Patrick Zeis In Balanced Achievement’s ‘iThrive’ series, we aim to present you with a variety of useful iOS and Android apps that are designed to accelerate personal growth. In this article, we look at 10 of the best personal development apps which can be used to promote a more wholesome lifestyle, transform bad habits and achieve goals.
When considering the fact that time usage statistics in the United States tell us the average American spends over 4 1/2 hours each day on a tablet or smartphone, it becomes clear to see why psychologists and behavioral scientists believe we’ve collectively got a major digital problem. And this is not the case only in the US, of course. Everyday, we can see people around us glued to their smartphones, no matter which country we live in. Not so surprising, though, since these tiny devices can provide us with a full spectrum of amazing functionalities, rolling multiple devices into one, and allowing us to do so much at once! Also, the fact that around 1.5 billion smartphones are sold each year, makes it very evident that these devices have become an integral part of almost everyone’s lives. So, even though we all could make better use of what amounts to 1638 hours of annual screen-time, the unfortunate truth is that, because our devices provide us with limitless connectivity and immense capabilities at the tips of our fingers, they’re not going away anytime soon. Salesforce estimates there are over 268 billion apps downloaded in a year. With this being the case, companies may need to outsource using a low code platform to meet demands.
For this reason, we can do ourselves a mighty big favor by better utilizing the time we spend on our iPhones, iPads and Androids, and we can do just that by fully utilizing the power of a variety of personal development apps. Of course, some people may prefer a more hands on approach with a Business Coach or the like, but that doesn’t mean that these options cannot be supplemental. After all, there’s a lot of potential in the digital world. That’s to say that instead of allowing our personal growth to stagnate with addictive games, the temptations of social media and other limiting digital habits, each and everyone of us can move ourselves in the direction of our dreams by maximizing our personal potential with the help of our devices. With that being said, let’s now turn our attention to exploring ten of the most empowering personal development apps, presented in no particular order, which broadly apply to life:
1.) Remente – Self Improvement
Although it was only in 2016 when productivity guru David Brudo and psychologist Niels Eek launched the Remente – Self Improvement app, it’s quickly risen to become one of the most empowering personal development apps. Thanks to features such as a perspective enhancing life assessment tool, a goal setting system that’s based upon the psychology of achievement, a planner that helps keep one’s daily to-do lists inline with their long-term vision, a mood tracking journal and an ever-growing library of expertly taught self-improvement courses, anyone can move themselves towards a happier, healthier and more prosperous life by fully utilizing this easy to use app. If you’re looking for a holistic way to thrive across the full spectrum of life areas, the visually striking Remente – Self Improvement app, which comes with a cost of $9.99/month or $48.99/year, may be just what you’re looking for.
2.) Peptalk Motivation
Developed from the idea that individuals can get more out of life by continuously feeding their minds the right kinds of information, the Peptalk Motivation app offers thousands of audio speeches from inspirational icons, who come from a vast array of industries and focus on an equally diverse set of topics. For example, the likes of CT Fletcher, William Hollis, the Mulligan Brothers, Mel Robbins and Tim Ferriss are some of the featured speakers on the app, and physical fitness, business skills and mental health are some of the topics explored. In addition to expertly curated playlists, the app also conveniently recommends short daily audios meant to give you a shot of empowerment whenever you’re feeling drained. With a price of only $4.99/month or $29.99/year, the Peptalk Motivation app is perfect for anyone looking for a bit of inspiration while commuting to work, exercising at the gym or just killing time at home.
3.) Blinkist: Read More Nonfiction
Assuming you’re like most people interested in personal development, you’ve probably got a reading wishlist that only grows longer. Although we’d all like to get around to fully absorbing ourselves in the many inspirational titles that catches our eye while at the book store and surfing the web, the disheartening truth is that we’ll never have the time. Fortunately, however, this no longer has to be the case thanks to the Blinkist: Read More Nonfiction app which offers key takeaways and insights from the world’s best non-fiction books in 15 minute audio and text summaries. Since four friends launched the app in 2012, over 7 million individuals from around the globe have joined the Blinkst community and gained access to the app’s library which contains over 2,500 books and adds 40 new titles each month. With a diverse selection of books such as The Art of Happiness, Principles and Emotional Intelligence, written by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Ray Dallio and Daniel Goleman respectively, and a modest price of $12.99/month or $79.99/year, it’s certain that the Blinkst app can expedite our growth like few personal development apps on the market today.
4.) Shine – Daily Self-Care
While undertaking a personal development regimen is beneficial and positive for most individuals, the unfortunate reality for some is that an untempered drive to achieve more and more results in enduring feelings of frustration and psychical exhaustion. Unquestionably, it’s these success hunger individuals who don’t realize, or turn a blind eye towards, the fact that caring for one’s self is necessary to reach the heights of greatness. Therefore, to avoid falling victim to this trip, and to infuse your life with a much needed bit of self-love and gratitude, you can rely upon the Shine – Daily Self-Care app as your trusted goodwill companion. With mood boosting features such as daily shine text, shine audio talks, a gratitude journal and self-care challenges, it’s certain that Shine, which comes at a price of $7.99/month or $47.99/year, can help each of us move in the directions of our dreams while maintaining a wholesome sense of balance and appreciation for the many gifts we already possess.
5.) SuperBetter
Unlike the other personal development apps featured on this list, SuperBetter is the only one to be both fully developed around the concept of gamification, or the blending of virtual gaming with real life experiences, and also to be offered completely free of charge. It was in 2012 when the now prominent game designer Jane McGonigal, who’s TED Talk about SuperBetter has been viewed over 6 million times, was struggling to overcome the devastating effects of depression and began conceptualizing the concept for the app to help herself and others get well. Now, almost seven years later, SuperBetter is lauded as one of the most effective apps for helping individuals overcome mental illness, adopt new habits, develop inner strengths and tackle real world challenges. For any driven individual who is also fond of video games, the virtual quests, power ups, allies, bad guys and future boosts of SuperBetter may be just what they need to push themselves into the next life level of the real world.
6.) Elevate – Brain Training
Despite the fact that one’s abilities to quickly comprehend information, make sound analytical decisions and communicate effectively largely determine their chances for success, these seemingly forgotten skills are most often the ones we push towards the bottom of our personal development agenda. Fortunately, however, this no longer has to be the case as we can vastly improve our mathematics, reading, writing and speaking capabilities with the help of the Elevate -Brain Training app. By designing over 35 games in collaboration with experts in the field of neuroscience and cognitive learning, which improve critical skills like focus, memory, processing, precision, and comprehension, the Elevate team offers users a quick and competitive way to become more productive, self-confident and successful. In addition to the many cognitive boosting games, business professionals might find that improving their negotiation skills and tactics to be of great benefit. Especially In a virtual environment, consider the need for expert negotiation skills to adapt and succeed in business communication.
7.) Moodnotes
When thinking about what really separates the happiest and most successful individuals in the world from the rest of the pack, we must look towards their ways of thinking as being a key differentiator. Although all too many of us come to believe that material possessions and success are the key to the good life, what’s really most important is how we think about and emotionally relate to the world. Ultimately, what this means is that if we really want to enjoy the quality of life we dream about, we’ll have to understand and transform our habitual thought patterns. While this certainly isn’t an easy task, the Moodnotes app, which was designed based upon the science of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), can certainly help us succeed. With input from a thought and mood journal, this powerful app can help us identify what influences us, discover cognitive traps, develop healthier thinking habits, improve our self-awareness and enhance our well-being. With a one time price of only $4.99, it’s hard to find any negatives with Moodnotes.
8.) Fabulous- Motivate Me
With over 11,000 reviews and a 4.7 star rating on iTunes, there’s good reason why Fabulous- Motivate Me is considered as one of the most empowering personal development apps available today. Not only is Fabulous’ holistic approach to self-improvement based upon the science of health and well-being, as a team of researchers and scientists at Duke’s Behavioral Economics Lab are responsible for developing the app, the visually stimulating and easy to use interface turns the process changing behavioral and cognitive habits into an enjoyable process. When you add in personalized one-on-one coaching and a plethora of expertly designed exercises that promote personal transformation, it’s easy to see why Fabulous- Motivate Me, which comes at a cost of $9.99/month or $95.99/year, is a surefire way to improve your health, happiness and success across every facet of life.
9.) Forest – Stay focused
Where as the vast majority of personal development apps featured on this list help individuals create a self improvement plan to achieve their goals, Forest – Stay Focused offers an innovative solution for staying focused and productive in the present-moment. It’s because the modern world come with a seemingly endless number of limiting distractions, that this helpful app, which is based upon the time management strategy known as the Pomodoro technique, can be an indispensable tool for success. Simple enough, all you have to do to use the app is set a timer, put your device down and go to work on your most important tasks at the time. Like the previous mentioned SuperBetter app, the Forest app also employs the concept of gamification as users grow their own virtual forest by spending time being productive in the real world. One of the coolest features of the app, which has a onetime cost of $1.99, is that it gives users the opportunity to use virtual reward coins to plant real life trees in underdeveloped countries via partnerships with a number of environmental non-profit organizations.
10.) Motivate: Daily Motivation
Much like the previously mentioned Peptalk Motivation app, Motivate: Daily Motivation offers an expansive library of personal development advice from a diverse collection of icons and experts. Where as the former does so in the form of short audio recordings, however, the latter presents high quality videos on the topics of success, fitness, wealth, happiness, relationships and well-being. Additionally, Motivate offers a range of unique videos, within the categories of lifestyle and wisdom, that focus on comfort zone expansion and exploring life most pressing philosophical questions. While there are subscriptions available for premium Motivate features, coming at a cost of $11.99/month or $95.88/year, users can get access to five daily free of charge.
