Best Productivity Apps for 2019 — Part 2: Habit Tracking
This is the second installment in this series of articles where I want to share with you my experience in transform my phone from chief distraction to ally in my quest for a better life in 2019. Here’s the first part in case you haven’t seen it yet.
2. How to develop better habits that last?
Have you heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit? Well, research indicates that it actually anywhere from 62–90 days since forming a positive habit involves changing your day-to-day routine and breaking negative habits. A good habit tracking app makes this process easier.
When I look for a habit tracker, I primarily want an app that provides an easy way to track progress and that offers a little extra motivation. After all, changing my life is hard. I want the app to be easy and fun to use. An app that offers long-term rewards is ideal since building a habit takes time, consistency, and a lot of hard work.
How to use a habit tracker to build a new habit?
Before describing the apps, let’s take a look at the process of forming a new habit and what to look for. Keep in mind, forming a habit is very similar to working towards any other type of goal.
Sociologist and habit expert Christine Whelan told the Washington Post that since we are all creatures of habit, forming a new habit requires breaking an old habit. For example, if you want to exercise more frequently, you have to give up something that you currently fill that time with. So exercising more might mean watching less television or playing games less. This change is part of the challenge and frustration people face when they try to establish positive habits. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are abandoned by March.
First, we need to acknowledge we are doing something hard. Many try and most fail. This doesn’t mean that you can’t be the exception. I always set SMART goals then use a system to track my progress. SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Rewardable
- Trackable
This may be a little different than other variations of the SMART acronym, but it works for habit and behavior change. SMART also highlights the key criteria to look for in a habit tracking app. Try these steps to incorporate your app of choice into your lifestyle change:
- Think specifically of the habit you wish to form. Why do you want to make this change? How will it make your life or the world better? What will you need to give up ignorer to make time for this new habit? Is there a way to combine it with an activity you enjoy? Be as specific as possible.
- Choose a goal that you can measure, after all, this makes motivation easier. For example, instead of setting a goal to learn to program, you could set a goal to take and complete a course or certification in a specific aspect of programming. In addition, break that goal into smaller measurable parts. For example, you could set a goal to spend at least two Pomodoros working on the course or practicing the skills. Better yet, perhaps you already know programming basics and would rather focus your goal on creating an app. The same system applies whether it is a project or a lifestyle choice.
- You want a goal that you can achieve. If you lack confidence, then be aware you are more capable than you know. Start with a challenging but achievable goal now to help guide your habits. For example, if your goal is to lose 100 pounds that may feel daunting. There are so many habits that led to your life so far and it may be impossible to change them all overnight. Instead set a goal to lose 20 pounds and focus on forming day-to-day habits like exercising every day, walking 10,000 steps, or developing a healthy eating habit.
- As you maintain streaks or meet milestones reward yourself. Forming a positive habit is an accomplishment. Look for apps that incorporate some type of intangible or tangible reward. Again, think of how video games keep people hooked for hours. Game developers do this by dangling achievable goals then rewarding the payer for achieving the goal. Forming a real-world habit is quite similar.
- A habit tracking app makes it easy to track your habit. Look for an app that makes it easy, otherwise using the app is another habit you need to form.
What is the best habit tracking app?
These are the habit tracker apps that I tried:
Evaluating them using the above criteria led to my ranking:
- Streaks ($4.99)
- Flora
- Productive
- Habitica
Winner: Streaks
Streaks is a habit tracking app that allows you to easily track “streaks” of behavior. The design is eye-catching yet simple. I found the app easy to use from the moment I downloaded it. Think of Streaks as a simple “to do” list for your habits.
I set a few health-related habits since I tend to neglect my health when busy. My “Streaks” included exercise, relaxation, flossing my teeth, and taking my vitamins. I could set the frequency daily, multiple times a day, or multiple times a week. So I set a goal for three cardio sessions, two strength training sessions, and a yoga class each week. Streak assigned an icon for each habit and in some cases allowed me to choose.
Every day I complete one of my goals, I simply tap and hold the goal’s icon within the app. Streak tracks how often I perform these activities. There is something satisfying about marking a habit complete for the day! Streak reports trends over time.
I selected Streak because it is so easy to use and doesn’t disrupt my daily routine. I enjoy the reward component, but the first runner-up app does a better job of rewarding behavior over time.
First runner-up: Flora
If your habit involves spending time focusing on working towards your goals then Flora may be a great option. For example, I wish to develop a daily writing habit. Unfortunately, there are so many distractions like email, phone calls, and social media that end up eating into my writing time. By using Flora, I keep track of my writing sessions and the app encourages me to avoid all the distractions my phone offers.
Also, Flora’s tagging system makes it easy to track which sessions apply to your desired goals, habits, or projects. In my focused writing example, I may tag the session “writing” to better measure the time spent. Flora also offers the option to set goals that are duration-based and to set daily reminders of the goals.
With a subscription, Flora plants a real tree in Africa or East Asia every time I complete 24, 60, or 120 hours of focus depending on my chosen subscription plan. This rewards me for time spent working towards establishing my habits. I am a big fan of doing well by doing good! I enjoy all the benefits of establishing a creative and productive hobby. In addition, I enjoy a fun gameplay element.
Finally, I feel good when I learn that Flora will plant a tree in honor of my accomplishment. Some of the other apps offer specialized habit tracking features, but I chose Flora as my first runner-up simply because I am using the app to guide my focus sessions. The long-term rewards offer an extra incentive to inspire me as I work towards establishing a habit.
You may have noticed I mentioned two types of habits. I settled on using Streak for day-to-day health-related habits and Flora for more focused time-based habits.
Alternative option: Productive
Productive features an attractive design and a powerful set of features. It integrates with Siri so you can use your voice to record when you complete your daily goal. The stats, notes and reporting features add to a rich experience. Saying that for whatever reason, I just didn’t connect with Productive. I didn’t find the app as intuitive or as fun to use as the other apps I tested. For that reason, I classify it as an alternative option.
Productive may be right for you if you prefer a more feature rich app that also integrates with Siri. If you want to be able to keep notes, set daily reminders, or use a timer then it may be a good choice.
Alternate option: Habitica
Habitica is a role-playing game themed habit tracking app. The developers describe it as a “gamified task manager.” The design reminds me of a retro game.
Habitica makes something as tedious as forming a habit into a more fun experience. I enjoyed setting up my avatar and the game suggested easy, achievable goals in response to the areas I wanted to improve. For example, since I indicated I wanted to work on “health,” Habitica proposed ten minutes of cardio as a habit. Since I already exceed ten minutes, I opted to make that habit a little more challenging.
I recommend Habitica for someone who is trading video game time for another habit. The gameplay is simple, but some of the best games are simple. The payoff is satisfaction in developing good habits and working towards your goals. It wasn’t my first choice simply because Streak and Flora fit my lifestyle better.
I hope you liked this second part. On the next article I’ll share with you my experience in using the top to-do list and note taking apps.
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