For someone who doesn’t believe in thinking conservatively, I find old school pragmatism to be unusually satisfying. Being an old school personal development aficionado, I tend to skip new trends altogether. If I try to give the closest description of my methods, you could easily come to the conclusion that, in my book, pen and paper are almost always preferable to anything else.
The thing is that as every game changes, you have to make additional calculus about the tools. And much the same is increasingly true in personal development as well. Roles in life change, goals too, and do to lists only seem to get bigger and bigger. And as for every kettle there is a pot, I hope this list will provide you with enough tools in order to improve your life while preserving sanity.
Mindbloom
If you and I resemble even a bit, then this is the visualization you probably get when you think about your life in strategic terms. A tree, with branches dividing into more, and then more and more… A handy tool for gaining a better perspective and getting a better grip on your abstract goals. And considering how the visualization of your personal development strategy is very important, none of this seems outlandish.
Evernote
Even now thinking about all the data, be that in text video or audio, which I’ve put into Evernote, I’m getting closer to experiencing a panic attack. The number of thoughts, roots of the creative process, ideas waiting to be polished is so big that carrying it within my pocket always amazes me. This is the one app you will ever need for recording ideas, thoughts and everything that needs to be stored for later reviewing. The best thing is that you can sync all of your devices and save additional time on data transferring.
Duolingo
You thought that learning a new language was hard, required a lot of time and money, the right teacher, scores of books and whatnot… Well, me too before I found about Duolingo. Ahora, estoy convencido de que no es cierto.
For those of you not familiar with Spanish, that sentence pretty much sums up the shift in my line of thinking about learning languages. Oh, and did I forget to mention? – It is free.
Gympact
Before the fitness addiction kicks in, there is usually this strange apathy towards exercise. Skipping a workout is no big of a deal, and every time there is this crescendo of regret that usually goes with it. Preventing this is best done with Gympact- An interesting app that knows the secret to what motivates the most-money. Here is how it goes- every time you skip a workout you pay the fine.
I’m a fitness addict. Using Beachbody products from Beachbody on Demand for the past two years I cannot imagine myself going more than three days without some sort of a hardcore exercise. The thing is there is something in there for me too- All the money from those who lack the discipline? Well, if you are a good boy and show up day in and day out, guess what? You get a reward.
Lift
Easily considered one of the best personal development apps in the world. And I can see why. There is a fundamental principle in personal development, and lift seems to get it- progress materializes one step at a time. No matter the complexity of the goal at hand, here you will find the right pace and tune right into it. If you have to, go close this tab and install it right away.
Remember the milk
Another awesome app. By and large this is the Disneyland for people who love lists. To do lists and top notch time management. Besides, the clean design appeals a lot and you will find it preferable to other similar ones that are very distracting.
Vision Board
The more appealing you make your goal, the bigger the chance it will be achieved. Similar logic led to the creation of this amazing app. If you find day dreaming equally intoxicating as I do, this will allow you to tap into a pool of motivation and thus reignite your enthusiasm, passion, whatever it is that drives you forward.
The actual vision board at home can never be replaced, but carrying an additional one in your pocket is a big plus.
Live happy
Many people I know, myself included too, tend to forget how happy we already are. How much we already have, how much we tend to overlook when we analyze our reality. And this is a downward spiral that will suck whatever happiness you fight for unless you address it in one way or another. Well, Live happy is certainly trying to provide an answer to this problem. And from the looks of it, it seems as though they did a great job.
Workout trainer
Another fitness app. But as I repeated myself over and over, fitness is a very tangible aspect of personal development. And given its complexity any help is welcome. What workout trainer does, is giving you many resources for a decent fitness program- the moves, the sequences, the instructions, the calendar, even allowing you to incorporate music from your own playlist. Admittedly, this is better suited for the person who is a relative beginner in the fitness world, but giving the degree of customization, you can make it work for you regardless the level you are at.
SportyPall
It’s a very proud moment for me saying that I know one of the guys behind this app. I can go on and on about the level of dedication and the work they’ve put into it, but having access to the app you probably already know that. SportyPall is, without the risk of sounding too enthusiastic about it, the best sports app there is. The bottleneck of every sport’s program training is tracking and analyzing the stats. And SportyPall is up to the task. Even the free version will grant you access to some world class features.
Lumosity
What we have here is a brain activity enhancer, the cognitive equivalent of boot camp exercises. Lumosity addresses the improvement of areas like awareness, alertness, memory, problem solving skills… Data is still being gathered as to attest to whether or not this is possible, but the way it goes, the logic thus far favors what they advocate.
Lifetick
LifeTick helps you address your core values. As they’ve put it- Once you have determined what these are you are in the right frame of mind to work out what your goals in life truly are!
And then you set SMART goals – Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time specific. And you tackle these goals one step at a time.
Simply Being
I’m not the one to teach you about meditation, but what I do know is that guided meditation works better if you are new to this practice. Finding the time, mustering the patience and discipline needed as to go through one session is hard even for those who have practiced longer, yet alone relative beginners. What Simply Being does, is helping you with the whole process. Setting the mood by choosing the ambient music or sound, and being guided through the process of relaxation.
My intent with this personal development applications list is, at a minimum, to make you aware of all the tools that are already available if you want to improve the quality of your life. While one might find note taking liberating at a number of levels, others might find it frustrating. And I understand that perfectly well. Choosing the right app has sometimes nothing to do with design, functionality or even concept. But once you discover which one suits you the most, it’s a game changer.