It’s that time of the year again. We all love to make New Year resolutions or goals that affect different facets of our lives. This time round, we promise yet again, that we stick to our resolutions and make necessary changes to our lives.
Unfortunately, a natural outcome of New Year resolutions is the dismal achievement of these goals that we set for ourselves. There is something decidedly human about failing to achieve our resolutions, year in, year out. However, with the right goal setting tools, this need not be the case.
The need for goal setting tools
To achieve our goals and become more productive, we need tools that can help us keep track, measure progress, and remind us every day of our objectives. Before smartphones and computers, every goal we set had to be written down, and a reminder stuck prominently on our bedroom wall. Today, the convenience of mobile apps allows us to take our reminders with us and track our progress every hour of the day.
There are different apps that can help you achieve your goals by keeping you motivated and focused. Before you decide which one works for you, you need to learn how to use the SMART goal setting methodology. This tried and tested system helps to bring structure and the ability to track your goals and objectives.
By making all your goals SMART, you are in effect bringing them closer to reality. To be SMART, every goal must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. As you may have guessed, that is what the SMART acronym stands for.
There are many apps that can increase your productivity and help you achieve your goals. The best ones are those that are based on the SMART goal setting concept.
These are the top 3 apps to help you achieve your goals in 2017. They are all available as web-based or mobile applications for both IOS and Android.
Lifetick
Lifetick was created to provide users with the organizational skills they require to achieve their goals. Based on the SMART methodology, Lifetick gives you the ability to organize your goals in more effective and meaningful way. This increases your chances of success with your personal or business objectives.
Lifetick uses email reminders to keep users focused and motivated. It is easy to use and has a great user interface, where you can add or edit tasks, view any outstanding tasks, journal entries, core values, and goals.
The free version allows you to set a maximum of 4 goals. It also gives you access to email reminders, an Icalender feed, and a mobile phone app.
The paid version will set you back $20 per year, but it additionally comes with unlimited goal setting, journal note, and category entry, graphing, journal category reporting, and widgets for live stats.
Coach.me
Formerly known as Lift, Coach.me is a great habit and goal setting app. You can download it as an IOS, Android app or web application. To get started, you simply select goals that you wish to achieve. The app has different categories for goals such as dieting, personal growth, etc.
Once you have selected a goal, you have the option of making the goal public or private, choosing how often you want to complete the goal and get reminders for it. Every time you complete a goal, you simply click on the selected goal, which makes a mark showing successful completion.
If you opt to make your goals public, they become visible to others using the app. You will be able to see who else is trying to achieve the same goal and interact with them. Daily emails are available to track your progress.
You can find a coach for any of your goals and communicate via text within the app. The coach will motivate you and answer all your questions. Coaches have a proven track record in their coaching areas, but you reserve the right to change coaches anytime you are not satisfied with your current one. This personal coaching feature will cost you $14.99 per week.
Goals on track
This app is also available as a mobile app for Android and IOS. It uses the SMART concept within its goal tracking templates. You can use the app to break down your goals into smaller and more achievable tasks. You can then track your progress in real-time, which will help you remain motivated.
The app allows you to share your goals with other users and help each other stay focused and motivated. You can also upload photos to help you visualize your goals, which is a powerful motivation tool. Other tools within the app include timer clocks, checklists, a goal journal, data syncing and 3D charts. Although the free version is adequate, the $68 per annum fee comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
These three-goal setting apps will help you improve your productivity in 2017, and break that cycle of forgotten and unfulfilled New Year resolutions.
How did you manage your goals in 2016? Any apps you plan on using the stay on track for 2017? Let me know on Twitter . As always, thanks for reading!