Why Habit Trackers Failed Me (And What I Built Instead)

Like most people, I've never been great at sticking to my New Year's resolutions. I'd write them down in January, forget about them by March, and feel guilty about it in December.

A couple years ago, I tried something different. Instead of just listing goals, I used a spreadsheet to break them into smaller steps and journaled how I felt about my progress throughout the year. That combo of small steps plus reflection worked way better for me than any habit tracker ever did.

One of my resolutions this year was to learn iOS development, so I figured why not build an app for the process that actually helped me stick to my resolutions.

What the App Does

Resolutely is pretty simple. You add your goals, break them into steps, and the app asks you short reflection questions throughout the year. There's a tree that grows as you make progress. If you decide a goal doesn't matter anymore, you can deprioritize it.

That last part is important to me. Life changes. Priorities shift. The app doesn't punish you for that.

My Philosophy on Resolutions

I know a lot of people avoid making resolutions because it feels overwhelming, like setting themselves up for failure. I have a different perspective.

I think it's okay, even healthy, to write down goals and aspirations you likely won't achieve. I only hit about 30% of my yearly goals. But through small check-ins throughout the year, I've learned to appreciate what I actually focused my time on.

I find myself getting realistic early on. I drop resolutions that aren't important anymore and stay focused on the ones that matter. That's not failure, that's growth.

The Design Inspiration

I love how Flighty designed their UX. The globe isn't just aesthetic, it's functional. I wanted Resolutely to feel different from standard goal-tracking apps with tabs at the bottom.

Going down this path was way more challenging than I expected. I got a lot of feedback that the UX wasn't intuitive. Ten iterations later, I finally feel good about where it landed.

Privacy and Pricing

Your goals are personal. That's why Resolutely stores everything locally on your device and syncs via iCloud. No accounts, no servers, no way for anyone (including me) to see your data.

I built Resolutely because I needed it. I'm sharing it because I think others might need it too. The core app will always be free.