In the age of countless online distractions, new technology might battle procrastination and help one to increase motivation for one's responsibilities. Could your patients benefit from goal-tracking software to improve their oral health? Setting and maintaining personal improvement goals is one of the most difficult things we undertake on a regular basis. Just eight percent of people are able to keep their New Year's resolution, and 73 percent of people who set health and fitness goals give up before reaching them. High on everyone's list? Flossing more regularly. Just as apps have emerged to address nearly every problem or inconvenience in the modern world, there exists a booming market of motivational and goal-keeping software for nearly every demographic, from simple checklist-sorting to detailed incentivized structures.
For those who need to turn everyday life into an adventure, there's Habitica, an app that incentivizes accomplishments of tasks with rewards, achievements and punishments. The app takes a video game-like approach, having you create a character and earn gold to customize your player, unlock new challenges, and encourage your friends to tackle their goals through cooperative game play.
A screenshot from Habitica.
Other apps aim to take advantage of psychological principles, like not wanting to break a chain of desired behavior. A simple app called Chains.cc tracks your progress completing consecutive tasks according to your schedule; every time you perform a scheduled task, a link is added in a decorative chain displaying your "current streak" and your "longest run." Failure to complete a task as scheduled results in the chain starting over with the first link.
A screenshot from Chains.cc.
So why is it so hard to get motivated? Experts say that the two biggest motivation-killers are distractions that break our focus, and not feeling a sense of accomplishment when we finally do complete a task. Strategies that keep us on-task and acknowledge our successes stand the best chance of addressing this, as do setting goals you can keep continually, not just until desired results are achieved. So next time that reluctant flosser presents yet another excuse, the solution just might be hiding on their smartphone.
Sources:
Diamond, D. (2013, January 1). Just 8% of People Achieve New Year's Resolutions. Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#72281f4f304c
Get Motivated With These Apps. (n.d.). Retrieved June 06, 2016, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2464147,00.asp
Samuel, A. (2015). Conquering Digital Distraction. Retrieved June 06, 2016, from https://hbr.org/2015/06/conquering-digital-distraction
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