7 apps to save your life (and GPA) during finals

So. This is it. The end of the semester is upon us. Reading period begins at the end of the week, and finals are just around the corner. Maybe you've been studying diligently for the past four months, finishing your homework days in advance and getting a good night's sleep before every midterm--or maybe you've dedicated the past semester to finishing every season of The Bachelor, and the closest you've gotten to sleep is closing your eyes when you sneeze.Either way, it's time to get down to business and focus on keeping up the good work (or erasing the mistakes of the past) and ace those finals. How, you may ask, will you be able to keep off of Facebook, get that paper written in two hours, and stay awake when your caffeine runs out at 4 a.m.? Here are some apps that will literally save your life.

1. StayFocusd

StayFocusd is for people who answer yes to the following questions: Instead of studying, do you find yourself scrolling endlessly through Reddit? Watching YouTube videos of narcoleptic puppies? (Do your work and don't click that.) Stalking people for so long on Facebook that you no longer know whose wall you're on?StayFocusd is a Chrome extension that restricts the amount of time you can spend on addictive sites. After the timer expires, those sites are blocked. Even if you try to remove them from the list!

2. SelfControl

SelfControl is a free Mac application (or Chrome extension) that doesn't play around. You control the amount of time that you can't access certain websites, but until that timer runs out, you won't be able to use them at all, even if you reboot your computer or delete the application. Warning: for the extreme procrastinator only.

3. Write or Die

Write or Die is a site that'll force you to get your paper done in a few hours--in strange ways. There are three modes. Reward mode gives positive reinforcements. Stimulus mode creates a pleasant environment to write in, complete with soothing ambient sounds and pretty scenery. Consequence mode, by far the scariest (and most effective), delivers alarming noises and horrible images (spiders, anyone?) whenever it detects that you're getting distracted. Choose wisely, and bang out that essay.

4. Coffeetivity

Coffeetivity is for those who can't focus in complete silence, but also get distracted by music. According to a peer-reviewed study published by the Oxford University Press, "A moderate level of ambient noise enhances performance on creative tasks."Coffeetivity helps you with that by recreating the mild, pleasant sounds of different coffee shops around the world to simulate being the feeling of productive in a Parisian café or a Brazilian bistro, even if you're actually just crying over Ramen in your dorm at 3 a.m.

5. Productivity Owl

Productivity Owl is a Chrome extension that forces you to be productive, or face the wrath of a very angry owl. The owl watches you trawl the Internet, and when it knows that you're not being productive, it swoops across your pages and closes your tabs. This cute (but scary owl) will help you learn to get what information you need from the Web, and get back to work.

6. 7 Minute Workout

7 Minute Workout is an app for those late nights when your coffee is wearing off and you're falling asleep, but you have to stay awake to memorize those last few neuroanatomical diagrams. Get your blood pumping back into your brain by doing some jumping jacks, wall sits, crunches, step-ups, and more--all in only 7 minutes, giving you plenty of time for studying.

7. Momentum

Momentum is my personal favorite Chrome extension, solely for the reason that it reminds me that there is more out there than dull textbook pages and white screens. Momentum replaces the new tab page with a beautiful photo (that changes daily!), an inspiration quote, and a customizable to-do list.There's nothing quite like opening a new tab after doing seventy-eight calculus problems, or finishing that brutal essay on English feudalism, or coming to terms with the fact that you need a 203% to get an A in chemistry, and being surprised by waves crashing over the beach at sunset, or sunlit golden fields, or mountains surrounded by gleaming blue lakes.Good luck studying, Brunonia!Images via, via, via, and via.