Struggling with procrastination can really throw a wrench in your plans. Thankfully, there are self-help apps that claim to help combat that, but as I soon discovered, the path to digital enlightenment isn’t as smooth as advertised.
1
The Oversimplification Trap
One of the biggest problems with these apps is the oversimplification of simple tasks. For example, during my month-long stint with Finch, I spent the first week checking off tasks like brushing my teeth, drinking water, and washing my face. These are tasks that pretty much every adult does within about 20 minutes of waking up, not to mention that getting them out of the way does nothing to improve my work day.
You can add goals, but most actual activities on Finch are locked behind a paywall. If I wanted to use a free app to remind me to get out of bed and brush my teeth, my alarm app does a pretty good job of that.
These oversimplified tasks are accompanied by unnecessarily playful chimes, notification sounds, and pop-ups, all done to hopefully make life less overwhelming. However, in the process, the app ends up oversimplifying just about every aspect of your day out of the box, with a ton of setup required to get it to function the way you want.
The premise here is that the app is trying not to feel like a burden on you and make things simple and playful. However, some tasks do demand a particular level of seriousness, especially when it comes to work or studies. Using an app to help improve consistency at work or studies that play chimes like your toddler’s favorite toy might not be the right approach here.
2
Setting Up Is Always a Hassle
Speaking of setting up, ensuring these self-help apps work the way you want and keep you on track can save a surprising amount of work. I’m a cybersecurity expert and web developer who deals with malware samples and hundreds of lines of code on a daily basis, and even I struggle to sometimes see where these developers tuck away certain settings or features.
Habitica is a good example to consider here. The basic objective of the app is to gamify your tasks. You make progress in the game and get items by finishing off tasks in the real world. Sounds simple enough right? Well, good luck trying to get a hatching potion, feeding your pet, purchasing equipment, or figuring out how the in-app currency works.
On top of this, you see microtransactions similar to games. While Finch takes a more responsible approach using a paid subscription to allow access to more useful parts of the app, Habitica has in-app gems that you can purchase for cosmetic upgrades. For someone who might be struggling with distractions, that just doesn’t seem like a very good idea. Microtransactions are already ruining the gaming industry, I’d rather they stay away from self-help apps.
Even if you understand everything the app is trying to tell you in the first go, having to create tasks that match your particular requirements is a huge hassle. There’s no universal solution here, but apps can do better than providing basic tasks like brushing your teeth and getting out of bed by default.
3
Notification Burnout
Another rather counterproductive aspect of self-help apps is the frequent notifications. Finch, for example, sends an average of four notifications a day, often during office hours only to tell me to open the app. For someone struggling to concentrate, that’s a big hassle.
I understand that notifications are the app’s only way to interact with users if they’re not opening the app itself. However, developers need to be more thoughtful of the actual notification content. Breaking concentration from my work only to see my self-help app say “I miss you cheep” isn’t very good for productivity.
Habitica does better here, as the app’s notifications are mostly related to the task at hand. However, Habitica’s notifications often got lost among others on my phone, which meant I didn’t see the notification (and hence didn’t get reminded of the task) until later when it was too late.
If you’re on Android, you can disable notification permissions or even control individual notification types from the phone settings. That said, it adds to the mountain of setting up you already need to climb when you’re first starting out with these apps.
4
A Missing Human Element
I’m not a mental health expert, so I won’t comment on the medical benefits or disadvantages of using these apps, but there’s clearly a missing human element here. Finch’s overly positive tone put me off, while Habitica’s robotic obsession with task completion to progress your game takes all the joy out of the actual gamification of your task.
In any case, these apps miss out on the human element that you’d otherwise get by visiting a mental health professional, or therapist, or just talking to a friend. This might be a personal preference, but I found talking to my friends better than struggling with Finch’s made-up pet, as cute as it is.
Mental health is a serious concern, and the best option is to talk to a professional who can help you figure things out and prescribe proper medication if required. Self-care apps can help you remember tasks, but self-diagnosing on the internet or with the help of any apps can do more harm than good.
5
Your Progress Might Be Illusionary
While you may cross off weekly streaks and be labeled a superstar by the app you’re using, it doesn’t necessarily translate to real-world progress. On Finch, I had met my daily minimum activity criteria just by getting out of bed, brushing my teeth, washing my face, and drinking a glass of water. Now the app thinks I’m on a hot streak, while in reality, I’ve not even started my day properly.
You can make app progress go hand in hand with real-world progress, but you’re going to have to take manual control over pretty much every aspect of the app for that. Additionally, the app can’t check if you have finished the task or not. All it needs is for you to tap a button on your phone screen—something I’ve done multiple times just to get rid of a notification or for the app to stop bothering me.
You can achieve similar progress with something as simple as Google Tasks or Sticky Notes on Windows. Google Tasks especially is a great app for setting up to-do lists and getting timely reminders, and it doesn’t play down your tasks or ask you to check in unless required.
6
Data Privacy Concerns
Last but not least, when you’re using a self-care app, you’re providing the app with a lot of data about yourself and at least your phone usage habits. This prevents a huge privacy concern, as any data breach can essentially provide an intruder with the entire blueprint of your life.
These apps encourage you to be real and open up, which means you’ll be jotting down things you’re struggling with, and things you’d want to improve about yourself. That’s not the kind of information you’d want leaked or sold on a dark web forum.
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Another concern here is that your data might be sold off to data brokers and advertisers for running targeted ads. This isn’t anything new, and pretty much every app on your phone collects and sends some data about you to a shady advertiser.
There are a few ways using a smartphone can help your privacy. However, the extent of information that self-care apps have makes them more effective for advertisers, and hence, a bigger privacy concern for you.
Self-care apps come with a lot of promise but don’t necessarily make good on them. For all their claims, they can end up making the problem worse. On the flip side, if you want an app that reminds you of your tasks and helps you get life together, something as simple as a to-do list will do. In my experience, they both require the same discipline.
