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Reach your 2021 goals with custom apps — no coding required

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We’re nearly a month into 2021, and for some of us, that could mean we’re hitting a New Year’s resolution roadblock. But don’t lose all hope just yet: Research suggests that many of the positive changes we want to make are less about our will power and more about removing the hurdles between each of us and the things we want to do. That’s where technology — especially custom apps — can help.

Whether your goals involve losing weight, being more organized or getting outside more, apps can help you track your progress without getting in your way. And if you want to build your own custom app for these purposes (or if your resolution is in fact to make your own app), we’ve got you covered. 

AppSheet is Google Cloud’s no-code application development platform, and even if you don’t know HTML from Python, you can use it to create powerful applications without writing a single line of code. You can get started with AppSheet directly from Google Sheets, just like creating a Google Form. 

AppSheet can work with almost endless combinations of data, functionality and personalization. We’ve created three app templates that target some common New Year’s goals to get you started.


1.  Get in shape and track your progress.

Finding a fitness routine is perennially one of the top resolutions — and it’s easy to lose sight of this goal without a structured plan and a way to track (and be motivated by) your momentum. There are lots of fitness apps, but maybe you need something super-specific to your workout. If this sounds like you, don’t worry: Using AppSheet, you can build a custom fitness app that can do things like record your sets, reps and weights, log your workouts and show you your progress. 

Image showing three phone screens next to each other, each with different features of a workout tracking app on them.

2. Better manage your day to day tasks.

Many people are no doubt hoping to be better organized in 2021 — and a customized task management app could be the key. Everyone manages their tasks in slightly different ways: Some like to organize them based on progress, some based on priority, some want recurring reminders for things like paying rent. With AppSheet, you can start with  a task management app template, to build an app suited exactly to how you like to work.

Image showing a tablet screen and phone screen next to each other, each with different elements of a task management app on them.

3. Remember to get outside

Even during a pandemic, it’s important to get outside and get fresh air. Depending on how the year progresses, you may want to take some trips to the wilderness — but achieving this goal can be harder than it seems, since even simply finding and navigating the right outdoor space can be challenging. Living in Washington, near three national parks, I’ve really enjoyed going out and exploring them, so I built this National Parks app that makes it easy for me to save info like maps, park description, and park history. I’ve set a goal to visit a dozen parks over the next two years, and I’m using my app to track that. You can easily copy this app and customize it for the places you want to visit and hikes you want to complete. 

Image showing two phone screens side by side. One has a map with different parks on it, the other has a description of the Grand Canyon.

These are just a few examples — with AppSheet, you can build custom apps to help you accomplish nearly any resolution. We hope this trio helps you get started, and we look forward to publishing more great tutorials soon to help you have a healthy and productive 2021. 


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