I’m thrilled to introduce the Happier app!

“Another app?” you may think.  

Yes! And I’ll explain why this app improves (I believe) on existing habit-tracking and lifestyle apps.

In my long study of human nature, I’ve learned that for happiness and good habits, no one-size-fits-all solution exists. There’s no one “right” way or “best” way—only what works for you.

When I looked at existing tools, I saw some limitations.

First, many apps serve a single specific aim, like meditation, sleep, calorie counting, or step tracking. But most of us pursue several aims at once.

For that reason, the Happier app can help you achieve any aim you choose, and you can pursue several aims at the same time. For example, you might…

• Read twenty minutes every night  
• Donate to a good cause each month
• Quit sugar
• Meditate daily
• Take medication

To help you succeed, Happier will nudge you to frame your aim in a concrete, measurable way: “Walk 20 minutes every day,” instead of “Exercise more.”

Second, different tools work for different people. Many apps provide one tool, and if that tool doesn’t work for you, well, too bad. People often get discouraged when a tool doesn’t work, because they think that there’s something wrong with them. “Other people can follow a to-do list—what’s wrong with me?”

The truth is, people are different. Some people love to-do lists; some dislike them. Some people thrive with accountability; some people resist it. Some people want to write a sentence; others, to click a button.

For that reason, Happier allows you to select the tools that work best for you. Just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean that it will work for you—and vice versa.

Third, Happier helps you figure out which tool is most likely to work for you.

Happier uses my Four Tendencies personality framework to suggest the targeted, personalized tool that’s likely to work for you. When you sign up for Happier, you take the quick quiz to find out whether you’re an Obliger, Questioner, Upholder, or Rebel (or, if you already know it, you can select it). Then, when you set up a new aim, the app suggests a tool that’s likely to be useful based on your Tendency.

For instance, “Obligers” excel at meeting their promises to other people, but they struggle to meet their promises to themselves. To meet their aims, they need outer accountability, so Happier suggests using the “Accountability Partners” tool. By contrast, an Upholder would get the suggestion to use “Don’t Break the Chain.”

But of course, you can use any tool you want to use, at any time. Choose from…

• Don’t Break the Chain
• One-Sentence Journal
• Photo Log
• Numbers Tracker
• Accountability Partners

Happier is also packed with tips, hacks, and strategies. It features thought-provoking quotations, know-yourself-better questions, and audio stories. Plus everyone’s favorite feature: “Spin the Wheel,” where you spin to get a five-minute challenge to give yourself a quick happiness boost. This is the app that puts the “app” in Happier!

Plus it’s beautiful to look at, and easy to use. I’ve been working with an extraordinary team to build this tool, and finally, it’s ready to share.

Happier makes it easier to create the habits that will make you happier. This matters, because habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life; change your habits to change your happiness.

It’s easier to change habits than you think—when you do it in the way that’s right for you.

Over the years, I’ve heard from so many people who are discouraged, because they’ve tried and failed many times to make an important change. Research shows that by February 15—let’s call it “Discouragement Day”—about 80 percent of resolvers have abandoned their new year’s resolutions.

To help you to push through this danger zone, and to allow you to decide if the app works for you, we’re offering Happier for free through the beginning of the year. You can start using it now, at no cost.

The Happier app is part of The Happiness Project—a whole ecosystem of products to help people become happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

Some people love the convenience of an app—and so the Happier app works for them.

But some people also love the experience of writing in a journal. For them, I’ve created a set of journals such as the Know Yourself Better Journal, Don’t Break the Chain Habit Tracker, and the One-Sentence Journal.

Most people, I predict, will use a mix of tools. I sure do.

The best time to start a happiness project is five years ago. The second-best time is now. I hope the Happier app and products will help you start now.