Stick to your New Year's resolutions with these apps

New year, new you. That’s the mindset every January 1. You’ve seen what you were like for the past 365 days. Now you want to commit to being a better version of yourself. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are for. TIme to shake off the old cobwebs off your workout gear. Time to get more serious about budgeting. Time to maybe put yourself out there more with online dating. There are a number of New Year’s resolutions that many people pick up in January of a new year.

Unfortunately, by February, your running shoes may be already collecting dust. By March, you’re spending crazily again. You get the picture. Why is it so hard to stay on top of things that you put into place? You don’t have to do it alone. There are ways to make sure that you stay on top of your New Year’s resolutions or at least make it easier to do so. Using the right apps can get you what you want.

Some of the most common New Year’s resolutions focus on fitness, savings, organizing, health, improving work-life balance, and more. You can even focus on consuming better content, like mental health-focused podcasts, instead of streaming reality shows. you might as well do everything you can to make this next year the best one it can be. That can start by downloading the right app for your resolution. Here is a list of great apps to help you tackle some of the most common New Year’s resolutions.

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5 Strava

Become the hiker that you want to be

For anyone who felt like they were cooped up a lot this year, try getting outside and doing more in nature. Strava is an app that can help you do just that. It is an incredibly popular app, so if you’ve looked at fitness apps before, you’ve probably heard of it. But you may not have tried it or stuck with it. There are over 30 activity types to try, ranging from running to hiking to cycling. What makes Strava such a powerful and motivating tool is the community support it offers. You can follow friends on the Strava app and share in their New Year’s resolution journey as well.

Strava can help you build a community of support with ways to personalize your training efforts, putting you in touch with people locally, who have similar interests, and who might be trying to do the same tasks you are. Strava syncs with some of the most commonly used fitness devices, like Apple Watch, Garmin smartwatches, Oura Ring, Peloton, and more. The goal-setting feature helps you set a goal and track towards it each day. Measuring your progress is simple, as it lays it out in data-driven charts. Strava is a good motivator for working through your fitness goals.

4 AppBlock

Stop the mindless scrolling throughout the day

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to stop looking at your phone so much, something you’re probably doing right now, there’s actually an app that can help you with that. AppBlock will control your screen time for you, It is meant to aid your focus and mental health by eliminating the need to scroll aimlessly through social media. In the app, you can deem different apps distracting when you need to be focusing on work. You’ll also be abe to set schedules for specific times when you shouldn’t be scrolling.

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You can limit your exposure to apps you can’t stop scrolling.

Once you choose certain apps as distracting, you will not be able to open them up and they won’t send you notifications. AppBlock does what its name says it will. You can obviously change the settings whenever you do want to use the phone apps but this at least takes the urge to quickly look at your phone out of your hands. For parents, there is a Strict Mode that limits the amount of screen time kids have on social media as well.

3 YNAB

For anyone looking to the future for finances

YNAB

There are people we probably know who are terrible about saving money. Maybe you are that person. YNAB, aka You Need A Budget, is for them. YNAB is meant to help users plan for their future and help achieve financial goals. If traveling more is one of your goals for next year, you’re going to need to plan for that. YNAB helps you lay out your expenses and get a better understanding of your financial standing.

This shows you where your money is going on a daily basis to help you ensure you’re not overspending. The last thing you want to do is plan for a trip but realize you don’t have enough money for it. It follows a zero-based budgeting system, making you account for every dollar you are earning. Once you get paid, you can use YNAB to allocate where that money is going, whether it be checking, savings, or elsewhere. YNAB is an app that you have to buy into, meaning if you don’t fully commit, you’re wasting your time (and potentially your money.) But if you do, you enjoy more financial freedom in time.

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2 Headspace

Mindfulness can be an important journey

Headspace/Pocket-lint

is a well-known app that can boost your mental health with consistent use. Stress is a huge factor that people aim to cut out of their lives. But often times this comes later than it should and a large amount of stress can have damaging effects on your health. Headspace aims to help you sleep better and stress less. With a massive meditation library with videos focused on better eating, sleeping, calmness, mindfulness, and more, you can target what parts of your life you want to improve.

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You’ll learn to manage stress, indulge in new breathing techniques, and can enjoy one-on-one mental health coaching. Ebb, the AI companion, can help guide you through the app and find things more easily. You can use Headspace for only a minute a day and see the results. If mental health is something you want to prioritize in the new year, this is a good addition to your app library.

1 Hinge

Make online dating easier and simplified

Hinge

Many people want to put themselves out there more in the new year. Meeting people organically can be difficult. Going to a bar or a local singles night is often daunting and anxiety-inducing. Hinge is a great alternative and doesn’t feel like an app just for flings. Hinge’s taglilne is “The dating app designed to be deleted” and it originally only connected you with people that you had a friend in common with through Facebook. That has changed but the principle of the app has stayed the same. Showing off your personality through videos, text, photos, and more can give those looking for a match a look into who you are.

This shows you more about a person than just their looks. You’re able to state what kind of relationship you’re searching for and it’s simple to keep track of who you are messaging and who seems interested in you. You can even send voice notes back and forth, enhancing the personal touch feel. Hinge lets you be clever, meet people who are interested in the same things as you, and find an honest connection.

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