Mobile phones and their apps have become inseparable in our daily lives. People use apps not just for scrolling through memes and discounted items.
Today, there are over five million apps on Google Play and App Store combined. These apps can be powerful aids in becoming a better version of yourself, from setting and achieving goals to learning new skills.
There is a vast selection of mobile apps to help with personal development and growth. Whether you are looking to improve your productivity, learn a new language, or become a more well-rounded individual, these tools can help you achieve your goals.
Setting and achieving goals
Digital tools can help you set clear and specific goals. They do this by breaking them down into smaller steps, tracking your progress, and staying motivated.
For example, Strides is a free app that lets you set a deadline for a specific target and add notes and reminders of your progress. You can also use the app to create habit streaks and view your progress over time.
Another great example is Todoist. This app lets you create a project for your goals and tasks for each step toward that goal. You can also set deadlines for each task and track your progress as you complete each task.
With this concept, you can break down the steps you need to learn new skills, new language, or meet your personal and professional tasks.
Learning and development
We mentioned learning something new as a goal, but what if you want to focus on the learning part? There are plenty of digital tools for that.
This can be through online courses, tutorials, and other educational resources. Some even help you practice your skills and get feedback from others.
For example, the Coursera app has over 1,000 online courses from top universities and organizations. You can take classes on various topics, including business, technology, arts, humanities, and more. There are many free courses available, but the paid courses give you a certificate as proof of accomplishment.
Duolingo is a popular example of a fun way of learning new languages for free. You can use them for work, travel, or personal enrichment of expanding your knowledge.
The app has a lot of features that make it easy and fun to learn foreign languages. Some of the features are interactive lessons, games, and challenges.
Productivity and time management
Staying productive can be a challenge as you get older. Research shows that adults are more easily distracted than younger people. However, there are digital tools to help you be productive.
A visually stimulating app like Forest motivates you to stay productive on your work, not your phone. The longer you stay focused, the bigger your virtual tree grows. If you leave the app before the timer is off, your tree dies. The gamification is appealing to many who struggle with productivity.
For time management, many underestimate the default Calendar app on their phone. In fact, Google Calendar is a free and easy-to-use app that is available on Android and iOS devices. This app keeps track of your activities, such as monthly meetings, family time, and even upcoming table tennis matches.
To use Google Calendar to track your upcoming activities, create a new calendar for this activity and include the date, time, and location. You can use reminders and color coding to stay on top of your schedules and distinguish different activities. You can also share the calendar with your colleagues, friends, and family to help them stay updated with the schedule.
Mental health and well-being
While apps can ensure you are on the right path to being productive and engaged in new knowledge, they can also improve your mental health and well-being. They can make sure we balance the ups and downs in our lives.
For example, they help you manage stress and anxiety, improve mood and sleep quality, or connect with others.
Calm is an app downloaded by millions of people who need to relax, reduce stress, and improve sleep quality. The app contains a variety of guided meditations, sleep stories, and calming music.
Their meditation and mindfulness features can help you develop greater emotional regulation skills. In extension, it can improve your focus and concentration.
Meanwhile, Meetup is a social networking app to find and join groups of people with the same interests. For example, there are Meetup groups for people interested in learning to code or starting a business.
There are also groups of people interested in learning about mental health topics. This is a way to connect with others and get support for your personal development and growth goals.