9 mobile apps that are quietly changing my life

Life-changing books are easy to spot, you notice as soon as you finish reading them. Mobile apps are trickier, what does it mean for an app to be life changing?

The value of an app comes from the habit it helps you build which over time shapes different parts of your identity.

For instance, using Duolingo once won’t do anything for you. But use it daily for three months and suddenly you’re on the path of becoming a polyglot.

As I build my first mobile app my biggest hope is for it to change people’s lives. Which made me wonder: What apps have changed my life?

Whether we notice it or not, we “hire” mobile apps to complete a “job”. The apps I list below are preceded by their intention with a strong: I want to…

Daily Routines

  • Calm: Be present and learn bits of wisdom.
  • Chronicling: Know when was the last time I did something.
  • Routinery: Focus on what matters during the mornings.
  • YNAB: Be mindful of my spending habits.
  • Pedometer: Be in movement and go outside.
  • Fitbod: Train my muscles to sustain healthy aging.

Knowledge Management

Cooking

Crouton: Store and retrieve my favorite recipes in an easy and smart way.

These apps reflect different aspects of my identity and what I care about. That’s the bar I am aiming for with my own app.

Steve Jobs said that computers are like a bicycle for our minds. Which mobile apps are pushing your mind bicycle forward?

Comments

2 responses to “9 mobile apps that are quietly changing my life”

  1. Artur Avatar
    Artur

    Cool post. It made reflect on my set of apps I use daily:
    – Drafts for composing drafts and quickly store some temporary needed info
    – Dailyart for inspiring myself with beatiful artworks. Every year I al o have their wall calendar
    – Brew Timer for storing my coffee brews journal and recipes
    – Snipd for listening to podcasts in a meaningful way
    – Daily for keeping track of some of my habits
    – Bearable for tracking my health and water intake
    – Heptabase for storing permanent notes that I later review on mac
    – Perplexity to learn and research things, iterate on writen content
    – Albums to easily play albums
    – Greg for keeping track of watery needs of my plants
    – Insight timer for nap and meditation timer and soundscapes

    1. atrumgeost Avatar
      atrumgeost

      Hey Artur! Thanks for sharing your picks!

      I will give DailyArt and Greg a try!

      I imagine Brew Timer going well with an AeroPress 😁