01 Jan 2016 New Year’s Resolutions…There’s an App for That!
Welcome 2016! A new year full of possibilities! New Year’s Resolutions seem to be our way of trying to capture that fresh start for ourselves and improve our lives in some way. We have the best intentions, but often it’s a struggle to stay on-track with our Resolutions. Will 2016 be any different? It can be – and I’ll suggest some innovative tools to help.
Often, people commit in January to becoming more organized in their home, business, or personal life by reducing clutter and excess, better managing time, or re-prioritizing commitments. Any of these achievements will simplify life and leave more time for family, friends, volunteering, getting fit, taking a class, growing in your faith, and enjoying the here-and-now.
Whatever your Resolution is, consider implementing an App to help you stay the course, track your progress, and give you motivation along the way. Following are some exceptional Apps, and best of all, they’re free!
Coach.me is an app that lets you track your progress on self-set goals and get rewards, as well as participate community coaching, if desired. You can also opt for private coaching, starting at $14.99.
Key Ring stores all of your rewards information and lets you scan your phone at checkout, instead of carrying around a keychain full of store cards.
Evernote will organize and store your notes, paperwork, scanned documents, to-do lists, photos and videos. Evernote automatically syncs with your smartphone, tablet, and computer for ease of reference.
Remember the Milk lets you organize your tasks by day, priority, type (home, work, kids) and more. Look up your to-dos by location and proximity to where you are so you can complete them in an efficient order. You can opt to send yourself text or email reminders. The App also integrates with Siri (iPhone) and Google Calendar.
BigOven helps you menu plan and grocery shop efficiently. Menu plan by dragging and dropping recipes (over 350,000 to choose from) onto a calendar in the App. You’ll then have a grocery list for your menu plan. Have favorite recipes of your own? You can scan them into the App and it will convert them to digital text. It even helps you plan uses for leftovers!
If you’re not familiar with Apps, or would rather keep your Resolutions on-track in a more traditional way, don’t worry! I have recommendations for you, too!
Consider writing your resolution on each month of your calendar, as a visual reminder to stay on-track. Also, set small goals along the way and calendar these, as well. Remember to be realistic in your goal-setting so you can actually see progress along the way, which is very motivational. If you experience a setback, don’t give up, just re-affirm your Resolution and get back on-track. Finally, get support from family and friends, and reward yourself along the way.
If you’re still having trouble sticking to your Resolution, consider hiring a professional organizer, trainer, life coach, counselor, etc. Often, investing a bit of money will help you stay the course and achieve your goal. After all, the reason you set your Resolution in the first place is because you knew it would improve your life. At the end of this year, wouldn’t it be fantastic if your New Year’s Resolution is no longer a goal, but a way of life? There’s no App needed for that!