Life

10 Free Apps to Help You Keep Your Resolutions

by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

New Year's resolutions get a bad rap. Just because you can set new goals any time of year doesn't mean you shouldn't set them in January. There's symbolic power to the start of a new year, y'all. So I say simmer down to all the resolution haters — if you've vowed to make some changes starting this month, feel proud about that and give them your all. And to that effect, here are 10 apps that might be able to help you monitor and stick to your resolution plans.

Resolution: Be more punctual

App: Leave Now. It calculates how long it will take to get from where you are to where you're going and tells you when to leave in order to get there on time.

Resolution: Track money better

App: Learn Vest. It ties all your bank, credit card, and other financial accounts together to let you monitor spending and income in real time. Another good one is Shoebox Receipt Tracker, which stores pictures of your receipts so you don't have to keep (or lose) all those paper copies.

Resolution: Start a journal

App: Day One. It turns journaling into a multimedia proposition by allowing users to incorporate photos, status updates, and Tweets. It also automatically logs weather data.

Resolution: Stay hydrated

App: Water In. It lets you keep tabs on how much water you've consumed each day and reminds you to drink more if day is nigh and you're not nearing the recommended eight-glass threshold.

Resolution: Eat better

App: Fooducate. It lets you scan product barcodes and then grades each product (from A to D) based on algorithms developed by dietitians and nutritionists.

Resolution: Get smarter

App: Lumosity. It's a brain-training app that uses neuroscience-tested techniques to improve memory and attention span.

Resolution: Brush up on your foreign language skills

App: Duolingo. It was recently named the free iPhone "App of the Year" by Apple. So far it offers games and quizzes to help users master Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, or German.

Resolution: Drink more responsibly

App: DrinkControl. It not only lets you track alcohol intake but converts whatever you're having — draft beer, bottled beer, wine, whiskey, etc. — into standard alcohol units, so you don't accidentally over-imbibe. It also lets you track how much money you're spending on alcohol.

Resolution: Eat less carbs/more protein/etc.

App: 40 30 30. It helps you reach a balanced 40 percent/30 percent/30 percent intake ratio of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Resolution: Any

App: Lift. Choose any task that you want to stick to, and Lift tracks how often you complete it, as well as awards you a gold stars (okay, check marks) for sticking with it.