Five Junior College students have created a timetable app aimed at helping fellow students be more productive by better managing their lessons and free time – and getting rewarded with discounts as an incentive.
“The app is most suitable for students struggling to balance out their schoolwork and social life,” said Amy Muscat, one of the team members.
“The purpose is to help people feel less stressed by keeping their to-do list in a single place. Our mission is to help people be more productive. By using this app, people can always have a clear list of their tasks and upcoming events.
“It is also helpful for people who struggle financially as the app rewards productivity by giving access to discounts from various outlets.”
The other team members are André Azzopardi, Liam Agius, Karl Pirotta and Christine Tabone.
Their app is called Begyn – a company within JAYE Malta (formerly known as Young Enterprise) – a non-profit entrepreneurship education institution for young people.
The idea for Begyn came when the team members realised a lot of students find it difficult to keep up with everything during the initial weeks of college life.
“We decided to research the effects of being stressed and always having pending tasks on one’s mind.
“We discovered that procrastination is the enemy of productivity. Scientific research proves that constantly keeping a list of tasks in mind increases stress levels and actually decreases overall brain performance and makes it more difficult to concentrate. We believe Begyn can help motivate people to work harder and more effectively.”
Since the closure of schools due to the coronavirus outbreak, students have been using the app differently.
“They are using it to keep organised and as a way to stay productive during these times, even though deadlines may be less demanding,” Amy said.
A recent Instagram poll among 300 students carried out by Begyn shows that students are finding it difficult to work from home and stay focused in an environment which tends to be very disruptive and full of distractions.
“Most students said they are procrastinating more, so using the app is helping them stay more focused on their tasks and deadlines, whilealso helping them get the work done effectively.”
The app is available in Play Store.