Young ‘App and Comers’ share their favorite ways to stay focused and on track at work

Do you look for technology to help you manage time and get thing done at the office? Summer is intern season at Verizon and our interns are busy! We asked the next wave in the workforce to share the apps that help them concentrate on tasks, stay on top of their to-do lists and get things done, both in school and at work. Who knows? Maybe we’ll all download an app or two.

Hannah Retikis, University of Pittsburgh

Department: Network (System Performance)

Project: “Testing and optimizing the wireless network in Western Pennsylvania.”

Favorite productivity apps: “Noisli is a sounds app that really cuts all the distractions out, without being a distraction itself. Plus, the sound levels are customizable, so people can still get your attention. The Productivity Challenge Timer is just one big challenge to see how long you can be focused on something. It’s a Pomodoro technique timer that challenges you to go further. You can also unlock medals for breaking your personal times and for focusing for a specific times.”

Michael (Hyun Jin) Kim, University of Pennsylvania

Department: Marketing (Pricing and Innovation)

Project: “Developing strategies for new segment growth.”

Favorite productivity app: “My favorite productivity app/add-on is Momentum. I really like Momentum because when I open my browser, I immediately see the goals I set for myself that day, and I am able to update the list easily.”

Jordan O’Hara, John Brown University

Department: Network Repair

Project: “Identifying process improvement opportunities.”

Favorite productivity app: “My favorite Productivity app would definitely have to be Noizio. Noizio is the fine line between getting distracted with personal music and dozing off when there’s no music at all. Noizio helps me to mentally create an environment in which I can work comfortably and still focus on the task at hand. My favorite sound is the Paris Café, as I usually go to local coffee shops when I’m not in the workplace and need to focus on work. Overall, 10/10!”

Amanda DiGiacomo, Stevens Institute of Technology

Department: Product

Project: “[Developing] wearable technology for the enterprise space.”

Favorite productivity app: “My favorite productivity app for getting things done would have to be Microsoft’s OneNote App. When it comes to school and now work, I like typing notes out and having them all in one place on my computer. The only problem with that was not having them unless I lugged my computer around with me. When I found OneNote, I was able to take notes for everything, have separate notebooks for school, work and my personal life all in one place, and have it all back up to the cloud that would auto sync to my iPhone app. It’s nice being able to study or access my notes through my phone when I’m at the gym or on the go, without the need to be at a computer.”

Mathangi (Matty) Ramesh, Carnegie Mellon University—Tepper Business School

Department: Consumer Products

Project: “Conceptualizing features and products with AI for connected homes.”

 Favorite productivity app: “The PomodoroApp helps me concentrate on one thing at a time. I set the timer and then do the task until the timer goes off (or I get it done, whichever is earlier). This way I am able to concentrate and get things done faster. Within the app I am able to make a list of all the tasks and prioritize them.”

Caitlin Conroy, Seton Hall University

Department: Marketing (Pricing and Innovation)

Project: “[Developing] segment growth.”

Favorite productivity app: “My favorite productivity app, and one of the apps I use most often, is Slack. Slack is a communication app for business professionals. Through my university, I use Slack to keep in touch with other students and professors, as well as the clubs and organizations I am involved in. It has many features that fit my needs in communicating in a quick and easy manner.”