It’s that dreaded time of year again when we make New Year’s resolutions and try our best to keep them. Thankfully, whether it’s hitting the gym, eating healthier or, err, flossing more regularly, quantified-self apps and devices can help us. Here are five steps to keep in mind for a happy—and well-measured—2015.
Stay Fit And Healthy
With more press than ever, and the launch of new devices like the Jawbone UP3 and the Microsoft Band, 2014 was the year of the fitness tracker. And with the Apple Watch on the horizon in early 2015, this year looks to be even bigger. Forget simple step-counting algorithms, the new crop of devices offer all manner of smart trackers–from pulse rate and calories burned to sleep pattern and (soon) sweat analysis.
If you want a human touch with your fitness tracking, we’ve also witnessed the recent rise of services like personal coaching app Lift, which combine wellness tracking with a community-based personal coaching service.
“Few people are able to make habit changes completely on their own, which is where 1:1 coaching and community support comes in,” says Esther Crawford, head of marketing at Lift. “[With] Lift, you don’t have to be alone. You can invite friends to keep each other accountable to your goals or even hire a personal coach to privately chat with through the app.”
Monitor Your Mood
The concept of recording your steps over time is one that doesn’t seem unusual, but for many people the idea of mood tracking is less common. That’s a shame, because today’s range of mood-tracking apps offer a great way of keeping tabs on arguably our most important metric: how happy we are.
If you’re looking to keep an automated mood diary going into 2015, you’re spoiled for choice. From EmotionSense and gottaFeeling to Moodlytics and Moodscope, there are plenty of quality apps out there that can help you keep track.
Two of my personal favorites are In Flow and Expereal. When you log your mood using In Flow, you enter both your energy level (signified by a smiley showing everything from tired to alert eyes) and emotion (from frown to smile). It’s then possible to tag your location using Foursquare, your companions at the time (using your phone contact list), what activities you’re engaged in, and any additional notes or pictures you might want.
