I love paper because I love to-do lists. I’m pretty terrible at getting anything done unless I write it down and make a plan. But these days, I’m always on the computer and who knows where the crap I put that piece of paper. Ryan probably ate it. Or flushed it down the toilet.
Especially with being pregnant, there are a LOT of to-dos to keep track of… taking my prenatals every day (I’m terrible at that), trying to drink more water, doing my prenatal yoga, practicing hypnobabies, preparing for the new baby, decorating a nursery…. and then my normal every day type stuff: reading books to Ryan, making dinner, running errands, trying to save money and stay on a budget.
AHH! I’m overwhelmed and in want of a piece of paper just from typing out that list.
I’ve found a way to not only keep track of everything, but to also get motivated to keep these things done. You know how you won’t actually do something or complete something unless it really matters to you, right? If you want to lose weight, but you hate your current workout routine, you’ll never do it, which means you’ll never lose the weight. You have to find something you love. Something you enjoy. Something that will make you WANT to get things done.
Mindbloom is a brand new site (launched today) that does just that. Two dads created this to combine the power of behavioral science with the current social gaming phenomenon. You use this website to help you achieve your offline goals. Basically, you choose the categories of your life that are most important to you (remember, to work you have to WANT to make these changes):
Then you get a little baby tree that needs sunshine and water to grow. You give it these things by creating “actions” and then completing them. You can create your own action or pick from a list of ones already made by other members. Once you create an action, a calendar pops up allowing you to pick which day(s) you want to complete that action on.
For example–I put “I will take my prenatals” and “I will drink more water” on every single day. I put things like “have a date night” and “do something special just for Steve” on random days throughout the month and “menu plan” once a week.
Mindbloom also gives you inspiration. You can earn more quotes and images as you complete things, add friends and move up levels. The inspirational images and quotes are related to the categories you picked out as being most important to you.
I’m really excited to use this site daily as an addition to my pregnancy/birth prep–to keep me on task (this pregnancy has been flying by!)–but also to keep me on track with saving money, staying healthy and improving relationships. Here’s an example of a tree that has grown a bit (each leaf on the tree represents one of your important categories):
Here, this video might help you understand a little bit more:
I should mention that the “game” is FREE, but you can add a GrowPro package, which is $34 until Nov. 1st and will then be $89 (it’s a one time fee). It provides access to premium content, rewards and more. It’d make a great gift for someone you know that is working on improving themselves or going through a life change.
Want to win a GrowPro package? I’ll randomly pick 5 winners on NOV. 13 (extended!!!). To enter, just leave a comment on this blog post about what you want to improve or what areas of your life you want to work on. I mean… how could Mindbloom help you?
I think Mindbloom could help me lose weight and watch what I eat!?
[Reply]
I’m with Beth! This sounds really interesting!
[Reply]
Looks very interesting!! I think it could help me stay on track with my diet and budgets.
[Reply]
This looks awesome! I’m really bad at taking my vitamins/eating correctly (so I wouldn’t need to take vitamins!) Maybe Mindbloom could help me with that!! I also think it would be interesting to have it help me and A work on our relationship more. We are totally happy, but with 2 kids we have become AWFUL at making time for just us – maybe Mindbloom would remind us to do so more often!
[Reply]
I’d like to use it as a slideshow/background kind of thing for inspiration! Thanks!
[Reply]
I would use it to help me drink enough water every day!
[Reply]
That’s very cool!!!! Thanks!
[Reply]
I’m with most everyone else I would use it to help me stay on track of my diet 🙂
[Reply]
Ohhh I really want to improve on remembering to pay my freaking bills lol
[Reply]