20 Seconds vs Habiform

20 Seconds is a simple app, whose only purpose is to count, you guessed it, to 20 seconds. Why, one might ask, 20 seconds? Well, there is a theory that says that 20 seconds is enough time to help you build a new habit, or help you break an existing one. To start with good habits, if you want to do something, you are much more likely to actually do it, if you start within 20 seconds from when you first thought about it. If you wait any longer, you are less likely to go through with it. Conversely, if you want to break a bad habit, waiting 20 seconds after you get the urge, will make it easier for you to avoid doing it. So, when you feel an urge to do something you want to stop doing, start the 20 Seconds app and let it count down. See how you feel about that urge after 20 seconds have passed. While counting down, the app will show a progress indicator, (with or without a random shape), play music or play ticking sounds to distract and amuse you a little bit. It can start counting automatically as soon as you start the app. It also has a 30 day trail of usage in the today widget.

How many times did you try to set up a specific time of day to complete your wonderful new habit but failed to complete it consistently? The core idea of Habiform is to help you avoid that. When you create a new habit with Habiform, you must link it to something you already do regularly, which we call a trigger. For example, getting into the car is your trigger that could lead to the habit of checking that you have your drivers license with you. In the app, you can set such trigger events, and then link your habits to these events. You can specify a time when you expect a trigger to occur, so that the app could remind you to complete it at that time. Habiform aims to only send you reminders for your habits when you really need them, which is when you are still new to the habit. Every several days, Habiform will suggest to turn off reminders for a specific habit, so that you are not disturbed by unwanted notifications. Habiform lets you add implementation intentions to your habits. These are specific steps that you need to take to complete a habit. By making them simple and specific, you will be more likely to actually stick with your habit and have better success at it.