Forest App - Full Review

 Forest App - Full Review

⏱ 2-2.5 minute read

I try to be productive. I watch videos online about working efficiently, and I - for the most part - apply what I learn to my life. Still, there are weeks when I don't feel like doing anything, and I fall behind on work. I found an app a few months back that aims to "double your productivity" by beating phone addiction. That caught my eye, so I installed it and tried it out. The app is called Forest; it was developed by Seekrtech. I have already posted my first impressions, but that was my first time trying it out. Since then, I've used the app more times and gotten to better understand it.

Read: Forest App First Impressions - Will it Solve Procrastination?

How it works

Here's how it works: I open the app, and I choose the amount of time I want to spend working, and I pick the virtual tree I want to plant. The tree in the screenshot above is a Christmas tree, but I can select other "plants" as well. I click the Plant button, and my time begins. If I leave the Forest app during my session, it tells me to get to work upon my return. 

I can see my virtual forest with the trees I have planted in the past year when my session ends. The idea is to motivate me to grow my forest and plant as many trees as possible.

Is it effective?

Note: I am using the free version of the app due to EarthPlex's low budget. 

When I posted my first impressions, I had only done one Forest session. Now I have planted five trees. I tend to use the app while studying or creating posts. When using the app, I spend little time on my phone and more on my laptop working. Seekrtech's goal for Forest is to increase productivity by eliminating mobile distractions, but people always find ways to distract themselves. I spent less time distracted on my phone but more time distracted on my laptop. I Googled arbitrary things that had nothing to do with my work, and I fiddled around doing who-knows-what. 

Even with the distractions on my laptop, the Forest app has delivered me a minuscule productivity boost. It certainly didn't double it, but I notice a small difference. I recommend that you try it out to see if it benefits you.

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Click here to download Forest on the Apple App Store!

Click here to download Forest on the Google Play Store!