With people’s growing attachment to smartphones, persistence is something that can be boosted by gadget apps.
There are many mobile device applications that offer personalized support for users.
One apps, Habit Streak from play.google.com, helps users list and maintain good habits. The application offers support to track progress in achieving goals. On a daily basis, it prompts users to report their success at completing a task, or a set of tasks, on the previous day.
New users will start by filling out a blank list. They have to write down a name of habit and a related question. You can write reading books, for example, and receive a question like “Did you read 20 pages of a book?” on the app. Or they can name a habit of social media and get the question “Did you avoid checking your account until 9 p.m.?”
Users can set reminders for anytime they want using the menu.
The app is designed for the Android operating system from Google. Every day the app will ask users to record their progress, which will form a chain of success. Eventually — and hopefully — users will be able will to sustain the good habits that they have developed without the application.
For personal productivity, there is the any.do to-do list and task list app, downloadable for Apple iOS and Android.
Users can use voice input to create a new task instead of writing it down. After finishing a task, users can drag it down into a chosen folder — today or tomorrow. Users can create other folders, for example, next week or next month.
A task that has been completed can be marked with a strikethrough. To undo the mark on completed task, user can slide back the strikethrough from right to the left. By shaking the phone, the app will ask its user to clean up all the finished tasks. The feature can be disabled if users still need to view the completed task.
For sports lovers, there is endomondo.com, a tracking application that exploits GPS for outdoor activities such as running, biking, and hiking.
It is compatible with mobile devices using Android, iOS, Blackberry, Nokia SymbianOS and the Windows operating system.
Users can start a session by choosing a particular activity. They also can create a workout plan with specific goals — completing a distance over a period of time. The app will display its user’s average speed, distance and calorie information while being used.
After done with the workout, the app will automatically upload the users’ training logs to its website. Users can also share their progress through Facebook.
