At the beginning of the year, I set a resolution to change my habits for the better. I would start eating better and exercising more, despite not having any real idea of how I would meet said goals.
As many can attest to, sticking to a New Year’s resolution is a lot easier said than done.
However, this year would be different as the gods of the Google Play Store had shined their digital rays upon me. I was gifted with enough storage space to download the app, Fabulous.
(The app is currently only available on Android, although an iOS app is in the works!)
Starting My Journey
As my finger navigated through the murky depths of my age-old phone to open the app, I could feel my skepticism rising. Would this be useful to any degree? How could it possibly help fix habits that I’ve had for years? How could I be held accountable to use it every day?
It turns out that the app had a lot more covered than I originally thought.
I was initially presented with the choice of 4 different “journeys”: Feel More Energized, Lose Weight, Sleep Better, and Focus and Concentrate More. I picked the first one, since my constant lethargy wasn’t helping me be productive to any degree.
After filling in some personal information, the app made a bold claim: in 14 days, I would feel more energized. Could I trust that I would keep on track with what the app was recommending?
Fabulous works through conditioning, and it works slowly. Instead of creating a giant routine at the beginning of the journey – which would end up being overwhelming – the app simply starts off with the task of drinking a glass of water upon waking up.
Coupled with alarm reminders and personalized letters explaining the reasoning behind it, my new habit of drinking a glass of water in the morning slowly evolved to include eating a healthy breakfast, exercising, and celebrating my recent successes.
And, just as the app said, it took only 14 days to reinforce.
Rituals
A big part of the app is the ability to create “rituals” for the morning, afternoon, and evening. You set an alarm for when you wake up, and you can also opt to schedule an afternoon or evening ritual as well. Then, Fabulous will automatically activate and let you complete the habits.
For each habit that you have listed for a certain ritual, a splash screen with beautiful imagery, a timer, and a checkbox will appear. Once you’ve completed the habit, you can click the checkbox to proceed to the next one. The app even includes helpful add-ons, such as exercise routines for the exercise habit and guided audio meditation for the meditation habit.
You’ll be challenged to complete certain tasks at least 3 times a week, and the app is chock-full of reminders to help establish the habits (e.g. setting a reminder for you to bring a water bottle to your bedside before you sleep).
As stated before, you usually start with one habit and slowly build on others. There are plenty of pre-programmed habits with different time lengths to choose from, whether it be 7 minutes to drink water upon waking, 10 minutes to write a to-do list for the day, or an hour to work on a “secret project.”
If you’re like me and send two daily “Streak” snaps, you’ll especially love this next part. Completing a ritual every day starts a streak, making you feel more accomplished and – in my case – reminding you to send out those snaps. No longer will you lose a Snapchat streak – and you won’t lose a Fabulous streak either!
Features
Beyond rituals, the app offers plenty of other goodies that make it one of the best productivity apps out there.
Every so often, you’ll receive a personalized letter with helpful information on your habits. Some of them include motivational messages and stories, while others include examples of a certain habit (e.g. easy and quick breakfast recipes). You’ll also acquire weekly progress reports, detailing how you’ve done on your habits.
If you have several minutes to spare, the “Make Me Fabulous” button has you covered! There are plenty of small exercises that you can embark on, such as stretching, yoga, and even a power nap.
The app, while free otherwise, also contains a paid subscription called Prism, and it contains several new journeys such as heightening self-esteem.
The Verdict
This app was voted Editor’s Choice by Google for a reason.
For those that struggle with procrastination, lethargy, or really just want to jump-start their productivity, this app will help motivate you to get on your feet and do what you’ve been missing out on for so long.
I may have needed a New Year’s resolution to make some changes in my habits, but this app will make sure that you won’t need one.