/image%2F1259604%2F20250503%2Fob_231f81_beige-and-white-be-yourself-square-pil.jpg)
Happy New Year everyone!
It's that time of the year when people reflect on their past year and set some resolutions for the upcoming year. Many times, we tend to give up halfway through January which causes us to feel discouraged and frustrated.
If you struggle to keep up with resolutions or even knowing what goals to set, worry not! In this article, I want to share a few videos, apps and tips to help you on your self-improvement journey!
I love Struthless' videos! He's super creative, funny and chill. I recommend subscribing and watching more of his videos but for now, let's stick with this one! After you finish, you can use his worksheet which summarizes the steps you need to take.
If you watch a lot of videos on productivity then surely you must have come across one of Thomas Franck's videos. His channel is a goldmine if you need guidance for focusing, productivity, taking notes, etc.
Finally, Psych2Go provides many tips in form of animated videos whose narrator's soothing voice will definitely relax you. I think the cute animations helps to better integrate the tips given.
In summary, the main tips for sticking with your habits are: starting small, focusing on a weekly basis, planning and tracking, adjusting your environment, rewarding yourself, being accountable to someone.
I'm gonna share my favorite apps (all FREE) for planning and tracking your habits/goals.
- Elisi: Digital All-In-One Planner
This is the best all around FREE app I've ever found for organizing your tasks and projects, tracking your goals and your mood, and taking notes. It's minimal, efficient, and really really useful. There is also a blog which gives plenty of productive tips or tips on using the app itself.
- Owaves: Visual Day Planner
Owaves is a colorful day planner where you can visualize your day by adding blocks of activities like eating, sleeping, exercising, working etc. More importantly, you can set templates for different days and different seasons, everything adjusted to your rhythm. If you're unsure how to plan your day, you can check out other people's Day in the Life for ideas.
- Habitica: Gamified Task Manager
If you want to gamify your tasks, Habitica is perfect for that. You don't have to be a gamer to use this. You get a little character which you can level up by completing different types of tasks:
- Habits can be positive or negative and represent something you may want to track multiple times per day, or on an unset schedule.
- Dailies are repeated tasks you want to complete on a more structured schedule. E.g. Once per day, three times a week, or four times a month.
- To Do’s are one-off tasks that provide rewards after you complete them. ddsdf
Completing your tasks provides rewards otherwise you lose Health Points, Experience, and/or Gold.
- Finch: Self-Care + Goal Tracking
If you struggle a lot with mental health or with taking care of yourself, Finch is a great self-care focused app. You get a cute companion which you help grow by doing your goals. Goals can be as simple as Make Your Bed or Take a shower, but some days we may struggle with the most simple tasks and Finch helps up to take care of our basic needs. The app also provides self-care activities like breathing exercises, stretching, journaling, etc.
- As we grow older, we go through different phases of energy, mood, life events...
And so we have different goals and priorities each year. Mental/physical health should always come first, as it is your foundation for doing anything else.
- Remember to focus on the PROCESS rather than the RESULT.
For example, Exercise 3 days a week instead of Lose 5 kgs in 1 month is something that is in your control and is more manageable.
- When really struggling to meet a goal, take the Non-Zero Day approach.
It basically means you take at least one step (non-zero) towards your goals as opposed to doing nothing (zero). For whatever reason you can't fully exercise on a specific day, do the minimum like a bit of stretching or one rep for that day.
- The key is to be CONSISTENT and not guilt yourself for not doing 100% everyday.
No one can be 100% every single day. But if you can do even a little bit every day then that's far better than skipping days and eventually giving up.
- Finally, WRITE IT DOWN! Write your goals as specific as possible and track your progress either with a planner/calendar or a digital app. Make a vision board if you want, the more visualization the better.
I'll give a final resource called the YearCompass. It's a comprehensive worksheet that helps you reflect on your past year and plan for the next. You can print it or fill it digitally, but take the time to reflect and write. It will good to look back on it the next year.
Wishing everyone a great new year and good luck with your resolutions! Together, we can improve ourselves little by little and reach our goals ✨
Want to write your own article? Check out the Submission Guidelines
