We had a great workshop at La Jolla High School yesterday (to see the slides from the workshop, click here.) When I asked the students what they do to eliminate distractions when it is time to work, one of them said, "I turn my phone off". That answer blew me away, because, frankly, the idea of turning my own phone off is unthinkable! And yet, here I am writing this email with my phone asleep and on DND, and the world isn't ending... ...and I'm writing an email about students can use their phones to be MORE productive. Ironic huh? Ten ways students can use their smartphones to stay organized (part two).   6) Password organizer I can't tell you how many times I've met with students who couldn't remember their college board login, their power school login...even their email login! Getting a password organizer like mSecure for IOS means they'll have that info with them at all times, and they can also stop using the same password for everything. To learn about strong passwords check out www.diceware.com and https://xkcd.com/936/   7) Pomodoro technique Many student (people) have trouble focusing on a single task for a given amount of time. The Pomodoro technique is a way of timing work in 25 minute bursts and taking short breaks in between (and the work period can be adjusted to fit the person). An IOS app like 30/30 or Be Focussed Pro is a great tool for this. To learn more about the Pomodoro technique check out https://cirillocompany.de/ .   8) Quizlet (and other flashcard apps) Plenty of students we work with use www.quizlet.com to study for exams...but why don't they download the app on their phones? No idea, but what a great way to squeeze a little studying in when waiting in line, riding in the car, or other in-between times.   9) RSS Feeds Surfing the web can be a huge productivity killer, especially when your repetitively checking the same website over and over. Subscribing to an RSS feed with an app like Feedly can help students make sure they aren't going to miss any updates on their favorite websites and can more mindfully read the blogs and articles they enjoy rather than habitually checking and rechecking for updates. To learn more about RSS feeds, check out https://www.lifewire.com/rss-101-3482781 .   10) Text yourself This is a great way to send a quick note to yourself to remember something. The notification of the text will sit there in your phone until you do something with the note (like write it down in it's proper place!) I'm big on the mindfulness of pen and paper, but sometimes a phone is just handier! Is your son or daughter having academic challenges? If so, please give us a call to schedule a free phone or in-person consultation. We'll help them discover the truth about their intelligence!