It’s the new school year, and you’re settling into your own space for possibly the first time, or going back after a summer of fun! Whether it’s a dorm on campus or an apartment nearby, this is a chance for you to make a space truly your own. Even if you have a roommate, these tips will help the both of you stay connected and inspire you to be more productive.

• Have a Charging Station: You should have a place where all of your devices can live and stay charged. You don’t want your laptop, phone, tablet, e-reader, or wearables scattered everywhere, and this will help you keep track of everything, keeping them out of the way if you are working on something else. If you are crafty you could even make your own device station, and many others are sold in stores! For you tech-trend-starters who have an Apple Watch, we have a charging stand that can keep your device away from causing clutter on your desk.

• Wireless, Wireless, Wireless: Who wants to see cables? While we keep adding more devices to our lives, cables naturally come with them. That’s why having a dedicated place to charge all of your devices at once (the above point) is so important. But the rest of your place has to be wireless too. Make sure you have a router for wireless internet, and utilizing Bluetooth will give even more capabilities. If you have a desktop computer, try finding a wireless keyboard and mouse to minimize clutter. A portable Bluetooth speaker is perfect for studying alone or enjoying the evening with friends. Our water-resistant AX410 speaker has a sound that will fill up an entire room, and has great range so you can still keep your phone on you. It is also small enough to carry around in your bag on-the-go, and rugged to withstand your legendary adventures!

• Stay Charged on the Go: Make sure that everything has a solid charge before going out for the day of classes. The worst culprit of battery drains is your phone, and with everything you do on it, you need it to last. A battery charging case is a great option, as it will help you keep your device from losing its power throughout the day. That way you can continue taking notes and sending Snapchats of all the weird things you see on campus. We have battery charging cases for the iPhone 5S, 5c, 6, and 6 Plus, as well as Samsung Galaxy S4 & S6, all in different color variations to match your style.

• Schedule Your Time: There are a ton of scheduling apps available, but whichever one you decide to use, stick with it. These apps are only as productive as you make them. You can set up notifications to go off at different times, and even import your friends’ calendars (like in Google Calendar) to see when they’re busy or free to hang out. Wearables are also becoming more accessible, so utilizing them to stay connected is easier than ever. The Apple Watch, FitBit, and Android Wear are the three top dogs here, figuring out which one is best for you comes down to what you’ll use it for and which devices you already have. Staying productive is key, so if you are someone who likes to type to take quick notes, a keyboard case for your iPad might also be a good option. It brings the functionality and speed of a laptop keyboard to your mobile tablet, perfect for notes.
  • Our favorite Productivity Apps:
    • ToDoist – a place to make lists of lists
    • Google Calendar – you can color code different calendars, import friends’ calendars, and schedule reminders
    • Evernote – a place to take notes, make lists, and store files on a cloud to be accessed on any device

• Wake Up Alert: Sure, we all use our phones as our alarms to wake us up in the morning, but what if you could do it even smarter? Try choosing a tune that rises in volume to avoid being jolted awake, to slowly bring you out of your sleep comfortably. There are apps that can also help you plan when to go to sleep at night in order to get the most productive REM sleep, and apps to even wake you up when your sleep cycle is at its most shallow point.
  • Our favorite Sleep Apps:
  • Sleep Cycle
  • Relax & Sleep
  • Sleep as Android

• Have Some Fun: We all know that college comes with all the networking and socializing, it’s not all about productivity. You can always bust out the classic card or board games, but there are great party apps that get everyone involved.
  • Our favorites:
    • Fibbage - A game you load up on your computer or game console (usually $7 or less), then everyone goes to a website on their phones to play interactively. This is a game where you pick the truth amongst lies entered by your friends. It sounds complicated, but we promise it’s a blast, and great for parties.
    • Heads Up! - an app frequently featured on Ellen DeGeneres’ show, this is a quicker version of Catch Phrase that can be downloaded straight to your phone. Take turns and see who can get the highest score, or pass it around like hot potato, eliminating players through rotations. It even takes video of the match to be saved or shared on social!

• Know When to Chill: School will be challenging, it always is. Knowing when to schedule things, where things are, what’s due and when… it’s easy for things to get overwhelming. There are apps and devices that can help you take a break, and even remind you to take a deep mindful breath every once in a while. Having earbuds or headphones can also help to block out any outside distractions.
• Our favorites:
• Breathe Together – this app (also available on a browser) reminds you to breathe deeply, and even connects to the cloud where anyone else using the app is following the same breath pattern, so you are truly breathing with the rest of the world.
• Headspace – this app actually teaches you the basics of mindfulness meditations in easy, daily challenges. The first 10 days are free, and after that it costs around the same as a Netflix sub, but the first 10 days will lay out a foundation that is valuable to your life.

We wish you the best in the upcoming school year! Stay organized, stay calm, and stay connected. Remember to share your Alpatronix photos with #Alpatronix all year long!