We’ve all been in the position where we have a world history test in tomorrow’s first block, an algebra test we absolutely need to study for by fourth block, and a power point we need to email to our biology partner within the next hour. Sundays are rough, but you need to buckle down if you’re going to get all this work done on time. And yet, your first hour set aside for homework is spent on Twitter. From there, you open a link that takes you to Vine. The vicious cycle never ends. Suddenly your favorite apps are holding you hostage. How can anyone be expected to get their homework done when there’s so much social media to distract and entertain us?
Don’t worry Mishawaka students, there’s an app for this. This digital-blocker app is called Freedom and prevents you from getting new content on certain apps on your phone for certain amounts of time. The idea is that for allotted amounts of time, you’re free from the addictive world of social media. By force, you make yourself more productive. Freedom can’t stop you from opening the app, but it does stop any new tweets or posts from loading until your time is up. Your phone will still be able to receive texts and calls, so unfortunately you’ll still have to show a little restraint. However, your phone will also not open the internet, so don’t think you can just get sneaky and open Instagram through Safari. Put in your headphones and dive into that math study guide. The sooner you start, the sooner you finish, right?
I know, I know, it’s easier said then done. To set a good example and prove the impossible, I downloaded Freedom to try it out. Setting the time for blocking at one hour, I sat down and finally studied for the ACP American history test that I had been avoiding for the entire four day weekend. When I reached that annual point of boredom, I think I was almost more eager to see if the app would really work than I was to check my social media accounts. The good news is that Freedom really does work! The bad news is that I missed being online when The Walking Dead actors were tweeting sneak-peeks.
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