Although academia is often a bit behind technology, there are a few apps that can make your writing much easier. If you want to write on the level the best coursework writing services do, this is for you! It’s best to not install all of them at once as it can be overwhelming. Instead, try a few and see which ones work. All listed apps are free to download.
The Research Phase
Instapaper
This tool is excellent for researching and reading your thesis, especially if you are reading many online sources. You can save web pages directly to your Instapaper profile. They will then be converted into an easily-read format so you can access them later. Keep an archive of useful articles for future reference. You can also set up your account to automatically send up to 10 articles per day to a Kindle, smartphone, or tablet (with the Instapaper app).
OneTab
OneTab will help you if you have 20 tabs open in the browser. It will quickly collapse all tabs into one easy-to-read window. You can then close any tabs you don’t want and save the rest for later.
The Drafting Phase
Momentum
Another Chrome extension is Momentum which does simple things well. You can enter your main focus each day. Every time you open a new tab, your main focus is reminded and a stunning photo is displayed. It is designed to stop you from clicking “www.facebook.com” on autopilot and keep you focused on your goals. It will also display the time and the weather, and have a place where you can write down your to-do lists.
Evernote
Evernote is an app many people consider indispensable. It syncs across all your devices so that you can update it from any device and then reread your notes on your computer. It is much easier than using paper scraps to save audio, web pages, and images.
Trello
Do you ever need a quick overview of your current situation with all your projects and tasks? Trello will help you. Trello is a project management app that allows you to create projects and assign stages. Drag and drop cards can be used to organize your tasks. They can then be moved through the columns according to their progress. You can, for example, make every chapter of your thesis a project and each section a card. You can also attach the document. The Trello board allows you to track the progress of each section, from ‘not yet written’ to “draft” to “send to supervisor”. Your supervisor can also have access to the Trello board.
The Writing Phase
The Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro doesn’t really exist as an app, but as a way to be (but is also an app). It’s an easy way to stay focused and be productive. Set a timer to work for 25 minutes. That’s it. After the timer has elapsed, you will get a five-minute break. After four pomodoros, you get a long break (10 minutes). It will amaze you how much you can accomplish in just 25 minutes. You’ll also be amazed at how focused you are when you know that you have a deadline.
If this, then that
IFTTT is what web aficionados call the big daddy that allows all these apps to run in perfect harmony. This is about as close as we can get to real magic. It works by synchronizing your accounts and creating a “recipe” or putting an existing recipe into action. A recipe is a trigger event that causes something to happen by itself. You could, for example, create a prompt that you use at the end of each day to send yourself the draft of the thesis. To ensure that your draft is backed up in both places, you could create a recipe to send it to Dropbox. You can arrange IFTTT to send a text to your parents, promising to call you later, if they call you while you are inflow.