Onwards and upwards in 2015

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope 2015 is a great year for you and that you can achieve all you want to this year. I think that recent events both very close to home in Glasgow and further afield in Australia and  Paris show that we need to make the most of every day.

Put your plans in motion, do the things you want to do, travel to the places you want to see. If you want to change career or start your own business go for it. Life is too short for regrets or missed opportunities.

This year I plan to get back up to speed with blogging, my output recently has been very poor. All the draft articles I've been working on will soon see the light of day.

My fitness is another area I plan to improve on. Hopefully I will manage some more bike rides this year as well as stepping up my general exercise levels.

Creativity wise, as well as blogging I hope to be more productive in general. Play more guitar, get back into drawing, take more photos.

Technology wise I have just got a PlayStation 4 which is great. The graphics are amazing, especially since my current/previous console was a Nintendo Wii. This might scupper all the other plans however as I can see it taking up a lot of my time if I'm not careful.

It's the CES technology show at the moment in Vegas. It's the annual conference where companies showcase their products that will be coming over the next few years. Its always a mixture of exciting glimpses of the future, some of the next big things and a collection of random nonsense. I'm sure we will see some of the key items making their way to the mainstream over the next 12 months.

Is there anything you are looking forward to in 2015, technology related or otherwise?

Raising your skill levels

There seems to haves been a recent trend in the gamification of learning and personal improvement. By that I mean more and more websites and apps related to improving yourself have taken an influence from gaming and role play.

The gain from any personal improvement has generally always been the improvement itself, eg getting fitter, learning a language or being more productive. Now however that doesn't seem to be enough, in our short attention span world where more and more things are competing for our valuable free time these services have had to resort to other means to keep our interest.

Most of these services now feature a combination of points and level based achievements. Some even have additional challenges and tasks to unlock and raise your profile. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, in fact its probably the opposite as they do manage to sustain your attention where you may otherwise had drifted away after the initial burst of interest has gone.

Health and fitness apps such as Map my ride, Strava or Fitocracy  are some of the most popular examples. These log your distance travelled (ran/walked/cycled etc), let you compare against others, set personal bests and compete in local challenges. 

Learning or lifestyle apps like Duolingo the popular language learning tool, or brain training apps like Lumosity offer a similar service. Here you can score points as you learn and level up as your knowledge grows.

Another category are the productivity apps like Todoist or Wunderlist. Both of which allow you to create and manage tasks lists. Again you are rewarded with points for logging in, creating or completing your tasks. 

Are these an example of our constant need for stimulus, or the advantage of smartphone culture and how it can improve our life experiences? Is it another example of our need for peer approval as we share these achievements on social media? Some think the opposite however, as the community aspect of these apps often help users stick with it or overcome challenges when their motivation is failing.  

Perhaps this is one of the main benefits over traditional go-it-alone self improvement. It can be the extra boost needed when struggling to go the extra distance or stick in for another lesson. Instead of the solitary run where it doesn't matter if you turn back early for home. Or stepping away from the learning zone to watch TV. Knowing you have a group behind you sharing advice, giving you praise on your achievements, or getting that next badge may be what you need to keep going.

What do you think? Are these useful tools of our smartphone world, or an example of our short attention spans? Have I missed any good examples of similar apps that make a difference in your life? Let me know in the comments.