We’re frequently told that we need to sleep more, eat better and exercise; but integrating healthier habits can be difficult, and keeping up with those habits can be even harder. We’ve found some apps that will help you build better habits, whilst having fun.
Go to bed with Pokemon Sleep
Pokemon Sleep was released in July 2023, and received 10 million downloads in the first 6 weeks. You play as a Pokemon researcher, living on an island with a Pokemon professor and a large Snorlax. The aim of the game is to complete your Pokedex by attracting different kinds of Pokemon that sleep surrounding Snorlax. The Pokemon also sleep in a number of different sleep styles, so there are hundreds of Pokemon to collect.
You attract Pokemon by, you guessed it, going to sleep. Put your smartphone (or, if you’re really fancy, your Pokemon Go + device) next to your pillow, and the app will assess the quality of sleep that you have. The better your sleep, the more Pokemon that come to visit Snorlax. This app will leave you snoring, for all the right reasons.
Stop picking up your phone with Forest
If you find focusing difficult, and are constantly distracting yourself by checking your emails, scrolling TikTok or sending a message, Forest is here to help. According to Forest, once you’ve been interrupted, it takes more time to get yourself focused again. Forest’s answer to this is an app which is designed to be opened, and then left alone whilst you’re working (or socialising, eating, or reading that book you’ve been meaning to finish).
When you start working with Forest, you set a period of time that you’re committing to leave your phone alone for. Then you plant a tree. As the time goes by, your sapling starts to grow; and if you stay focused it grows into a big tree. But if you use your phone, the tree will wither. Eventually, you can grow your own forest, and earn coins for each successful tree you’ve grown. Use those coins to unlock different species of trees, or save them up and Forest will donate money to plant real trees on Earth.
Build new habits with Habitica
This adorable app will make building new habits a breeze. Habitica turns all of your tasks into a role playing game, where you create an avatar, fight against monsters and even team up with your friends to take on challenges. Play well, and you can even earn new gear like armour and weapons, or find random prizes.
Get started by making a cute eight-bit character and then start adding your habits, dailies and to-do’s to the app. Habitica turns every task into a monster you have to conquer. Keep up with your habits to keep progressing; stop flossing your teeth and your character will start to backslide. Habitica really triumphs in group play; you can add your friends to the app and hold each other accountable to your daily tasks. When you’re playing as a party monsters attack the entire group, meaning that skipping your morning yoga affects everyone’s progress. This app takes your daily grind and turns it into something to be defeated rather than completed.
