It's a potentially concerning sign of the times, but my morning is dictated by my apps. On an average day, I start off by putting in a mobile Dunkin' order, checking my sales on Poshmark and my rentals on Pickle, and playing the New York Times games before shifting over to the more serious work apps.
As of last week, I added a new app to the morning mix: Finch, which is sort of like a to-do list mixed with a Tamagotchi. My ultimate goal with this whole morning app rotation is to resist the siren call of social media and, with it, an unproductive start to the day. This app, I reasoned, would help me be even more productive by giving me structured goals and rewards for my real-world responsibilities.
Finch is a little bird who thrives on your success
Finch is an app that gamifies your productivity. As you complete daily tasks and mark them done in the app, you nourish a little bird, who grows and thrives based on how much you give them. It's a very cute concept. The more you accomplish and interact with your bird, the more "adventures" they go on, skills they develop, and growth they achieve.
The app comes pre-loaded with tasks and—I won't lie—they were a little more basic than what I needed. They include things like "get out of bed" and "drink water." I can imagine being in a funk bad enough that these little reminders (and the in-game rewards that come with completing them) would be helpful, so I found that sweet, but not beneficial for me.
I kept a few of them in the to-do list for some easy wins, but was able to add in the other things I want to accomplish daily, like "work out." You can tie the completion of certain tasks to in-game challenges, earning specific prizes for, say, washing your face seven days in a row. You can also set tasks to occur weekly, monthly, or at whatever interval makes sense for you.
Finch offers motivation to be productive, without the shame
The interface is really simple to use and understand, which I appreciate. All I have to do is open the app and tap a checkmark next to a task to indicate I've done it. From there, I earn rewards, like in-game currency, new traits for my bird, and I can buy her little outfits or whatever. It's rudimentary, yes, but it's very relaxing and pleasant.
I like this more than other productivity apps because it doesn't shame you in any way. It's encouraging, not stressful, and the game element is novel and cute enough to keep it interesting. (Not to brag, but my bird has very nearly grown from a baby into a toddler, all because I drank some water and washed my face.)
There's also no major time commitment. If all I wanted to do was check off items on my list, that would be fine. There are rewards for doing other things—like following guided breathing or stretching exercises, listening to soundscapes, writing down daily reflections, and chronicling your overall emotional state—but no penalties for not doing them, so the game element here is only positive, not competitive or stressful.
It's very clear that this is, above all, a self-care app, but it's entirely possible to input more concrete to-dos into your list. I spent my first week using it lightly, mostly relying on those early-stage goals the app came up with, but now that I've gotten the hang of it (and my bird needs some cute new outfits) I'm going to add more of my work and home-based tasks. This is going to be especially helpful as a cleaning checklist, since I've liked but not loved any of the other ones I've tried.
The app is available on iOS and the Google Play store. It's free and you can totally just use the free version, but for $39.99 per year, you can access more exercises and shop items, plus customize the little icons that appear next to your to-dos. You get a seven-day free trial to see if you're into all that, but it's not especially necessary. The free version does everything you need.
