The secret to New Year's resolution success

This year, go beyond resolutions  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Cool Tools, by The Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: �€‹ Happy New Year! This is the time for New Year's resolutions. And hey, if resolutions work for you, you should definitely use them. But, for many people, resolutions don't seem to stick. They often seem to be huge goals that will take a while to achieve — or perhaps they're just vague. For achieving change, habits are better than broad "resolutions." Or, if you prefer, think of habits as the steps to actually achieving your resolutions. For example, "get in shape" may be a broad New Year's resolution — but "go for a walk each day" is a concrete habit you can put into place. Once you've built something into a habit, then you can focus on building another habit. Building habits is the best way to achieve lasting change. Of course, you don't need an app for this, but many people find apps motivating. This week I'd like to cover a neat new habit-tracking app I found — and I'll mention some other popular habit-tracking apps I've heard good things about, too. [Chris Hoffman, Author of Windows Intelligence] Chris Hoffman​ Author of Windows Intelligence --------------------------------------------------------------- Track your habits with momentum — not streaks Want some help achieving those New Year's resolutions? Check out [Polar Habits](. ➜ Polar Habits is a simple web-based app — one you can easily install as an app on your phone, too. It gives you a simple dashboard for tracking your progress. (You can track up to three daily habits at a time for free.) ⌚ Polar Habits will take you about a minute to set up, including setting up some habits Polar Habits focuses on momentum, not streaks. Many habit-tracking apps focus on streaks, which can be demoralizing. So you may achieve that daily "take a walk" habit for months on end, only to fail when there's a bad blizzard or hurricane outside. Now you've "broken the streak" and have to start over from square one — and that can be demoralizing. Polar Habits understands momentum is what's important, and even if you miss a habit a few times, what's important is you pick back up and keep on going — and that you can build positive momentum toward a successful habit even if you miss it a few times. All you have to do is open the Polar Habits app once a day and check off the habits you completed that day. It can send you push notifications or email reminders, too, if you like. [The Polar Habits dashboard on Android.] While it may seem a bit limited that Polar Habits only lets you create three daily habits without paying a subscription fee, I think that's actually fine — the best way to build habits is to focus on a few at a time. Rather than trying to change your life by putting 20 new habits into place at once, focusing on a few ones at a time is a more sustainable way to make progress. Polar Habits is great for this. 📌 You can [sign up for Polar Habits on the web](. Use it in any device with a browser or [install it on your Android phone or iPhone](. 💰 Polar Habits is free for up to three daily habits, with a $48 per year subscription or $99 lifetime purchase to unlock unlimited habits and extra features. (But I think the free features should work well for most people!) 🕶 Polar Habits has a simple-looking privacy policy, doesn't require any extra permissions, and it doesn't ask for any information beyond your email addresses and the habits you want to track. Want another habit-tracking app? You might also want to check out: - ​[HabitNow](=) (Android only): A powerful habit-tracking app with tasks and more extra features. (Free for up to 7 habits, $9.99 for Premium.) - ​[Streaks]() (iPhone, iPad, and Mac only): A streamlined app for tracking streaks. ($5) - ​[Habitica]() (Web, Android, iPhone): Want a habit-tracking app that is also an 8-bit RPG? This is your habit-tracking-plus-gaming experience. (Free, with optional microtransactions.) And now, another useful tool for achieving positive habits... ​ SPONSORED MESSAGE New year, new you 🎉 It's time to step away from one-size-fits-all solutions and embrace a weight loss journey that's uniquely yours. [Noom's]( personalized approach starts with a quick assessment that shapes your path toward lasting change. They don't just focus on the numbers on the scale; they focus on the behaviors driving those numbers. By understanding the psychology of your choices, you'll unlock the keys to sustained weight loss. With Noom, you're not just losing weight; you're gaining knowledge, empowerment, and a healthier future. ​[➜ Embrace a sustainable path to a healthier you with Noom, and start your 30-day free trial today.](​ [CLAIM YOUR FREE TRIAL ➜]( ​ This Week's Cool Tools Quiz Mozilla makes the Firefox web browser. Which of the following was not the name of a Mozilla software product? Remember: NO CHEATING! Anyone can look up info on the web. Stick with the spirit of the game and test your actual knowledge without searching. It's just for fun, anyway! [Thunderbird]() [Firebird]() [Sunbird]() [Moonbird]() Answer correctly before next Wednesday and secure your spot on the brand-new [2024 Cool Tools Leaderboard](=)! It's now freshly reset, and we're starting anew for 2024. Speaking of which: Congratulations to our [2023 Cool Tools Hall of Fame champions](=)! By this time next year, you too could be immortalized in our Hall of Fame. 👉 Last week's question and answer: Active noise cancellation is pretty common in earbuds and headphones these days. In which decade did the concept first come around? The 1930s. Believe it or not, the first active-noise-cancellation-related patent was filed in 1936 by a U.S. inventor named Paul Lueg. Early ANC systems were quite limited and focused mostly on helicopter and airplane use. It wasn’t until the 80s that the first commercial noise-reducing headsets started to become available. 🤚 Wait! 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