Time management is an issue that everyone is talking about these days. With the innovations and technology, it seems that we’re still struggling to find enough time. Habits and routines can help, but who can afford to invest all that energy trying to stay on track? When you’ve got a life to live, a business to run, and things that require your constant attention, micromanaging your routines and habits can seem like just one more thing.

Our lives are run by habits, whether we realize it or not—it's not about finding habits or starting from scratch. It's about finding a way to harness the power of time management tools and daily habit trackers to help you form better habits so that you can get more time out of your day. In fact, the best daily routine tracking apps include reports and analytics that help you understand where your time is going and how you can make small changes.

It's all about taking back control. As a busy professional, you are limited to the hours that you have in a day and there may only be so much that you can do in the way of managing your own time. The whole point of these apps is that they will take the hard work off your hands and give you the chance to get back to business—all while getting more out of your day without much effort on your part.

Set it and forget it

There is something to be said for daily habit tracking apps. In fact, there’s a lot to be said. They come in all styles and formats, with various features and levels of habit tracking, and offer something for just about every need. What makes them so beneficial and easy to use, though, is that they can just be programmed and set to track your habits, manage your life, and meet your goals while you handle the rest of your day-to-day life (and your business).

Imagine being able to just go about your day and be reminded that it’s time to take a break or being advised that maybe you don’t really want that cheeseburger just because the line is shorter at that restaurant. If nothing else, the constant notifications and interactions with the app will keep you mindful that you’re trying to make positive changes—sometimes that’s more than enough to get the momentum going.

Speaking of “set it and forget it,” imagine how much more you could get done if you didn’t have to worry about answering the phone, responding to online messages, missing important leads, or dealing with the ins and outs of things like payment collection and appointment scheduling—if that sounds like a benefit you could use, find out more about our virtual receptionists and how we can help.

First, though, let’s talk a little more about what makes a good daily habit tracking app, and then we’ll take a look at some of the best ones available today.

What’s in a routine?

Science has proven that having routines can be beneficial, but that’s only the case when the routines are positive in nature. For example, if you’re in the routine of paying the bills on the day they’re due, you could run the risk of paying late or missing one and not having time to save face. If, however, you get in a routine of paying them as soon as they come in, you’ll give yourself plenty of leeway—this is where habit-tracking apps can come into play.

This is just one example, of course. A routine is anything that involves an action or sequence of actions that you repeatedly perform. Some routines are better than others, and there are even some that have proven to help people be more successful, happier, and more motivated. For some, the idea of having these positive tools and skills alone is enough to help motivate them toward change.

Routines do a number of things when used positively. They can:

·  Create high achievers

·  Improve productivity and focus

·  Put our brains on autopilot (which can be a benefit in many instances)

·  Reduce stress and anxiety

·  Improve sleep and restfulness

·  Improve health and wellbeing

·  Help people understand expectations

·  Keep people motivated and striving for success

·  Give people a feeling of control

The top 5 habits of the most successful people

Although there are several different ways that people set themselves up for success, there are definitely habits that have proven, time and again, to be helpful in this vein. In fact, some of the most successful people in the world all had similar routines, or at least some of the same habits in their day-to-day lives and business activities.

So, what are these big habits and why are they so impactful? Here’s what you need to know.

Making your bed every morning can help you feel ready and give you the sense that you have a clean slate to work from, helping launch you from the starting point of success.

Waking up early can help your brain prepare for the day. This can also give people the chance to prepare for the day while others are still sleeping, which gives people more freedom and creativity.

Exercise is a routine that everyone should have. Even a simple walk every morning can change the mood of your entire day. Even just a few jumping jacks or a little yoga could go a long way.

Taking a cold shower can jumpstart your body, increase blood flow, and help release dopamine.

Eating breakfast gets your body’s metabolism moving, wakes up your brain, and can give your body the energy it needs to run the day.

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and these may not always work as effectively for everyone. Winston Churchill, for example, was notorious for sleeping until 11AM every day. Dolly Parton, on the other hand, prefers to get up around 3AM and spends most of the morning writing songs and doing other creative work before the world is even awake—it works for some, but maybe not for everyone.

The best thing that you can do? Give it a try—if it works, great. If these habits don’t help, then cross them off your list and find the ones that do.

One good habit for any business is to make sure that your basic needs and mission-critical services are always handled. If you’re ready to hit the ground running, but you don’t want to hit a snag with phone calls, messages, and other inquiries that come to your business, consider enlisting the assistance of the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai. We'll make sure that your business is tended to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so that you can focus on creating better habits to build a more successful business.

Habitica

We like Habitica because it does one thing that today’s users love: it gamifies habits and habit-tracking. The app works by helping you level the game as you complete your habits and meet your goals. For those who enjoy RPGs, this app is a lot of fun. It's not for the basic user that just wants to track routines, but for those who need something a little different that gets them motivated, this could be a fun way to go.

The best feature? If you fail to complete your habits and tasks, or you miss a goal or deadline, your character will lose some abilities and take on damage. As any gamer will tell you, getting that health back is far harder than keeping it in the first place. There's even the option to game with others so that you can get inspired and have a community of people to support you.

Plus, Habitica is totally free for all of the core features, with a premium version that has bonus features for $4.99 per month.

Momentum

Momentum is an app that is great for any iOS user that is looking for a better way to track habits. You can even import data to Excel documents so that you can track your progress across platforms. You can even take notes and set weekly goals so that you can gain more control and start making positive steps sooner. Unlike several on this list, it’s only for Apple devices, so Android users won’t be able to benefit here.

We added it to the list, though, because it’s easily integrated into iCloud and because there is a fair share of business users that are dedicated to Apple products. It makes tracking habits easy, includes a simple user interface, and gives you that professional polish that iOS apps are known for.

Momentum is free to use for tracking up to three habits, or you can upgrade to premium for $2.99, which includes unlimited habit tracking.

StickK

This productivity app gets a nod because it was developed by the behavioral economists at Yale, and it creates plenty of ways to stay inspired starting with being able to bet on yourself. You can also assign friends and family to check on you and see how far your progress has gotten. You will enjoy the user-friendly interface and the easy-to-set goals and habit tracking tools. It’s all based on the principles of Nudge Theory and other similar research projects.

StickK has communities where you can interact with other users and track your progress, find support, and more. It has a “My Campaigns” feature where you can track your habits and goals, including marking milestones and checking them off when they’re complete. This app has a lot of features that make it useful and help it work, but the fact that your money is on the line is often a great incentive for many.

The StickK app is free to use. The only money you’ll spend is on betting for yourself and then failing to complete your routines or meet your goals.

Habitify

This tool offers a simple interface with plenty of features that will help you get things back on track in less time. Habitify will present you with a list of daily habits, let you check them off, and make sure that they get done. It will also allow you to create goals and monitor your progress with an impressive selection of charts and graphs.

The overly simplified app is all about forming good habits. The idea is that if it’s easy, you won’t have any reason not to do it. There's also a Dark Mode, for those who are into that, and it’s free for anyone to use as long as you don’t need the premium features. And, if you do decide to upgrade, it’s less than a good cup of coffee to enjoy Premium access.

Habitify is available for Android, iOS, and Mac, and starts at $4.99 for premium membership. There's also an app for Apple Watch and a Home Screen widget for iPhone.

Make delegation a habit when you enlist the help of Smith.ai

The daily habit tracking apps listed here will all do their part to help delegate and regulate your time, track your habits, and help you improve your life and your business in several different ways. They will also help you feel better about your progress because you can see your successes and the areas where you are struggling, and AI can even offer insights and suggestions based on your existing routines and habits—they really can do it all.

Well, they can do it all when it comes to monitoring and helping improve your routines. When you need someone to monitor your calls and messages so that you can focus on your business, consider our virtual receptionists for the job. We have the experience and understanding it takes to act as the face of your business and ensure that 24/7 customer service and support become a habit every single day.

Schedule your Live Chat consultation now to discuss a custom solution to manage your mission-critical solutions, including Facebook and SMS messaging, appointment scheduling and lead intake, 24/7 live website chat, and more. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484 with questions.