Every year, millions of people kick off another trip around the sun with a New Year’s resolution. And every year, the vast majority fail to stick to their goals. If you’re determined to change in 2022, you might be wondering: How can you set yourself up for success? Well, as it turns out, that little computer you carry around in your pocket can do more than entertain you on the toilet and give you a way to avoid eye contact on the subway — it can help you get your life together too. In 2022, instead of letting yourself become part of the majority of goal-setters that give up by mid-February, harness the power of technology to conquer your resolutions with one of these apps.
If You Want to Get Fit
Workout Trainer by Skimble
Maybe it’s training for a marathon, breaking your personal bench-press record, or just peeling yourself off of the couch for 30 minutes every day. Whatever your fitness resolution is, Skimble’s Workout Trainer app can help keep your workouts organized, on point, and focused toward your personal goals. Once you set up your initial profile — selecting your experience level, preferred exercise types, and objectives — you can save routines you love, mark workouts to try later, track your progress with stats, and connect with other users. Each of the app’s thousands of workouts is accompanied with audio and video instructions and categorized to help you target exactly the areas and training you’re looking for, and you can even build your own custom routine or try out workout plans that other users have shared to the app’s library.
- Available for iOs and Android.
- Free; upgrading to the pro version lets you connect with Skimble’s community of personal trainers for expert advice and planning to reach your goals.
If You Want to Lose Weight
Eat This Much
If you’ve ever taken on the perennial weight loss resolution, you know how difficult it can be to work your way back into healthy habits after the holiday binge. Eat This Much makes calorie tracking a cinch by doing all the heavy lifting of meal planning for you. All you have to do is set up a profile with your dietary preferences and the app will automatically generate a full day’s worth of meals that fit your goals. Customization is practically boundless, allowing you to choose from preset diet types (ranging from vegan to paleo to ketogenic), select figure-friendly substitutions, and exclude foods you don’t like or can’t eat. Every recipe includes full nutritional information so you can track your intake down to the last gram, and if you upgrade to the pro plan, you can plan meals a week at a time, generate grocery lists, and tell the app to incorporate leftovers into your routine.
- Available for both iOs and Android.
- Free for the base plan; upgrading to the pro plan adds more features.
If You Want to Travel More
Kayak
The well-traveled have been using Kayak to plan trips and purchase tickets for some time, and if your resolution is to explore a little more of the globe this year, you’d be well served to take a page from their book. Kayak takes all the trickiness out of travel planning by putting everything you’ll need for a great getaway right at your fingertips. The app searches across multiple sites for flights, rental cars, and hotels, letting you filter results by airline, amenities, layover times, and more. If there’s a destination you’ve been dying to visit, you can even set personalized Price Alerts that will let you know when tickets are available and use price history data to determine when you should buy and when you should wait for a lower rate. Sync the app to your email accounts and other devices, and Kayak will combine all your reservations into one organized itinerary.
If You Want to Save Money
PocketGuard
There’s no shortage of financial planning and budgeting apps out there loaded with features to help you save money, spend responsibly, set allowances, pay bills … the list goes on and on. But if you’re looking for something simple and streamlined to help you keep spending in check this year, PocketGuard is a great place to start. Connect your accounts via an encrypted, read-only connection, and the app will auto-sort your spending to give you a better overview of your spending habits. Each day the app will use factors like account balances and upcoming bill payments to show you exactly how much extra spending money you have in your virtual pocket for that day. The app will also offer financial advice and money-saving tips over time, which can help you save more money by lowering bill payments and advising you on purchases so you don’t overspend. All in all, PocketGuard is a sleek, easy-to-use app that can help you take the first steps towards a healthier financial future.
If You Want to De-Clutter
LetGo
If you spent January 30 desperately cramming stuff into closets so you’d have enough seating room for the next day’s New Year’s Eve Party, then your resolution this year just might have something to do with de-cluttering. Tidying up your space can reduce stress, eliminate those last-minute cleaning sprees when company is coming, and just generally make you feel better about life, but it can also be an overwhelming, exhausting process. LetGo can make the de-cluttering process faster and easier. Use your phone to snap a few pics of the items you want to sell and the app will automatically title and tag them. Add a brief description, set your price, and post your listing. Other users in your area can then view your listing and contact you with questions or offers right from the app. If you’re looking to clear a little space in your life this year, LetGo is an easy, intuitive way to make a little extra cash while you do.
If You Want to Overhaul Your Wardrobe
MTailor
So you’ve finally decided to ditch those worn out cargo shorts and college sweats for a more “grown-up” look, but where to start? If you want to overhaul your wardrobe or up your fashion game this year, MTailor makes stocking up on stylish, well-fitting wardrobe staples easier than ever before. The app uses your phone or tablet’s camera to take your measurements, giving you access to perfectly tailored clothing without having to leave home. With suits, jeans, and shirts available in a huge variety of fabrics and patterns, you can completely overhaul your wardrobe while bidding adieu to grueling shopping sprees and awkward in-person fittings.
If You Want to Get Organized
Sortly
Tired of the frustrating feeling of tearing your house apart looking for one tiny thing you need? Sick of the migraines you get from trying to do inventory for your small business when tax time rolls around? Try out the Sortly app to make 2018 the year you finally get organized. The home and business inventory app is loaded with features that will help you with anything from a quick closet re-org to a full insurance inventory. Take and tag photos of your items, sort them by location, add notes on purchase dates, prices, and warranties, keep track of who you lend things to and when, and even create a packing inventory if you’re planning a big move soon. Sortly also offers optional QR codes for your stuff to make the organizing process even easier by allowing you to scan items. The app features a super simple search function so you’ll never have an unexpected scavenger hunt again.
If You Want to Learn Something New
EdX
It’s always an admirable goal to open your mind and learn something new, but you can’t always shell out the time or travel to attend in-person classes. If you’re hoping to pick up a new skill in 2018 without committing to a new degree program, check out the EdX app. The app takes everything the popular website has to offer and puts it right at your fingertips. You can search for and enroll in courses, stream lectures from professors at places like Harvard and MIT, or download videos and course materials for use offline. EdX offers completely free courses in subjects ranging from computer programming to persuasive essay writing, and if you’re particularly interested in a certain field you can pay to earn certificates that can stand alone or be applied as credit towards a Master’s degree at some universities.
Article originally published by LeeAnn Whittemore on January 16, 2018.
