Can an app change your life?

No, I’m not selling a new app, or even an affiliate, I just love the one I downloaded a couple weeks ago.

In order to track my goals from day to day, I recently switched from tracking mentally or on paper, I started using the iPhone app Productive.

(Funny enough, I’d downloaded it years ago but then deleted it from my phone. This time I upgraded a few bucks to the paid version and am loving it!)

Back in January, I started mini monthly challenges, like getting fully dressed to the shoes every day before 10am, making fresh juice every morning, and going to the gym at least 3 times a week.

While January was great (when motivation was high), I really struggled in February to keep up with new habits and accomplish the goals I set for myself. It was time for me to decide: do I really believe in the goals I set and want to accomplish them, or should I just shut up?

The last thing I wanted to do was be the type of person who was always talking about something and never taking action. This doesn’t mean I want instant gratification – often times important goals take time to accomplish. But if I’m not working toward the goals then it’s time to reconsider what’s important to me.

After downloading Productive I first set a morning and evening goal: make my bed and read for 20 minutes. Within the app you can set your own habits or choose from a list, each one gets an icon, color and time of day.

Not all habits are daily habits. You can set them for weekly, just on certain days or less frequently.

One of the things that makes a big difference is that my phone is always with me (you know you’re the same way…) and I don’t have to track a journal, list or keep mental track of what needs to be done.

As the season changed I added more tasks for March like working in the garden a couple times each week and walking to the park on good weather days.

Unlike paper versions, Productive tracks how often I’ve done a habit and even notes “perfect days” where everything on the list gets done. It reinforces a lesson a friend of mine taught me years ago: don’t break the chain. The idea is to visualize each day you do this new habit as a link in the chain, the longer you add links to the chain, the stronger it (and you) will be. Just don’t break the chain. Seeing all the tasks lined up with how many days a habit has been completed is really motivating.

What kind of habits do you add?

For me it’s easy to get caught up in work so most of my habits are personal such as eating breakfast, taking out the trash and flossing. But I’ve started adding in business habits, such as my Financial Fridays, writing, and touching base with colleagues.

The habits you set should support your own goals or just be reminders that easily slip your mind.

At the end of the day…

When it comes to business goals and habits, I know that consistency is important to creating trust and value for my company and customers. In my personal life, it’s reaching goals that are important to me and impressing the dentist during my semi-annual cleaning. Why yes, I do floss every day!

Note: I am not an affiliate or owner of Productive, I’m just a user who loves it.