Monday, January 12, 2015

Using an iPhone App to Succeed at your New Year's Resolutions

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post from U.S. Cellular.  All opinions are my own.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 

As I write this, we are almost two weeks into the new year.  I've heard much about resolutions.  I'm not one to make them, although this year I made goals for this year.  They were mainly financial, organizational,  and weight loss related.  (I have a wedding dress I need to fit into by May.)  Of course those can cover nearly everything in life.  I've been sitting down and breaking these larger goals into smaller ones so I can accomplish some each week.  How is it going?   Not bad. One thing my fiance and I want to do is read a book together each month.  We're right on track for January's book.  I haven't started writing my ebook yet, but I'm right on track with that as well.  As for fitting into my wedding dress goal?  That one needs worked on some, and organization?  I'm having the house remodeled, and it's hard to be very organized during that, so I'm currently working harder on some other goals and leaving that one to be tackled when time is better.

One thing I am thankful for is how smart phones have made life easier.  From being able to connect with family and friends, texting photos, and for some of my friends, just taking their U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s to the park so they can be with their children while answering e-mails for their home business.  U.S. Cellular's 4G LTE service makes this possible as it is ten times faster than 3G.

Today, I'm going to discuss apps that can help all of us reach our new year's resolutions.  (Or as I call them goals because I see goals as something that can be revised and I don't give up on them.)

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Let's first discuss my goals and how I can use my U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s to help me accomplish those goals.

According to a 2014 U.S. Cellular survey, 43% had a new year's resolution to save money.  One app that is useful is the Mint Bills (formerly Check) app.  This free app allows you to link bills, bank accounts, and credit cards so you know exactly how much money you have.  The app also will set up reminders so you don't about paying a bill, and also you can set up automatic payments.  How are my goals going thus far of saving money?   Not well at all thanks to a cold spell where the water pipes froze then burst.  There will be a large bill to replace the water pipes, but unplanned emergencies happen, and it's now just a matter of continuing to decrease spending and increase savings.

I work at home,  and that means I have to be very wise with time management or I could spend the whole day playing games on my cell phone.  (I still play them, but I only play them during breaks from working.)  One app that is helpful to keeping the day on schedule is called Any.do .  You can create lists of things that need done and their order of importance.  You can set alarms (is it time for my break yet where I can line up candy?)  It is even possible to synch your phone's schedule with your laptop.  So how is this goal going for me?  I'm pleased with my progress so far this year.  I think breaking my larger goals into daily do-able parts is helping a lot.  (As well as setting alarms so I can spend time with my games AND get my work done as well.)

I think the most common New Year's Resolution is losing weight.  I have used my U.S. Cellular iPhone 5s in the past for weight loss.  Everything from geocaching for exercise to tracking calories. Another great app that is also free is Runtastic Six Pack.  You can create a virtual personal trainer to work out with you right on your phone.  I know compared to some personal trainers I have worked with, I'd much rather have a virtual one.  Ha ha!  Your virtual personal trainer will even show you the proper way to do new exercises.

Also, the Up by Jawbone Fitness band synchs to your U.S. Cellular iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. It can help you track what you eat, exercise, sleep patterns, as well as daily activities.  It even has an idle alert that will tell you when you've been sitting too long.  How handy is that?  How are my goals going in this area?  Well, let's just say trying to live a week with no water isn't exactly a perfect time to lose weight since I can't wash any produce and am trying to only eat things that don't dirty dishes.  Once my water starts working again, though, I'll be right back on it.

Another resolution many people make is spending more time with friends and family.  An app that is helpful for that is the GroupMe app.   This allows you to make categories of people so you can text them all at once.  I can see this being very handy for me this year with one of my categories being "bridesmaids".  How easy would this make life being able to share videos, events, photos, and texts with a whole group at once?

I am so glad to see the year 2014 over.  I'm looking forward to this new year, and I think it's going to be one of my best ones ever.  By not giving up on goals and keeping going when I don't always accomplish what I wish I would have is certainly one way to do that.








1 comment:

  1. You are amazing, I don't know how you find these great apps! You are making me want to get a smart phone!!! I'm missing out!

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