3 Apps That Add Rocket Fuel to Resolutions

Self-experimentalist and author of the 4-Hour self-help book series, Tim Ferriss, says the reason people don't stick to New Year's Resolutions past the first week in January: There's no penalty for not following through. He also says resolutions are "a lot like keeping up with the Joneses... We're bombarded with images of people who are slimmer and wealthier than us, so we tend to be dissatisfied faster." On one hand, he figures, if you're ready to quit smoking—why wait? And if you'd like healthy eating to be part of your everyday life—what's so magical about starting January 1st? So, whether you're a dodgy decider or a resolved non-resolutionist, you may still want to change something. Here's a little tech to help: Beeminder: Web, iPhone, and Android capable, this program allows you to create and track up to seven goals for free, but if you veer off course you can either abandon the goal, or have Beeminder charge you—real money—the next time you fail. How's that for incentive? According to Tim Ferriss, one of the best ways to motivate yourself is to create a financial penalty for follow-through failures—he suggests promising to donate to a charity with which you positively disagree. Lifetick: This app offers a variety of features and is quite inexpensive—there's even a free version. Lifetick starts with a unique approach—your core values—and works its way out to goal setting, tracking life dreams, and even the ability to share goals with friends. This very well rounded system for goal setters gets you on the path to success and is available on the web, iPhone, and Android. Lifegame: Creative and fun, it's more of an interactive game than goal tracking software. It all begins with planting a tree representing your life, which grows leaves signifying all-important aspects of your life; you then decide what actions you might take to nurture the tree based on the limited resources you have, like time. But the real fun begins when you take your plan out into the real world!