From Experimac
As we begin the early days and weeks of 2019, many people are considering their resolutions, and may have even already abandoned them but it is not too late to start or re-commit. Health, fitness, finance, family, education and career goals and relationships are typically the focus of personal resolutions. As our digital world collides more and more with our real-world experiences, there is an app for virtually every facet of daily life.
The accountability is often the most challenging aspect of obtaining goals. Considering how much time we spend on our iPhone® devices and iPad® tablets each day, apps that help with everything from to do lists to online shopping make our lives easier. Apps can help you set and maintain goal, but they can also be customized to help serve your needs more appropriately.
However big or small your goals are, here are 5 apps to help you make the most out of your device while reaching your New Year’s resolutions.
GOAL: Meditation and self-care
App: Calm
Sleep is essential to overall health. Often, though, stress can interfere with the quality of sleep. This can eventually lead to other health problems. If one of your goals is to sleep better and more soundly, try a meditation app like Calm. This app features guided meditations, sleep stories, breathing programs, masterclasses, and relaxing music. This mindfulness app is user-friendly even for beginners but there are more advanced and intermediate programs within the app as well.
The guided meditation sessions are available in 3, 5, 10, 20 or 25-minute lengths and some of the topics include:
· Managing stress
· Happiness
· Focus and concentration
· Relationships
· Breaking habits
· Forgiveness
· Mindfulness at work
· Calm Kids
· Gratitude
· Self-esteem
Calm users can track their progress within the app and it saves medication and sleep sessions to the Apple Health app. Some other great features include Daily Calm which adds a 10-minute program to help ease the user into their day or unwind before bed.
GOAL: Organization
APP: Quip
The key to any successful endeavor is to be organized. Even though most of our world has become paper-free, there is still a need to organize documents. Quip is helpful because it combines chats, docs, slides, and spreadsheets within one app. This makes collaborating with team members and project-based work easier and more effective. Quip enables users to import and export documents from a variety of programs and users can access the app from any device at any time.
Some of Quip’s features include:
· Chat and messaging: real-time messaging and chat capabilities so that you don’t have to rely on email.
· Spreadsheets: there are over 400 spreadsheet functions available within Quip and a customized keyboard to ease the editing process.
· Share documents and task lists: collaborate with any group or team on projects but also save grocery lists and edit docs.
GOAL: Fitness
APP: MyFitnessPal
Fitness and physical activity are among the most common resolutions each year. There’s something about a fresh calendar year and the realization that it’s the chance for real change. A fitness app can be beneficial for anyone that prefers a way to self-regulate goals.
MyFitnessPal has an enormous food database with over 6 million items and cuisines included. This app offers an “Adding Friends” feature which connects users across the MyFitnessPal community. Users can find motivation, support, tips, and advice so that resolutions can be met. Their barcode scanner helps users to log foods and the exercise logs keep track of steps. There are over 350 exercises included or users can create their own exercises and workouts.
Some other features include:
· Restaurant logging
· Food insights
· Calorie counter
· Water tracking
· Goal setting
· Exercise logging
GOAL: Finance
APP: Mint
Money management can be complicated. Mint gives users a personalized money-saving experience. The financial tracker will help keep that New Year’s resolution realistic and seamless.
Mint keeps balances and transactions organized. The user is able to see the big picture of their finances including their account balances, credit score, net worth, and more.
Some additional Mint features include:
· Budgeting
· Notifications regarding your spending
· Bill management
· Credit score monitoring
· “Mintsights” are insights which are based on the user’s real financial information
GOAL: Career
APP: ZipRecruiter
If the time has come for you to make a career change or seek advancement, ZipRecruiter can help. It’s important to write your resume ahead of time so that you have a file available to share within the app. Posting a resume is a free and effective way to profile your experience.
This app features hundreds of job boards. Users can search for specific industries and jobs and save their content and searches. Other features include application tracking, notifications when a user’s resume or profile is viewed and one-click applying for positions.
Each of these handy apps can help users stay on course for their 2019 New Year’s resolutions. Try to pick one simple goal to start with and then branch out and concentrate on your other goals to make your device work even harder for you. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by your goals in the new year, focus on what is working and what you do have control over while making life changes. Celebrate the vision you have for a new year.
If you are having issues with any of your devices, bring them to your local Experimac store today. Don’t let a cracked screen or other technical issue keep you from reaching your goals this year. We’re here and ready to help!
Business hours are Monday – Sunday 10 AM – 8 PM. Experimac is located at 1865-106 Carl D. Silver Parkway, Fredericksburg, VA 22401.
