New year, new goals! Just in case your enthusiasm about starting afresh for 2019 is already on the wane, or whether you are looking for some tools to help keep you committed and on track, here are four apps we are excited to share with you.
With the euphoria of the Christmas holidays firmly behind us – albeit in the northern hemisphere – you may either have already completed, or are still in the process of setting goals for 2019. Although some of us might have given up on making resolutions or setting goals, particularly at the start of a new year, if done right, it can be incredibly useful in helping us stay focused, and more importantly, working towards achieving some of the goals you have set.
To start 2019 off on the right foot, we suggest four mobile/cellular applications (apps) to help you manage your goals. Some of the recommendations have been included on previous lists, but we have also added a few new ones that focus on visioning, and so take your goal-setting and goal-keeping effort to the next level!
Having said this, it is crucial to emphasise that you stand a better chance of achieving your goals if they are SMART:
- S – Specific – meaning clear and well-defined
- M – Measurable – in order to know when your goal has been achieved, or how far away you are from completion
- A – Achievable – ultimately, the goal should not be impossible
- R – Realistic – setting and framing the goal ought to take into account the resources and time you have available
- T – Time-bound – setting timelines within which the final goal, and even sub-goals, should be achieved.
Without further ado, here are the goal-tracking apps we recommend you consider this year:
1. Google Keep
With all of the apps that are already part of the Google suite, it should come as no surprise that there is also a task/to-do list app! Although well-designed and minimal in its aesthetic, Google Keep is chocked full with several features to make it an indispensable part of your planning and project management activities – be it in the work place, or creating grocery lists for the home.
With Google Keep, you can have simple text notes, list notes, doodles, image notes, and even voice notes on the mobile app. Notes can be colour-coded, labelled using hashtags, and you can even add people to specific notes, thus keeping the team on track and accountable.
Best of all, since Google Keep is cloud-based, all of your lists, notes, doodles , etc., are updated in real-time and across all platforms (provided Internet access is available). So, if you want a simple app that works well with the Google Suite of products, consider Google Keep.
Platforms: Android; iOS; cloud
Price: Free
2. Microsoft To-Do
If virtually all of your office productivity needs are being met with Microsoft products, you may find Microsoft’s To-Do app, as useful addition that also integrates into Office 365. As the name suggests, the focus of this app is to help you create and manage your to-do lists. So, you can create task lists comprising a main task and subtasks, and include due dates and reminders as you go along.
A unique feature of Microsoft To-Do is the My Day option, where each day you select tasks from already existing lists, along with being able to add new tasks that you might wish to tackle on a particular date. In having multiple task lists, it can be a challenge to just keep on top of it all, but through My Day, essentially, you start each day with a clean slate, and make a conscious plan about what you might want to achieve each day.
Platforms: Android; iOS; cloud
Price: Free
3. Subliminal Vision Boards
Need to remain inspired and have a means of keeping your goals top-of-mind? A vision board may be the answer. The Subliminal Vision Boards app is one of the most popular ones around, which guides users on their the vision board creation process, for those who have never done it before.
When actually creating a vision board, the app allows you to add images from web searches or from those you have already saved, and to write and customised text. However, if by chance you are at a loss for words, it also includes pre-written affirmations that you might find useful. The app also allows you to set notifications and includes an action planner, all of which can keep you get organised and stay focussed on the things you want to achieve.
Platforms: Android; iOS;
Price: USD 4.99
4. Vision Board
Similar to the previous recommendation, Vison Board is another option that can be explored. It includes ready-made templates, hundreds of symbols and affirmations in various categories, plus lots of options for fonts, colours, and features that allow you to fully customise your vision board. Additionally, when you are finished with your vision board, you can export it and share it with others.
Platforms: Android;
Price: Free; USD 8.00 (Premium version)
Image credits: JHertle (Pixabay); Google Play
Probably we can tweak that SMART goal-setting template and make it even SMART-ER: ‘E’- Exciting ( both on the road to achieving the goals and when we achieve them ); ‘R’ – Relevant ( to us and/or to people or things we care about ).
Probably also we can consider shifting the goal-setting calendar from the New Year to one’s birthday. Birthday is more personal and an opportune time for introspection. This is more so when one is at that turning point when they are adding a 0 to their age. That’s the time to begin dusting off and re-evaluating these new tools technology has given us.
Kamutula,
Thanks for trying to help us become SMART(ER)!
Re shifting our goal setting calendar to our birthday instead, I have no difficulty with that, and I am sure many of us do some introspection around that time. However, due to the cultural and societal significance of the New Year, I do find that we still tend to look at the New Year as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, and start anew.
So, perhaps what we can choose to do is top use our birthday and New Year’s Day as key checkpoints in our goal management calendar, where we set out our goals for the year either on our birthday or on New Year’s Day, and use the other date to double check or reaffirm our commitment to the goals we have made…
I like that idea of using one calendar date for setting and the other as a checkpoint; in fact it is a great idea!