by Alex Perez
We’re 60 days into the new year and March officially starts tomorrow! Boy has the time gone by fast! Last month we posted about a few health and wellness apps that we had people try out as a way to inspire you with your own New Year’s Resolutions. As we mentioned then, we know it can be hard to keep them going and keep the motivation, even this early into the new year. However, we figured we’d send out this reminder to tell you to hang in there and keep going!
While the data seems to differ, on average it seems that most people fail to maintain their resolutions after 3 months, with some not even able to make them past the 1-month mark. Now, there are also differing opinions on whether or not New Year’s resolutions are helpful. For some people, they are extremely helpful, and others they are not. However, one thing we wanted to mention is that while they are called New Year’s resolutions, it’s never too late to start over or even start in the first place. As long as you have a goal that you want to work toward, you can pick it up right now and keep it going as best as you can. For a lot of people those goals can include being healthier with your diet and exercise, as well as picking up a new hobby or learning a new skill.
In our January blog, we highlighted three health/wellness apps: Walk at Home, Tuby, and Down Dog. Check out that blog here for more information about those apps as well as honest reviews by people who tried them out. Now, if those types of apps aren’t going to help you with your goals, then there are still plenty out there for you to try. Learning a new language is usually a go-to resolution that people have every year. I have been using Duolingo to learn Spanish and really enjoy it. There is a premium (paid) option called Super Duolingo that gets rid of the ads and has other perks, but the regular free option is still very useful if you don’t mind a few ads here and there.
If you’re interested in learning to play a new instrument like the guitar or bass guitar, then I would recommend Yousician. Now I am going to be transparent here and tell you that learning to play the guitar has been a New Year’s resolution of mine for a few years now as I have not been very good at practicing, meaning I have used this app a little but not as much as should have. However, what I did like about this app (when I used it) was that it helped provide structure to learning the guitar. For years, I have tried reading books, and looking up guitar tabs but without the structure of a course or class, I have always struggled to keep going. I do plan to start using this app again and feel that the structured courses and levels will help if I just keep the motivation for learning going. If you’re not into guitar or bass, this app can help with improving your singing as well. There is a premium option for this app as well so just know the free version will not have as much available to you as the premium one would but is still a great start for beginners.
When all else fails, I know if there is something I want to learn or know how to do, I do not underestimate the power of YouTube. From learning how to change the oil on your car, to learning how to paint, sew, or paper mâché, you can really learn how to do almost anything there. I tend to use YouTube to look up helpful video editing or motion graphics tutorials that I use in my work on the NTW commercials. A great example of this is a video I did last year on our promo at the time where I looked up how to create a typography animation as well as how to track and replace green screen images in order to add pictures of people to picture frames in a shot where the camera was moving. It was very complicated and time intensive when just simply printing the pictures and putting them in the picture frames would have worked, but at the time, I did not have access to a printer and so I had to do it the hard way. Suffice to say, it turned great (if I do say so myself) and I am very proud of the finished product. Check out the video below.
The point of this blog is just to once again remind you of the resources available to you on your phone that can help you accomplish your goals and keep your New Year’s resolutions going. They are just an app away and the possibilities are endless for what you can accomplish. It is never too late to start and if you really want it, you can make it happen!
