Ah, December… that special month that signifies the end of another year. A time that forces us to reflect upon the last twelve months and decide whether or not we’ve achieved what we set out to do this time last year, and what we can do to better ourselves next year. It normally occurs a few minutes after you’ve filled yourself with all manner of Christmas goodness that you decide to eat less junk and become fitter, and I bet you plan on finding ways of making more money next year when you check your post-Christmas shopping bank balance… I know I do.
For 2013, I’ve set myself a few goals that I think are going to benefit me throughout the year and give me a warm feeling when I achieve them all 365 days from now. And of course, being the geek I am, I’ve enlisted an app to help me along the way.
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Run at least 1000km in 2013 – Nike+ Running – Free
If you do the simple maths, this only works out to an average of just under 20km per week, which isn’t much at all, the problem is that life gets in the way. Business trips, late nights at the office and procrastination (read: laziness) are all things that keep those expensive running shoes in the cupboard on days when they should be out pounding the pavement or trails. I’ve dabbled with all of the top running apps and can safely say that Nike+ is the only way forward. The design is breathtakingly beautiful and the app is literally bursting with awesome little features that keep it ahead of the rest. Also, it’s normally free at this time of the year so you have no excuse to not get hold of it and join me in my quest for the 1000 mark.
Keep an even firmer hold on finances – Moneywiz – US$4.99
I bet that in some point in your life you’ve set goals relating to your personal finances. Be it to make more, spend less or use it wisely this year, not many people can afford to let their finances handle themselves (I suppose that it the ultimate goal in the end, isn’t it?). So for the past year and a bit, I’ve gotten into the habit of properly recording every single financial transaction I’ve made and it has made a world of difference. I’ve tested dozens of financial apps and can safely say that Moneywiz is the best app for the job. Available for iPhone, iPad and Mac, Moneywiz allows you to keep track of what you spend, where you spend and why you spend in a beautifully designed, incredibly efficient app.
Actually use my gym contract – Fitness Fast – US$1.99
As ashamed as I am to admit it, I must come out and say that I have become one of those guys who pays for a gym contract but rarely uses it. I’ve even gotten to that point where I physically go into to the gym to swipe my card, grab a smoothie from the health bar, answer a fake phone call and run for the door as if some or other pressing matter is keeping me from exercising. Pathetic right? This year though, I’m actually going to make time to exercise properly, and I’m using Fitness Fast to help me out. This app is by far the best looking out of the hundreds available and allows you to either choose from a set of preprogrammed workouts, or design your own from the library of exercises that comes with it. You can track your progress and schedule workouts as you wish, which is great for keeping your routine.
Drink a lot more water – Waterlogged – Free
I must admit that in the last quarter of this year, I did make a point of drinking more water. Before, I’d only drink water if there was nothing else available, and I was literally addicted to orange juice. It was hard in the beginning but I eventually managed to stay solely with water for a couple of weeks before it all went to shit over the holiday period, where I promptly replaced water with beer. This year though I plan on doing it properly, and when I plan on doing something properly, I simply HAVE to record it to have something tangible to show for my efforts. So I will be using an app called Waterlogged, which simply allows you to record how much water you drink every day. Silly, I know, but the fact that there is an app that actually serves this purpose amazes me and makes me want to accomplish this goal. It tells me that my age group requires an average of 3.7 liters (I know, right?) of water per day, so lets raise our glasses to drinking 1350,5 liters of the good stuff in 2013.
Get up on time – Rise – US$1.99
Why is it that during the holidays, I cannot sleep later than 6:30, but the day that I am due back in the office, my body just doesn’t want to wake up? I know it’s Murphy screwing with me but it has to stop, and since I cannot sleep until 10:00 on a workday, (especially with all these demanding fitness-related resolutions that I’m putting out into the public domain here) I am setting myself a goal of getting up the same time everyday for the entirety of 2013, even on weekends. To help me out with this goal, I’ll be using the absolutely gorgeous alarm app, Rise. Not only is it one of the most beautiful looking apps I’ve seen in a long time, but it’s functionality and UX is something that every iOS user should experience. It’s custom alarm tones are way more appealing than the stock standard Apple ‘masterpieces’ that ship with their devices and the icon is one of those that you simply have to have on your front page or dock.
So there you have it, five apps to help me achieve five resolutions. What are you planning for 2013?
