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Because gamers struggle just like everyone else
I confess, even though I’m Gen-X, I struggle like a Millenial and I feel like I have yet to master adulting. I think about my situation, my feelings, and my life way more than most Gen-X people like to admit. I have anxiety and I definitely have ADHD. I’m not the suck-it-up-buttercup type of Gen-X’er.
I always have my phone with me and I often have it open. Some people think it’s rude but, my phone is my life line. Not only is it the way I communicate with my kids but I manage my gaming and writing with my phone (social media, blogging, building a network), but it’s also filled with my digital toolkit to help me master adulting.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Everything You Need to Master Adulting in One Place
There are a lot of people (mostly people of my generation and older) who think that phones are just a distraction. But they are more than that.
Smartphones can help you manage a lot of things in your life from your finances to your mental health. They help you communicate and they can even help you relax.
Here’s the apps I use to help me master adulting.
#1 Finchcare
This is probably the app that I’ve used most consistently. In fact, as of today, I have a 637 day streak on the Finchcare app. I’ve opened the app 637 days in a row to touch base with myself in the morning. It helps me think about where I am, where the day is going, and where I want it to go mentally and emotionally.
Finch is the self-care app where you take care of yourself by caring for your bird (affectionately called a birb by Finch users). It’s like a modern day Tomagatchi (and if that isn’t Gen-X I don’t know what is!). You get to raise your birb up from a baby by caring for it. Choose a gender (or not), colors for your birb, and let its personality grow.
The app helps you create tasks that are good for your mental health. Walking 10 minutes a day, taking your meds, calling a friend, meditating, or whatever other things you think you need or want to do. You can keep it minimal or you can create a multitude of tasks. It just depends on whether you feel like a few things or a lot of things will help keep you in line.
When you complete tasks, you earn rainbow stones that you can exchange for clothes and furniture decor for your birb. It’s fun to dress up your birb every day and create rooms that reflect your/your birb’s personality. And as you progress through the game (because it really is a way of gamifying your self-care), your birb develops a personality, goes on adventures, learns about themselves, and grows up. You even get to earn pets for your birb to accompany them on their journey.
Finch is an app you can use for free but there is a paid version. The paid version adds various features but you can totally keep using it for free and get a lot of use from it. But if you want, you can apply to have a gaurdian who will sponsor you for a free month.
#2 My Money
I am horrible at managing my money. My credit cards are always carrying a balance (but they aren’t maxed out anymore) and I forget to pay my bills. I forget to pay things sometimes I used to run out of money before the month is out.
Sound famililar?
My Money app (I believe this is available on Android only – if you have an iPhone version, please let me know) helps me keep all that organized and keep track of what bills are paid and how much money I have left in my accounts and the balances on my credit cards. I just check in once a day and record updates.
I love that My Money app makes it easier by allowing you to set up the accounts that are relevant for your life. This isn’t a money app with only pre-set categories for your budget (although you can choose from some that exist). Most money apps don’t let you create the categories that are most relevant to you. For example, not everyone has a Fornite V-bucks category. But I can track how much money I’m spending on V-bucks each month and cut back when I’ve spent too much.
Thanks to this app, I’ve significantly cut back on spending and reduced my consumer debt. In fact, if I continue on the same path I’ve been going on, I am set to pay off all my debt by the end of the first month of 2027 and by the end of 2027, I should have some actual savings!
#3 Lilo App
Relaxing is hard and as much as I love Spotify for music (which should maybe be on this list but I feel like everyone already knows about it), sometimes I don’t want to bother with a playlist. The Lilo app (and on iPhone) takes the decision making out of the process and just plays relaxing lo-fi music.
I love music of all types but when I really want to relax, I don’t want words. I don’t want a specific genre. I don’t want anything too thought provoking. Lo-fi music satisfies my desire to stop thinking.
I am calmest with lo-fi vibes. I work best with lo-fi background music. And it’s just enjoyable.
Lilo just takes the best lo-fi music and plays it like a radio station. It’s simple and free (paid version available to those who want to support and have more stations to choose from – and at 99 cents, it’s a bargain).
And I can block out the temptation to pick up my phone to scroll by putting on zen mode. You just get a nice lo-fi scene and a clock. Or if you’re doing work, you can put it on work mode and it will give you timed work sessions/breaks.
#4 Lunatask
Need a way to keep you on task? Need a calendar that actually works for you? Lunatask (Android, iPhon, Mac, and Windows) might be what you’re looking for.
Although having an app that looks nice isn’t necessary for keeping track of your life, it sure makes it much more likely that I will actually use it! And I love the look of my Lunatask app.
The best thing about Lunatask is that it lets you create multiple to-do list for different parts of your life. Work, personal, gaming, family – whatever parts of your life need organizing. You can also choose an organization method that works best for you. There is the kanban method, priority based and other methods.
Import your calendar and start from there. Then build on it. Get notifications if you want them. Get reminders for time scheduled tasks.
If you use Lunatask, you might have to try a few different methods for tracking to find the one that works best for you but once you find it, you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes in your life.
#5 Alarmy
Do you struggle with getting out of bed in the morning? Me, too, girl. Me, too. All my life, I’ve been the scramble out of bed, brush teeth, slap some make up on, and run out the door type of person. Ok, sometimes I skipped brushing my teeth. Gross, I know. But ADHD…
Anyway…ya, getting up has always been a struggle. I’ve made promises, bribed myself, asked others for help getting up. Nothing worked. I had come to accept that I’m just not a morning person.
I’m still not a morning person. BUT, I can get out of bed at a decent time now. And I don’t hit snooze 9 times until I know it’s not an option anymore or just give up and shut off the alarm anymore.
Alarmy (Android and iPhone) is the app that helped me get up at a decent time every day. It’s not just a normal alarm clock. It basically forces you to get out of bed and WAKE UP!
How? Basically, you have to complete a “mission” to shut off your alarm. Which one you choose to do depends on what gets you up and moving.
For me, when my alarm goes off, I have to go and take a picture of my coffee maker. In the kitchen. On the other side of the house. I have it set so that the alarm goes off and then I have 30 seconds to take the picture. If I don’t take the picture in time, the alarm will go off again. After the third alarm, you can’t shut it off. It will just keep going (getting louder over time) until you get your ass out of bed and take the picture. And it can be a picture of anything. A glass of water. The back door. Your running shoes. Whatever you choose.
There are a bunch of other options like doing a math equation, going on an object hunt, and so on. I like the picture one. It’s easy but it does the trick.
And thankfully, there is an emergency shut off. I have occasionally been out of my house and forgotten to shut off Alarmy and not been able to take a picture of the coffee maker. Then it gives you a task to complete. It’s usually a simple task like tapping the blinking dot (100 times!) but complicated enough to make you wake up.
Alarmy is free to use but of course, there’s a paid version. The paid version gives you more options for the alarm. But honestly, I haven’t seen a need to try the paid version.
When I started to use Alarmy, I realized that I LIKE having time to myself in the morning. I really like not having to rush out the door. And I even like having a regular schedule. And honestly, I feel a little bit more adulty when I get up at a decent time.
These 5 apps have helped me master adulting. Well, mastering – I’m not there yet! But I feel like I’m a little closer every day. It’s progress, so I’ll take it. Let’s face it, adulting is hard and we need every tool we can get to master adulting!
Do you have any apps that have helped you feel more like an adult?
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