 quality relaxing sound from nature—ocean sounds, thunder, night in jungle, rain, bird sounds, and waterfall. These sounds effects help you to take a break from work and increase concentration.

COST: Free for iOS and Android

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How to Healthily Fuel Your Midterm (and Mid-life Crisis) Anxiety

It’s midterm season again, which means that we’re all being tempted by our usual fast-fix of salt and sugar cravings. Feeling awful and eating awful is just a bad combination, but it’s a little tiring to just eat vegetables and hummus all the time, so here are several healthy and quick snack alternatives to fuel you through the rest of the quarter!

Nori Wraps

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Take some roasted seaweed and put your favorite vegetables in it! Add some carrots, cucumbers, or micro greens along with a protein of your choice if you so desire. Toss everything with a mixture of sesame oil and soy sauce for that extra flavoring.

For the protein you can go the simple route and use canned tuna, but I like to use some stir fried tofu or even mushrooms. Experiment with what flavors you enjoy!

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Mini Charcuterie Board

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Feeling fancy but also sodium deprived? Make a mini charcuterie board for one. It’s not too hard to gather and haphazardly arrange some cured meats and cheeses on a plate. Add some nuts/olives/fruits/crackers if you so desire.

Seasonal fruits are definitely easy on the wallet depending on where you are, so don’t forget to get your weekly dosage of fruits and vegetables!

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Roasted Vegetables

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Lastly, my favorite thing to pop into the oven while studying is a large tray of vegetables to roast. It’s super autumnal to just put in some root vegetables and let them cook. I love having some candied parsnips or carrots whenever I know I have a long period of studying to do.

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Healthy Snacks to Help You Power Through Finals

As every UChicago student knows, finals week can be not only extremely hectic but also damaging to one’s health. Trying to recall an entire quarter’s worth of information in a few days is taxing, to say the least. That said, keeping a balanced and nutritious diet is essential to maintaining your physical health. It can also enhance brain function, control stress, and increase productivity! Here are eight easy and healthy snack ideas to fuel your mind.

1. Oatmeal: Low in calories and high in fiber, protein, and necessary minerals, it doesn’t get any easier than whipping up a bowl of oatmeal. Add a dollop of almond butter with one cup of cooked oatmeal in order to boost protein and feel fuller for longer.

2. Carrots: Carrots are very inexpensive and packed with nutrients to keep you on top of your game.

3. Radishes: Raw radishes are one of my go-to snacks. They have a powerful taste and actually help cleanse your liver and stomach. They can also help you stay calm and keep you from catching your roommate’s sickness since they contain potassium that lowers blood pressure and high vitamin C content that improves the immune system.

4. Dark chocolate-covered bananas: Bananas contain 10 milligrams of dopamine, which will boost your mood, and dark chocolate is also known to boost serotonin in your brain.

5. Apples with peanut butter: This classic is high in fiber and protein, and packed with taste in every bite. Another variation is wrapping apple slices in turkey or ham, a combo that is sure to satisfy your hunger and boost your energy levels.

6. Homemade trail mix: Avoid the sugary grocery store mixes and make your own! Try mixing nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc.), fruits, and flax or sunflower seeds and gogi berries.

7. Greek Yogurt: A cup of full-fat Greek yogurt is a fantastic standalone stack. It is well-rounded nutritionally, with a substantial dose of protein and fat that will help keep you satisfied.

8. Banana Ice Cream: When you are craving ice cream or those sugary Bartlett popsicles, try slicing and freezing some bananas and then putting them in your blender until they create a frosty, creamy puree. This is a refreshing and healthier alternative to classic ice cream that can cure any sweet tooth!

Happy studying and snacking, and best of luck with finals! 

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