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Kick Off the New Year with (Not Boring) Habits
Habit tracking is elusive. There are so many different theories, tricks, and methods for finally getting those tough habits to “stick” instead of being something…
Habit tracking is elusive. There are so many different theories, tricks, and methods for finally getting those tough habits to “stick” instead of being something you give up on after a week. Developer Andy Works has created an entire series of apps that has a different approach to many common apps, and Habits is by far one of my favorites.
This app is billed more of a “habit builder” rather than a “habit tracker.” Rather than allowing you to build streaks on multiple habits at once, it limits you to nailing down one things before moving onto the next.
It uses a mixture of science and gaming that rewards you for sticking to your habit. As you continue the habit, you’ll unlock awards within the app that you can interact with. Those awards turn into eight different levels of your progress. It’s basically gamification for good. By the way, the artwork for these awards and levels is top notch, reminding me of the surreal artwork within Monument Valley.
Though the app doesn’t prioritize streaks, you can still view your progress. The app’s progress view shows all of the days in the year and which days you’ve tracked your habit. It’s minimal, but sleek. This carries through to the app’s widget options as well. This puts your habit right on your Home Screen to keep it on your mind. A gentle reminder without the guilt.
The app looks great right as you download it, but there are various skins you can choose from too. The app touts limited-run partnerships and collaborations for these skins that are fun to collect. Swipe through the gallery until you find one that speaks to you, after which you can enable it with a tap.
It’s a bit hard to describe but (Not Boring) Habits just wants to make growing your habit fun. It doesn’t want to force you into anything and wants to make tracking your habit easy and rewarding. With plenty of custom artwork and multiple UI choices, this app may have just enough to keep you building that new habit.
But enough about other people's apps.