Everyone has heard the phrase, “new year, new you.” Many people start off the beginning of the year with personal or professional resolutions. There’s just something about the new year that gives people that extra kick to finally start working on the goals they’ve always dreamed of achieving. The key is to stay on track throughout the year so that the goal can be met.
Yet, as many people know, staying on track can be difficult, especially with personal and professional demands on our time. Luckily, there are tech applications, devices and services that can help. To provide you with experienced advice, nine members of Forbes Technology Council recommend one piece of tech that can help you stay on track with a New Year’s resolution.
1. A Calendar App
A calendar appointment that reminds you 21 to 30 days in a row about a new habit that you want to adopt has a good chance of actually causing the behavior change. If you allocate time in your calendar for the activity, ideally in coordination with your family, your co-workers and friends, they might be able to ask you over text about the activity. - Gaurav Banga, Balbix
2. Digital Journal
I use a digital journal for all my goals and resolutions. It’s a way to stay accountable by recording and reviewing everything you did and accomplished each day. You can also share it online with others for further encouragement. - Chalmers Brown, Due
3. Seinfeld Calendar
There are plenty of apps and websites that use the Seinfeld Calendar—a method where you simply check or do not check each day, depending on if you accomplished the single task. Seinfeld is famous for doing this with comedy writing, where he would track on the calendar if he did it. Remember, it takes 21 days to make a habit, so focus hard on January to make the resolution stick. - Ben Johnson, Obsidian Security
4. ThriveSavings
Budgeting is a pain point for many individuals. So, whether you’re trying to improve the spending within your tech business or your personal habits, there are a number of apps that can help you manage your day-to-day spending and stay in line throughout the year. ThriveSavings is an app that can help you never miss a bill (for all those invoices that come in) and master your money. - Abdullah Snobar, DMZ at Ryerson University
5. Physical Activity Tracker
Perhaps one of the more common New Year’s resolutions is to be more active. With an assortment of devices available, from smart watches to dedicated fitness tracking products, it has become significantly easier to monitor activity, set personal goals and even challenge others. These wearables make results available instantly—combating the unused gym membership problem come February. - Chris Kirby, Retired
6. Stretchly
So many of us spend so much time sitting and staring at a computer screen, it can cause repetitive stress injuries. We all know if we just take breaks and stretch a little, we can stay healthy, but somehow we never do. One piece of tech that keeps people on track with reducing repetitive stress injuries is Stretchly, a break time reminder and content app. - Anne Bisagno, Xantrion
7. Apple Health
Everyone seems to make health-related resolutions come New Year time (just ask your local gym!). I have found this year that staying on track with health goals for me is much easier since I’ve started fully utilizing Apple Health on my phone. I have my sleep, weight, blood pressure and exercise all synced with my phone, and it’s an easy way to see trends and project where you’re going. - Michael Zaic, RockYou
8. Tech-Driven Social Networks
While technologies are always valuable for reminding people to stay on track with New Year’s resolutions, I believe that enabled social networks are even more valuable. Technology-driven social networks provide not only tracking and reminders, but also introduce social incentives. Making people accountable for their resolutions makes them more likely to stay focused on their goals. - Danny Allan, Veeam Software
9. Macro Calculator
The trouble with resolutions is that you give up within a month or so, largely because it’s hard to know whether your efforts are really working. I like this macro calculator. After I enter age, gender, weight, activity level and weight goal, the calculator tells me exactly how many calories I need each day to succeed. I like it because I know right away what I need to do to meet my resolution. - Dmitry Dragilev, JustReachOut.io
