LIFELONG LEARNING
3 Apps to Be a Better Version of Yourself in 2025
Less doom-scrolling, better learning with 10-minute daily time commitment
It’s no surprise that most New Year’s resolutions barely make it past January.
You wish to invest in yourself, you make pacts with your friends circle, and request them to hold you accountable but come a new binge-worthy Netflix show (ahem ahem Squid Game Season 2) or another viral reel on Instagram, and it is a slippery slope from thereon.
But here’s the thing: having the right tools in your pocket can make all the difference.
This does not mean you don’t indulge every now and then, but it also means carving out daily time for personal growth and learning, be it after your 9–5 or breaks during your work hours.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy but all play and no work makes Jack a walking encyclopedia of cat memes and dad jokes!
As someone who has worked in the tech field for over 10 years now and is an ardent believer in lifelong learning, here are three game-changer AI apps that actually deliver results.
1. AcceleratEd
If you read my recent article on apps I will be renewing and ditching in 2025, you know AcceleratEd made the cut, replacing Blinkist in 2024.
For many people, their scrolling addiction often comes in the way of reading books. AcceleratEd offers the best of both worlds by replacing mindless scrolling with intentional scrolling on the go.
How, you ask?
AcceleratEd is a microlearning app designed to extract key ideas from 8000+ non-fiction books.
As opposed to fiction (which I highly recommend reading end to end), non-fiction books pack a lot of knowledge on important topics — like productivity, self-improvement, finance, healthy eating, relationships, etc which a well-functioning adult must be privy to — that can often be condensed into few key ideas.
With AcceleratEd, you can quickly grasp (by reading/listening) the crux of important books during your coffee break or commute.
There are 30 pre-built categories and several collections such as Noble Prize Winners, NY Times Bestsellers, etc — to avoid decision fatigue. So no more “I don’t know what to read” excuses!
The feature that sets AcceleratEd apart from other apps in this category is its chatbot, AskTed.
AskTed makes your reading experience even more engaging. I often use it for simplifying complex finance topics in ELI5 manner (Explain Like I am Five) , learning math concepts through worked examples, getting book recommendations, learning diverse viewpoints on long-term investments, translating topics in my native language for maximum clarity, etc.
Overall, it has a no-fluff, clean UI that makes learning manageable through bite-sized key ideas, most books taking anywhere between 5–7 minutes. So, no more “I don’t have time to read” excuses!
It also offers sleep stories (similar to HeadSpace) that I use as a melatonin-inducing agent before sleep. After all, the ideas learned from the books during the day are best processed after a good night’s sleep.
Why is this important for your future self? Imagine having no clue how best to invest savings from your salary for maximum ROIs, take care of your gut, bootstrap your startup, or respond to criticism at work. These are skills they don’t teach you in traditional setups like school yet are indispensable in your daily life. Final takeaway? READ!!!
Pro-tip: I use AcceleratEd as a pre-ritual before I go ahead and buy a physical copy of the book whose key ideas intrigue me enough. It helps me filter through the noise and protect the sacred space on my bookshelf.
2. Podurama
I used to think I was pretty well-informed. Read the news, scrolled through Twitter, and caught up on the occasional TV debate. But I was truly living in a bubble!
With our lives dominated by social media and one-dimensional news coverage, exposure to diverse perspectives is more important than ever.
This is where Podurama shines, by offering access to millions of thought-provoking podcasts under one roof.
Whether it’s a musician’s take on AI-composed music, an entrepreneur’s unconventional success story, or a scientist’s breakthrough research, each episode deepens your understanding of the world.
Listening to podcasts on Podurama has been therapeutic for a couple of reasons.
First, the perspectives you get from long-form conversations are just different. No clickbait, no hot takes. They slowly build up a narrative and offer multifaceted coverage. It feels like having coffee with some really interesting people who make you question your assumptions.
Second, listening to data science podcasts in particular, ones that discuss research papers, has been truly transformative for my career. It has allowed me to take on public speaking engagements with more confidence and come up with interesting analogies when speaking to non-technical stakeholders.
When I am pressed for time or wish to switch to being a visual learner, I use Podurama’s auto chapter feature.
It breaks down lengthy audios into bite-sized, easily digestible segments, complete with concise summaries for each segment. The added benefit is that each segment has the associated timestamp so you can seamlessly jump to specific segments in the audio player, should you wish to listen.
Why is this important for your future self? The ideas and perspectives learned from podcasts can be beneficial during interviews. They give you an edge compared to other candidates especially if everyone’s performance during the initial rounds was at the same level. Plus they offer great content for ice-breakers and small talks in semi-casual settings (think office party or networking events where knowing an interesting fact or story can make you memorable).
3. Babbel
I studied French for 4 years in high school and I am ashamed to admit I can only say ‘bonjour’ with an awkward accent.
Among the many reasons, I blame the teaching format — memorizing conjugation tables and vocabulary lists, months and numbers, passé composé exercises, etc. There wasn’t enough real conversation practice.
This is where AI apps like Babbel offer support.
Unlike traditional language apps that start with random vocabulary, Babbel builds your skills through realistic dialogue scenarios you’d actually use in everyday life.
For instance, the app offers useful lessons for holidays, cuisine, sightseeing, etc. In case you are unsure where to start, you can answer a few questions to find your level of learning plan.
Its speech recognition technology helps perfect your pronunciation. I particularly like how, when you click the button a second time, the speaker slows down to emphasize intonation.
The app’s grammar guide is another impressive feature — instead of overwhelming you with complex rules, it introduces concepts naturally through examples and clear explanations.
To ensure you retain what you’ve learned, Babbel uses a review system comprising of sentence completions, matching/sorting items, and adding new phrases from completed lessons to your vocabulary.
Why is this important for your future self? Research has proven that mastering a new language improves cognitive skills such as attention, memory, and reasoning. Also, imagine how much more Netflix content can be unlocked as polyglots, opening up a world of binge-worthy dramas and telenovelas without subtitles!
Final Thoughts
It’s not about being perfect; it’s about being consistent.
None of these apps will magically transform you overnight. (If anyone promises you that, run.) But they might just help you become a slightly better version of yourself. And sometimes, that’s enough.
My suggestion? Pick one. Just one. Try it for a week. See what happens.
What apps are actually working for you? Drop a comment below — always looking for new recommendations that don’t suck.
Happy Learning ✨