On school nights, most students are doing their homework and cramming for upcoming tests. A free app by AppFinca Inc. tries to improve these studying habits by gamifying the Pomodoro Technique of time management through the growth of digital plants. Instead of facing hours of endless work, during which they are tempted to pick up their phones for a break, students can work in blocks of time by setting a timer on the app that limits distractions and will be rewarded with a new digital plant for every block of time they complete. 

This productivity app, Flora – Green Focus, can be a great way to keep U-High students motivated and organized when studying for finals.

The unique way in which Flora encourages motivation is by blocking distracting apps on your phone. Unlike regular timers, once the timer is set for a period of focused studying, stopping it results in “killing” a tree. If you want to be even more motivated to not use your phone, you can connect a credit card to the app and select an amount of money that will be taken away if you kill the plant. However, in case of an emergency, Flora allows you to take a quick break to access a different app and subtracts the break from the overall time.

While the timer ticks away, motivational phrases like “Do you know how great you can be?” and “The tree is growing fine, so are you” along with the image of a growing plant show on your phone screen to encourage your studying.

Flora also has a map of the world where you can be rewarded with new digital plants from different regions if you select a focus session from that region. These plants can be viewed in your digital garden along with to-do lists and statistics about your progress.

Many successful apps offer a social media component, and Flora is no exception. Flora provides the opportunity to “plant” trees with friends in order to win an additional tree and chat with and share your progress with friends.

If you would like to help save the environment, Flora even partners with tree-planting organizations. For an extra price, each digital plant that you grow can be turned into a real tree that is planted in local communities around the world. As of May 12, 105,638 real trees have been planted by Flora users. 

Using Flora to help organize your academic life can help with personal motivation, social connection and environmental issues. Download the app Flora – Green Focus to help get through the last few weeks of the school year.