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📱 9 mobile apps that are quietly changing my life

Life-changing books are easy to spot, you notice as soon as you finish reading them. Mobile apps are trickier, what does it mean for an app to be life changing?

The value of an app comes from the habit it helps you build which over time shapes different parts of your identity.

For instance, using Duolingo once won’t do anything for you. But use it daily for three months and suddenly you’re on the path of becoming a polyglot.

As I build my first mobile app my biggest hope is for it to change people’s lives. Which made me wonder: What apps have changed my life?

Whether we notice it or not, we “hire” mobile apps to complete a “job”. The apps I list below are preceded by their intention with a strong: I want to…

Daily Routines

• ​Calm: Be present and learn bits of wisdom.
• ​Chronicling: Know when was the last time I did something.
• ​Routinery: Focus on what matters during the mornings.
• ​YNAB: Be mindful of my spending habits.
• ​Pedometer: Be in movement and go outside.
• ​Fitbod: Train my muscles to sustain healthy aging.

Knowledge Management

• ​Drafts: Capture ideas and assess if they’re relevant before moving them to my PKM system.
• ​Obsidian and Actions for Obsidian: Journal for personal growth.

Cooking

​Crouton: Store and retrieve my favorite recipes in an easy and smart way.

These apps reflect different aspects of my identity and what I care about. That’s the bar I am aiming for with my own app.

Steve Jobs said that computers are like a bicycle for our minds. Which mobile apps are pushing your mind bicycle forward?

🎨 Indie life

It was an eventful week. Did a lot of progress, but I don't have the app ready to launch in the store and that's troublesome if I want to submit it to the Shipaton.

I am excited about the app icon, my wife and I designed it with Apple's new design in mind:

🌊 Internet bits

• ​[Outliers] Fred Smith: The Story of FedEx: The story behind FedEx is inspiring because all the adversities Fred Smith overcomes and doubles down on the idea of letting go of control and adapting: "In combat, the plan falls apart in the first five minutes. What matters is how fast you adapt."
• ​Demon Slayer Infinity Castle: If you like the Demon Slayer anime (it is a good first anime to watch) you will love the movie. It mets all the expectations: storytelling, astonishing animation, soul-touching soundtrack.