What sort of New Yr’s decision you make depends upon your distinctive objectives—which suggests you want a option to monitor your progress that’s simply as distinctive. In case your decision is to chop again on social media use and your good friend’s is to run a quicker mile, you received’t measure success the identical approach. Even for those who swear 2026 is the yr you spend much less time in your telephone (which I’ve sworn each yr), faucet into the ability of handheld tech and use these apps to maintain your self on monitor.
I like all the finest common progress monitoring apps, however in terms of resolutions, you’re looking at one thing time-bound and particular by its very nature, so it’s best to attempt apps which might be tailor-made extra to what you are doing.
What are the commonest New Yr’s resolutions?
Per Statista, the highest New Yr’s resolutions amongst individuals who have made one or a number of for 2026 are as follows:
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To train extra (48%)
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To avoid wasting more cash (46%)
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To eat more healthy (45%)
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To spend extra time with household/pals (42%)
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To drop a few pounds (31%)
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To enhance job efficiency (24%)
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To do extra for the surroundings (24%)
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To scale back job stress (22%)
This yr’s listing was attention-grabbing to me after I in contrast it to final yr’s, the place “save more cash” led the best way with a measly 21%. It was adopted by eat more healthy, train extra, drop a few pounds, spend time with household/pals, stop smoking, and spend much less on residing bills. Clearly, well being and health proceed to rank excessive, however it’s notable that this yr’s least-popular decision—cut back job stress—outranked even final yr’s hottest. It appears, not less than in response to this supply, that 2026 is the yr for making resolutions. I am recent off a yr of really nailing all my resolutions for the primary time ever and I am wanting ahead to replicating my success. Along with just a few private tips, listed here are the apps I believe it’s best to use.
One of the best apps to trace train frequency: Robust and Peloton
Credit score: Robust/Lindsey Ellefson
If you wish to work out extra, it is going to enable you to see your progress with every journey to the health club (or at-home session, or no matter). For that, attempt Robust, an app that permits you to enter the workouts you do and creates graphs displaying your gradual enchancment in weight, units, physique fats proportion, and extra. Up to now, I’ve solely really helpful this one, and it is nice by itself, because it contains directions on find out how to do quite a lot of workouts, which is good for those who aren’t actually a health individual (but) and feeling nervous about attempting new strikes in entrance of different folks retains you away from the health club. The free model will save limitless exercises, however you possibly can solely add three customized routines. For every little thing else, it’s $4.99 per thirty days or $29.99 per yr. For my full evaluate, learn extra right here.
Credit score: Peloton/Lindsey Ellefson
This yr, I’ve come round to recommending one thing else: The Peloton app, which I evaluate right here (however speak about right here and right here and right here…). I can confidently say that for me, 2025 was the yr of Peloton as a result of I received so into understanding on my Bike, utilizing the model’s different class choices, and even monitoring my non-Peloton exercises by way of the app that I am now on a 290-day in-app streak. And that is essential, particularly once we’re speaking about resolutions, as a result of not solely does this present you that all-important each day (or weekly or month-to-month) streak, however it gives a lot selection, which is able to preserve you going again.
One of the best app to eat more healthy and/or drop a few pounds: Lifesum
Credit score: Lifesum/Lindsey Ellefson
Earlier than, I used to advocate MyFitnessPal, which I used fairly persistently from sophomore yr of faculty properly into my 30s, however this yr, I discovered (and reviewed) Lifesum, which modified the sport for me. With its brighter colours, easier interface, and updating “life scores,” it is an all-around extra constructive expertise than utilizing MFP—plus you do not have to pay for an improve to entry nutrient monitoring. It simply does all that with the common subscription, which prices $99.99 per yr, $29.99 each three months, or $7.49 per thirty days. It has a useful sequence of widgets you possibly can put wherever in your telephone, so that you’re all the time reminded to keep it up, and it is by no means shame-y, which I believe is essential for truly sticking with a more healthy consuming plan. It even suggests meals and meals it’s best to take into account based mostly on how typically you do (properly, do not) eat them and what vitamins you is likely to be missing.
My favourite half is that it is really easy to make use of that I do not skip it, even on my laziest day. As a substitute of manually inputting each ingredient into the tracker, I can describe and even {photograph} my meal and let its AI do the work of determining roughly what number of energy and grams of protein are in it. It isn’t excellent, after all, however I respect that, too; after I’ve gotten too gung-ho about monitoring each morsel and getting each gram accounted for, I’ve counterbalanced a bit too onerous and misplaced all motivation, which stored me swinging forwards and backwards between obsession and full disinterest. Lifesum turns monitoring right into a much less annoying, extra constructive expertise you possibly can truly follow.
One of the best app for prioritizing household and good friend time: Cozi
Credit score: Cozi/Lindsey Ellefson
If you wish to spend extra time together with your family members, attempt Cozi, a easy organizer that provides you a transparent visible illustration of your complete household’s schedule. Not solely are you able to see when everyone seems to be free, however you possibly can see how a lot time you commit (or don’t commit) to the folks with whom you share the app—which might inspire you to schedule extra time collectively. It’s additionally free, which is a plus. Use the cash you saved to pay for a pleasant night time out with the folks you set a decision to spend extra time with.
I’ve talked about this app as a meal planner up to now and assume it really works nice for that, too. Use it to loop collectively a sequence of your resolutions, from consuming higher to spending extra time with family members. When you’re at it, brush up on how essential stacking your resolutions and habits is for his or her longevity.
What do you assume to this point?
One of the best app to enhance job efficiency: Flora
Credit score: Flora/Lindsey Ellefson
Usually, I would counsel FocusPomo as the most effective productivity-boosting app, however I like Flora, too—and this one has the twin perform of serving to the surroundings whereas bettering your work, which suggests it addresses two of the preferred resolutions for 2026.
As I defined in my evaluate earlier this yr, Flora is a spotlight timer that locks down your telephone whilst you work and, for those who do not mess together with your machine and as an alternative settle into deep work, you develop a digital tree to show in your digital forest. Proper there, you possibly can see the worth prop for those who’re attempting to trace your progress: You possibly can see all of the timber you “develop,” which helps you visualize the way you’re doing. There’s additionally an choice to guess precise cash in your skill to finish focus classes, which works properly for some folks. (I’m personally a giant believer in forcing penalties on myself for failing to hold out a decision, and although I do not normally guess cash, I see the attraction of getting monetary stakes concerned.)
Questioning what the app makes use of that cash for? Nice query! It is to fund the planting of actual timber all over the world. Your guess cash or subscription price (do you have to select to pay between $2 and $12 per thirty days, although it really works high quality in its free model) go towards paying for making the surroundings higher, which is a win-win.
Credit score: Steppin/Lindsey Ellefson
This is one other one the place I used to advocate a special app (on this case, One Sec) however now firmly advocate one other that I’ve gotten extra aware of. To spend much less time on social media (or any distracting apps, actually) attempt Steppin, which I’ve reviewed and used for a couple of yr now. Like different app-blocking apps, it locks down whichever purposes you blacklist. Not like these, you possibly can earn time to entry your blocklist by strolling round in the actual world. You possibly can customise your settings so a sure variety of steps unlocks a certain quantity of minutes. I’ve mine set to 25 steps to earn a minute proper now, which normally leaves me with 19 or so banked hours by the point my time resets on the finish of the week. Since utilizing Steppin, I’ve discovered that not solely am I extra prepared to stroll after I would possibly in any other case Uber or take a bus, however I am much less interested by my blocked apps altogether. I simply received used to not having unfettered entry to them and located I do not want them as a lot as I assumed I did. Who knew?
Steppin additionally makes use of “streaks” so you possibly can see your progress over time, plus exhibits a graph day by day of your strolling time vs. your time on the blocked apps. Each of those visible components are helpful in maintaining monitor of the place you are at. You break your streak by resetting your customizations or overriding a Steppin block when you have no minutes banked.
