Before the cranky anti-technology millennial-haters start yammering to me about how the youth are addicted to their smartphones, how we don’t know how to appreciate the beauty of nature or whatever, and that I should sit down and watch Fox News with them: hear me out.
Yes, technology can distract us from the real world, for better or worse, and the number of hours we spend staring at a screen per day (more than 7 on average) is alarming. But technology is built to be helpful and to make managing our hectic lives a little easier.
I’ve been the proud owner of an iPhone 5c for about a year and a half now, and in that time, many an app has come and gone. (Rest in peace, Flappy Bird.) Here are some productivity and health-related iPhone apps that have left a lasting impression on me:
Plant Nanny
First off: how cute is that name?! Plant Nanny encourages users to drink a healthy amount of water based on their bodies and fitness levels. Whenever you drink a glass of water, you “water” your little plant by tapping the glass button shown below.
Look at it!!! Look! At! It! I’m going to cry.
Over time, your little buddy – who you are prompted to nickname, and thus grow emotionally attached to – will blossom into a big buddy; once it reaches full size, you start over with a new plant and accumulate a garden of cherub-faced friends. I personally didn’t keep this app for long, not because I’m a heartless monster with no room for plant pals in my life, but because I could never remember to open Plant Nanny every time I reached for my water bottle or took a sip at a water fountain. However, I do know some people who are absolutely obsessed with this thing, and are probably all the more healthy for it. Warning: Not for people allergic to adorable squishy plants with cute chubby faces.
Forest
Similar to Plant Nanny with its theme around nature, Forest is unique because it’s meant to reward you for not using your phone. If you struggle to focus on a task for too long without itching to check Twitter or send a Snapchat, and if setting a regular timer asks too much of your willpower, Forest may be for you. Forest offers a timer that ranges from ten minutes to two hours; you “plant” a tree or shrub depending on how long you need to focus for, and wait. If you manage to go the entire time without switching out of the app, your tree is “planted,” and you accumulate a small forest over time. Leave the Forest app, and your tree is killed.
Habitica
I’ve been using Habitica for about a week and it’s completely changed the way I prioritize. Formerly known as Habit.rpg, Habitica is the more organized baby of both the reminders app and an old-school Nintendo game. Your ordinary to-do list is separated into three categories: habits, which is a great tool for building positive daily patterns and eliminating negative ones (i.e. taking the stairs vs. the elevator); dailies, for tasks that repeat themselves (like taking medication or making your bed every day); and to-dos, which is pretty self-explanatory. The key here is accountability. Habitica is tied in with a role-playing game, where you create an avatar, earn coins or lose health by completing positive tasks or negative habits, and go on “quests” with the equipment your character purchases.
Look at little me! I have a viking helmet!
It’s free, and it’s also available online with more advanced features, which is great news for anyone who doesn’t have a smartphone. I haven’t delved into the gaming portion yet, but I probably will once I get some of the more daunting items off my to-do list, earning myself some pixelated cash for dragon-slaying supplies. First to cross off: “Write weekly Her Campus article.”
Comment below if you download any of these or how they’ve worked out for you if you already use them!