Studies have found that losing weight, getting organised and managing
finances are the most popular resolutions."New Year's resolutions are
difficult to keep because they're about behaviour change," said
David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards, which honour
excellence on the internet.
"But because mobile apps are with you all the time, they're something that
can keep you on track minute-to-minute and hour-to-hour," he added. People
aiming to improve their health can turn to fitness trackers such as
MotionX-24/7 for the iPhone. The app tracks metrics such as steps taken,
calories burned, sleep quality and duration and heart rate.
Read: What causes you to make New year's resolutions
"It brings together a bunch of different features found in popular fitness
trackers and pulls them all into one app," said Davies. Users can set
daily activity and sleep goals and receive reminders to get active if they are
idle for too long.
The app, which cost just over R10 (99 US cents), is available worldwide. Other activity tracker apps
include Argus, free for the iPhone, and Moves, which also sells for 99c and is
available on iPhone and Android. Keeping hydrated is another important element
for staying healthy.
What the app can do
With the free iPhone app Ounces users can set goals for water consumption,
track how much they drink and receive friendly reminders to have another glass.
Although there are many apps to get more organised, Peter Walsh, a Los
Angeles-based organisation expert, said people may want to de-clutter their
digital lives first.
"When we are cluttered digitally or in our homes we feel paralysed,"
he explained. Walsh recommends deleting apps that haven't been used in the past
year and unsubscribing from unwanted e-mails.
Read: 8 mobile apps to help you shake stress
He suggests Artkive, a free app for iPhone and Android, which allows parents to
store a digital copy of their children's artwork, and Springpad, an app for
iPhone, Android and Kindle that allows people to create notebooks around
important areas of their life.
App for managing finances
For managing finances, Davies recommends Mint, a free app for iPhone and
Android, which helps people track spending. Students with loans for their
education can use Tuition.io.
Anyone looking for new opportunities can use good.co, a website that helps
people learn more about their work personality and jobs that might be a good
match."It gives you a better sense of what you might find interesting in
the world for future jobs," said Davies.
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