“Motivation is what gets you started.
Habit is what keeps you going.”
~Jim Rohn

Happy New Year!

The above e-mail is great and got me thinking about one of mankind’s greatest challenges: the curse of procrastination. That e-mail made me recognize that at least half the “productivity battle” is the awareness and understanding of the power of habit, and I love that The Habit Factor® has provided RK both the motivation and the methodology (notice he just downloaded the FREE Goals and Habits Tracking Worksheet) to create the change he desires!

I thought I’d begin this post with a sort of reflective gratitude list. I’m totally blown away by the many new friends and supporters THF has generated and the new opportunities the app and now book have created. It’s so rewarding to connect with like-minded people. So, here we go:

1) Amazon/Kindle and YOU!: Thank you! It’s been a rockin’ 2011 and hard to believe 2012 is already here. Last year kicked off with The Habit Factor® book going LIVE. It was incredible and surprising when it quickly rose to several bestseller categories (mostly Kindle – I think this tells you all you need to know about the future of digital publishing/distribution. Of course, the Kindle version is $9.99 (Amazon is currently knocking 20% off that) and the hardcover is $25.95). I think I’m even more surprised today to know that, a year later, the book is outselling even its early launch sales figures. The below screen shot was taken on a day I noticed the Kindle ranking in 3 bestseller categories (and I love those categories!). The message and book is timeless, but you never know how any book will initially be received, particularly your first.

2) Google and Android Marketplace: It (the Android marketplace) is certainly a different APP world compared to iTunes. But, having said that, the reception has been fantastic!

3) Back to Amazon: The new Kindle Fire and new Amazon App Store: It’s early yet, but we (EEI) have just released THF for Android within the Amazon App Marketplace, and as of this writing, it’s in the Top#50 Productivity category there as well!

4) Kindle Highlights Feature: This is in many ways even better than the Amazon Reviews since it offers you the ability to see what sentences/thoughts people are gravitating to, and what they are highlighting and publicly sharing from the book. I was floored to check in on these highlights and see that the book ranked right next to a hero of mine, Dr. Wayne Dyer and his great book, The Power of Intention.

5) The Many Great Influencers/Bloggers: In no particular order, thank you for your ongoing support for THF. You helping to spread the word has been invaluable. Apologies to anyone I’ve forgotten: Roz Savage, Donna Maria, Mike Jansen, Christopher Payne, @girlswithgoals. Also, thanks to the many productivity bloggers (you can see an abbreviated list here) as well as top international blogs like Mashable.com and Lifehacker.com.

6) Apple & iTunes: For the various features and the opportunity as well as ecosystem to share both our app and book.

7) To the many incredible and prolific authors who’ve supported THF long before it was ever published and continue to support it to this day: Brian Tracy, Michael E. Gerber, Chip Conley, Dr. Anthony Smith and Holly Green.

To The Rock and EO SD who have helped to develop, refine and evolve THF in new and exciting directions.

9) To the GREAT Fans & Friends on Facebook (1500+ or so). The Facebook page is a little new to us, but we expect to get better at utilizing this forum to interact better with you!

10) A Special Thank You to the reviewers and users of the app and book! It’s your great comments about the app (the constructive, helpful ones) that helps us to create an even better product!

11) Twitter: As painful as Twitter is for me at times, it’s proven to be a fantastic medium to bring attention to THF and connect with so many remarkable people.

12) To the many supportive professionals out there, such as the coaches and trainers who are sharing and recommending both the app and book to their clients. There is no greater honor and personally, as THF evolves, I believe it will be those like-minded coaches and trainers who are ultimately responsible for taking THF to the next level by spreading the word. Your professional support and recommendations are the highest honor!

13) I’ll stop at 13 (I think). This one is tough. THANK YOU to another longtime hero of mine, Mr. Steven Jobs. Your vision for the iPhone, iTunes (ecosystem) and of course apps has enabled little ol’ me to create this tool/app that’s proven to help transform so many people’s lives. You’ve left the world (as far as I’m concerned) a much better place, created probably millions of jobs, made life easier and sparked countless new industries and opportunities for millions around the world. I’m not sure what else to say other than Thank you, Sir, and of course my deepest condolences to the Jobs family.

A bit more: Without getting too philosophical here, I believe WE have a significant and fundamental challenge that lies before us (read the below quote by William James from the book). Seems to me not a heck of a lot has changed since 1892. How can this be? You don’t think he was passionate enough about his message? That quote is so powerful! Yet it appears his message has been lost in time. So, I guess what I’m suggesting is this is a MISSION that lies before US, both me and YOU (in fact), should you choose to accept it. The mission, of course, is to help shift the current, predominant perception of HABIT.

Who is teaching kids/young adults (heck, even adults) TODAY about the significance of habit? That is, what is habit? My contention still remains that HABIT ought to be a subject matter in school much like Spanish or French or English.

Until I can ask any random kid to tell me what habit is (define it) and his answer isn’t “drugs, swearing, smoking or drinking,” but something like, “Habit is my greatest gift for achievement. If I craft and harness the power of habit, I will be able to achieve nearly any goal I set for myself.” Until I hear that sort of answer, OUR work isn’t done. So, I greatly appreciate your efforts to help make this a reality in the not-too-distant future!

I guess it starts with a book, an app and a receptive mind.

Thanks for a terrific 2011! I know 2012 will be even more exceptional!

~mg

BTW: Almost forgot, if you’re like RK (above) and wondering about whether THF is headed toward a web app/portal, there’s a bit of that at the end of this article in newsfactor and more background about the origins of THF, Thanks!

As 2011 nears its end and given that it is Thanksgiving Day, it’s a perfect time for me to say my “thank yous” and reflect a little on the remarkable year that 2011 has been/continues to be.

First, The Habit Factor® book went live and you might say it could be a case study for the radical changes in the publishing industry. The Habit Factor® continues to outsell many of it’s contemporary and classic “self-help” books and we’re competing against major publishing houses. (Not sure “competing” is the right word here…?) In any event, someday I’ll share another post as to why and how I think this is happening— other than it being a “solid” book that provides a lot of value, (of course : ) i think there are some other dynamics at play as well. The book is routinely featured in three of Amazon’s bestselling “Self Help categories; Creativity, Personal Transformation and Motivational. And, as you might guess, this is very encouraging. Unlike the large publisher’s books, which often only skyrocket out of the gates from the initial hype; promotions, publisher’s own purchases, etc., then fizzle, The Habit Factor’s sales trend is that it continues to outpace each of its prior month sales.

HIGHLIGHTS?
Funny you should say ask. My favorite and perhaps the most rewarding aspect of writing and publishing this book comes from the Amazon Kindle’s POPULAR HIGHLIGHTS feature.  These are highlights that the Kindle reader makes available/public for other readers to see. I just stumbled upon this feature earlier this month— it’s incredible to see the passages people highlight. It’s also really cool since Amazon even ranks the book among the million-plus kindle books. So, as of this writing, it’s already in the low 3,000′s! Again, out of a million-plus kindle books, and given the book’s 1yr age, our belief is this is a terrific sign of things to come!

Just a sample of the reader public reader Kindle Highlights…

Since they don’t call them “best-written” books but, rather “best-selling” books, these highlights make the sales far more rewarding. I’ve been told by one of the all-time, best-selling business authors that the majority of books purchased are actually never read. I’m not sure why that is or was news to me, but seeing these highlights tells me people are in fact reading the book too! (i think ).

More eBook, or iBOOK in this case:
The iTunes, iBook release of The Habit Factor® is NOW live too! So, if you prefer reading/using the iPad check it out. Aside from ONE user’s technical challenge (which somehow turned his review of the iBook into a plea for tech support) the feedback has been positive. It’s rare but occasionally a user confuses the delivery method and payment/transaction handling from either iTunes or Google as something within OUR control. In each case, thankfully and finally, the user understands that we don’t handle the transaction or delivery of content, that it’s Apple and/or Google. Yes, you could say it’s a learning experience for everyone.

What’s up with the APP?
The app continues to benefit from the same sort of word of mouth advertising that fosters the book sales. And, better still, each supports the other. Plus, it seems every week or so, some productivity blog somewhere features either the book, the app or both. THANK YOU bloggers! You may have seen that Lifehacker (a top Internet productivity blog) ran a short feature on my TEDx talk in the Emirates about habits and goals.

This all adds up to something pretty special— validating the model that the BOOK = the Theory and the app = of course, the literal application of said theory makes for a powerful productivity combo! The Habit Factor was the first of its kind in this new app world, to offer such a combo. As I wrote the book I believed it was important to separate it from all the other motivational/self-help books that might get people excited for change but left wondering what to do next.

Here’s another ‘thing’ to be grateful for, all the great comments, posts, emails, tweets and reviews from supportive readers/users!

Regarding the app’s next release (iPhone update). Our developer’s have run into a significant challenge that has delayed the release (scheduled for early this month). It is very likely that with the iTunes holiday shut down period, we will now have to postpone the release until after the Holidays. Even if the release were ready today/now (and it isn’t) if there were any issues.bugs we’d not be able to get a new fix/update into the iTunes store before this Holiday shutdown, making any release for the PRO product at this point – not viable. We do plan on releasing a small, incremental fix for the LITE version but this won’t contain the PRO updates that are in the works.

A update/release (minor) is coming to Android within the next month and we plan is to release THF Android edition into Amazon Marketplace too!

Final word…
This post is already way longer than intended (hate when that happens). So, I will leave you this (should you still be looking for even more info/background). Here is a YouTube video (not short, about 15mins) by Life Coach, Chris Payne about the book. As Chris explains it in the video, he found the app very helpful and started recommending it to colleagues and clients and then when the book came out, he was eager to read it. After he completed it, he felt the message was worthy of an invite to TEDx (Chris was a co-orginizer of the TEDx event in the Emirates). This video was his first take, he actually has posted two similar videos. This one already has nearly 500 views. BTW: not ashamed to share that the first time i saw this i nearly cried—  too kind and thoughtful.

Chris Payne’s Video review of The Habit Factor®

Final, Final (promise)
Speaking of Holidays… Amazon has been (not sure how to put this) screwing around with the availability of the hard cover. In any event, the hard cover rarely says “In Stock” now and mostly 1-4 weeks. Now, keep in mind we’ve never heard from anyone that it’s actually taken 4 weeks to arrive however, at this point Amazon isn’t being too user-friendly. So, if you’re thinking about that next great and EASY holiday gift, (the gift that truly keeps on giving) a reminder to get your orders in early. I have heard from numerous people that last year’s gift was so well received they are still receiving “Thank yous” for the book. Who’s that person/loved one in your life that is looking to bust-through to the next level, to get the most out of their abilities, skills and special talents?

Thanks for taking so much time to learn more about THF and stay up to date and we’ll have more coming soon. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,
-mg

Right on schedule, another holiday — another blog post.

Happy Labor Day!

A couple more pictures from Dubai

Without these photos (maybe even with these photos) it’s all still pretty surreal; those five days I spent in the UAE went by so fast. (It’s a long way from San Diego!) These pics are from the Tedx (AlAin) trip to the Emirates, taken the day after the event in Dubai. I was very fortunate to be escorted around Dubai by the great local artist (with international fame) Wasel Safwan, who also presented at the event. His art is really incredible (click on his name/link)! (and, IMHO that is very rare for young expressionists). The picture to the left is from our visit to the “world’s most luxurious hotel,” Burj Al Arab. I love this photo because of the Phantom Rolls perfectly propped in the foreground. The other photo was taken just after our visit to the top of the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, and heading back out of town toward AlAin. Walking past the world’s largest aquarium inside the world’s largest mall (something you must do) to arrive at the top of the world’s tallest building – in a rocket-elevator – all combined to make the experience even more memorable! Note: Those “small” buildings in front (probably 45-55 stories tall) give the 160-plus-story building some perspective. I just kept shaking my head thinking that building would come into focus (which it was), but my brain had nothing, ever, to gauge a building that size against and it just didn’t compute, no matter how long I would stare at it.

New Website, etc.

In the event that you haven’t seen it yet, we’re spinning off The Habit Factor® to its own website, which will be dedicated to coaching, lessons and all things THF that stem from the book and app. Additionally, new coaching and videos will be unveiled there. We’ve also begun our partner and application portal planning, where ultimately the app and devices will sync to the web/cloud. Such a site will allow for a collaborative environment (coaches, content, app users), a personal development ecosystem around The Habit Factor®.  And, as the app, products and services around The Habit Factor® continue to mature, we’ve been encouraged by a number of coaches to start a Certified Partner Program. This too is in its very early stages (not yet beta either). However, we have kicked off enrollment for qualified coaches and trainers here with incentives for early adopters.

Other News:

• A few notes about recent comments about the app. While the large majority of reviews are from happy, supportive users with positive and constructive feedback, there are (and we’re guessing there will always be) those ‘other’ reviews. Hence, we keep creating a larger disparity between the Free and Paid versions of the app. Today, if you want to hate the app – you’ll have to spend a lot more money: ). So please, just use the FREE/LITE version first. Other comments:
  • If you want a REMINDER or believe a Push notification will save you and this app, please see the Support Page Tips & Tricks #4.
  • If you are using Android and have a problem with the interface, our thought is you should have noticed that interface using the Free version. Strange that you bought the app to complain about the interface.
  • If you are confused as to why you can’t have the exact same Goal name. Please know, that is a feature, not a bug. (Seriously).
  • To the guy who’s used the app for months (presumably getting value or he wouldn’t use it for ‘months’) yet, “trying to contact support” and gave the app a poor review: Not sure where you were looking for support? Also, glad to hear you got months’ worth of use but don’t think it’s any good. : )
  • SPEED! If you’ve been using the app for many months or years and have a lot of tracking data and would like to speed up the app, please see Support Page, FAQ #18
  • We sincerely love the support and feedback, and since Apple and Android don’t allow us to post responses, we have to respond somewhere!
  • We are working on a couple new releases of THF for both iPhone and Android. There’s also a good chance in the next month or so, The Habit Factor® will be available within the Amazon app marketplace.

Hope you enjoyed our Labor Day/Back2School Sale!

Until next time,

~mg

TEDx AlAin

I should probably pick up where I left off. In the last post I intimated I had a little date in the Middle East. Turns out it wasn’t so little actually, an incredible opportunity to present some “basics” about The Habit Factor® at a TEDx conference in the founding city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) AlAin. The presentation was limited to about 18 minutes and given that the book is 230+ pages, identifying and consolidating a few choice ideas about habit and goal achievement was certainly a challenge however, it was also a great exercise.

While my invite was as certainly formal, it wasn’t until the plane tickets actually arrived that I was certain it was going to happen. Largely because the timeline was so tight. The invite came late February and the event was early May. Although, having said that, A HUGE THANK YOU to the event organizers Chris Payne and Sajjad Kamal and the sponsors including Etihad Airlines (Wow!) That was the best business class flight I’ve ever experienced (by far). Highly recommend Etihad if you’re flying to UAE. If the event itself and the people weren’t so incredible the flight might’ve been the highlight of the whole trip! Find out more about the organizers and event at their facebook page here.

Remarkable people and such a rich and proud culture. I toured Dubai for a day with another presenter, a great artist named Wasel. You can find his art on the same page, or check youtube. Incredible stuff!! The other presenters were fascinating people. From a professor and PhD in robotics, Nikolaos Mavridis to Caterina Lo Mascolo, founder of UNIVERSKA and other local personalities. There was a great party afterward where all the presenters and all the crew who worked tirelessly to ensure the event went off without a hitch were able to celebrate and let off a little steam. I learned so much about the culture of AlAin and UAE. It was an unforgettable experience.

Kindle & iPad/iBook

The Habit Factor® finally cracked the iBook/iPad market and is now for sale in the iBook marketplace. That was probably more difficult than it had to be. iTunes (Apple) was hung up on one graphic that nobody else (Kindle, Nook) seemed to think was a problem so each time you have to edit/fix then resubmit you’re looking at another ten days or so for approval. Kindle sales have been on fire (relatively speaking) and once again, I think I now understand why it’s called “Kindle“.

Other news

We expect to have the Google eBook in the Google marketplace this month. YES! the Audio Book is under development. THANK YOU for your continued interest in our Habit Factor for trainers and coaches program (Link above). If you are a trainer and coach and have an interest in strategically differentiating yourself from your competition and aligning with the #1 Goals and Habits mobile app and methodology, sign up today. There is a lot more happening but I’ll leave it there for now. Have to go enjoy the holiday w/ the family.

Happy Fourth!

until next time.

-mg

At this point, you can probably tell that it’s gone from a strange coincidence to a minimum requirement for the equilibrium blog to update/post at least on major holidays. So why the slow updates? just busy being busy. Not really the biggest priority to blog at the moment. However, it’s not due to lack of updates/news to share.

Reviews:

The reviews right now are fantastic for both apps. you ever notice how people will devalue what they get for free and value what they pay for? Well, there is no difference when it comes to apps. Particularly Goal and Habit apps. Here are a few recent great reviews/tweets about the PRO paid version. (US $6.99).

The first review below is great because highlighted, you’ll note it says, “This app helps me reach what i’m aiming for without letting TIME GET THE BEST OF ME.” Time seems to get the best of EVERYONE. We all tend to lie in bed at night and wonder WHY it is we aren’t any closer to achieving our goals. By breaking our goals down to ESSENTIAL habits we are FORCED to integrate these behaviors DAILY into our lives (HABIT). Thereby, preventing time from getting the ‘best of us’ and keeping that critical momentum so required for goal achievement.

I really love that statement because the app is nearly two years old and I hadn’t thought of it in that regard. It’s another perfect example of why you will want to NOT work from a To-Do list to achieve your goal more quickly. Why SMART Goals are slightly stupid so to speak. You have to experience it to believe it!

The few other reviews I love are there because they are from a Psychologist, educator/mental health professional and, even, ‘chick’ who says she’d but an iPhone just to use The Habit Factor app! : )

So, the reviews are terrific. The user feedback has been fantastic and perhaps even better, the BOOK continues to gain momentum and praise. Very rewarding since the book is the awareness/spark enabling the methodology and implementation supported by the app. BTW: Now i know why they call it the KINDLE. Because Kindle sales have been on fire.

THE BOOK, TedX, United Arab Emirates

I’ve received an invite to present at a TedX conference in the United Arab Emirates (AlAin). It looks like the event date is around May 7th and I’ll present (in brief, about 20 minutes) on the book and app. At this point I’m still awaiting the tickets they will be sending. I expect that is going to be a memorable experience!

I forgot to mention that I also did an NPR interview on Talk of the Bay, 88.9. That was fun and Rick is a great guy. HUGE thank you to Martha Cullimore for arranging that and chauffeuring me to and fro. THANK YOU!

until next time,

-mg

Here we go again with yet another holiday blog post. And, it turns out Valentine’s Day is appropriate since it appears the collective LOVE for the app (iphone and android) and now BOOK has never been be stronger. THANK YOU! So, we’re definitely “Feeling the Love.” Each and EVERY email – tweet, comment inspires us to build a better app and keep spreading THF’s important message.

The app was yet again featured in another mashable.com post… That’s right, KILL the angry birds app and GET PRODUCTIVE when killing time – start tracking those habits!

Did someone say PRODUCTIVE? A few app users comment on their productivity since using the The Habit Factor®!

This review is from a new ANDROID user – love his word selection, “Potent.”

A few more comments from the iPhone world… “Off the roof”? I think that may be a great hybrid statement; “off the charts” + “through the roof” = “Off the roof!”

A Psychologist chimes in…

Even a rocker busted a tweet about the app… (sure she’ll figure out it’s not really a ‘todo’ app)

The BOOK

it’s terrific to see the instant response people can have with the book, particularly the KINDLE. These comments left us saying “Wow” and thank you!

We were tipped off by a tweet that the BOOK was #1 in Amazon France “Entrepreneurship” upon its debut. That didn’t suck!

So, there you have it (at least for now). Thanks for spreading the word and the love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

~Martin

The Habit Factor® Book is here!

Happy Thanksgiving! (appears we can only update this blog every major holiday or so lately.)

She (the book) has been many years in the making and I’m confident she helps to explain both the “WHY” and “HOW” behind the apps practical and proven methodology and now world-wide acclaim.

Unfortunately, too many people still confuse The Habit Factor app for a ToDo type app. Or, they think its too complicated to take approximately five minutes to setup the habits and the goals. (This is a bit ironic; how committed is a person to their goal if they can’t take five minutes to setup the foundational parameters?)

Back to the book: here’s a true story about the impact the message of the book has already had. My collaborator Dave Allen confided that he only used the app briefly about a year ago then stopped. (Interestingly, his own goal is to write a book.) It wasn’t until he began editing/collaborating on The Habit Factor book did the methodology and message sink in. “I really didn’t get it but after reading/rereading this 30 times… now, I use the app religiously. The shift is subtle but very significant, there are important messages in this book that the app simply can’t convey or i just didn’t intuit, maybe some people do.”

So, his comments are probably both good and bad. The good news is he definitely ‘gets it’ now. The unfortunate part and a bit of irony from an app stand point, is that a “simple” app has the depth / significance of a nearly 250 page book.

Speaking of the book, you’ll find it’s received tremendous testimonials and endorsements from some of the biggest names in personal development, business and leadership; Brian Tracy, Michael E. Gerber, Chip Conley and Dr. Anthony Smith for starters. A launch date is forthcoming but we’re projecting mid December!

Android, The Habit Factor® now LIVE!

It’s true, the “best habits and goals app” now comes to all Android mobile devices. Android users will now get to tap into Habit Alignment Technology™ as well! Notice the VERIZON logo!? (in the picture, right — on top of the BOOK!)

Yes, Android lovers, the app is officially here. The Habit Factor® for Android is expected to be available early December! We appreciate your requests (demands– see above email image) for the app and your patience! We’re undergoing some final QA testing and it’s off to the Android Marketplace. The features and capabilities will match those of the current 1.7.1 iphone/ipod app. We plan to provide a free, limited  edition version as well as a paid, full version. Note: Free version release date not identified yet.

Happy Holidays Android Lovers, this is how, as one blogger put it, you make your smart phone truly smart.

New Release of The Habit Factor® for iPhone, 1.9 coming soon…

We are about two weeks away (or so) of releasing the latest iphone/ipod/ipad version of THF. Your feedback has been terrific and we’ve integrated your top requests, including;

• Password Protection, with tip recovery
• IOS 4 Optimization
• New Chart Actuals vs Targets
• Improved Backup/Restore
• Improved stability and speed
• Updated quotes
• Ability to Tweet quotes
• New Splash Screen

We’re excited about reaching an even wider audience with the introduction to the Android platform and now, with the release of the book, we’re even more confident the importance of the message behind the app will continue to spread.

Until next time…

Happy Fourth of July!

An update today is fitting for several reasons 1) it’s long overdue, 2) it was on this day exactly one year ago that The Habit Factor® reached its highest iTunes (US) ranking, #10* and, of course, it’s a day to celebrate our country’s independence and honor the great men, founding fathers who had the vision and foresight to craft a living document that is still, to this day, a model of freedom for governments throughout the world. See BEN FRANKLIN (Virtues app).

Speaking of Ben Franklin and the VIRTUES app, a Blog named The Art of Manliness just featured the app here. (Click Image to link).

“How was June?”, you ask.
June was incredible! It marked the 1yr anniversary of The Habit Factor’s launch (June 20). And, fittingly, much like it’s initial debut which skyrocketed the app to the Top 20 (US), June 2010 proved to have one fantastic surprise after the next helping us achieve all sorts of new sales milestones!

First, UK iTunes store featured the app in the “Staff Favourite” section. Then, a couple weeks later, we were alerted to iTunes Australia featuring The Habit Factor® in it’s “New and Noteworthy” section. Turns out this feature wasn’t just in the “Productivity” section which would have been tremendous— no, turns out it was featured FRONT page of the iTunes store!

Then we were surprised to find out that The Habit Factor® received a notable mention by one of the Internet’s most popular blogs, Mashable.com which featured The Habit Factor® as one of the “Top 8 iPhone apps for Self Help”. (click image to link to review).

Our Facebook fan page clocked its 1000th fan (THANK YOU!) and we received a fantastic testimonial from a man who knows more about achievement and productivity than 99% of the world’s population, Mr. Brian Tracy. (I didn’t even know this, the man has written 55 books translated in 36 languages!). Brian Tracy is a productivity machine and a personal development legend. His endorsement of the app and now the book is incredible! Yes, the book. The book, The Habit Factor® is coming out soon!

And, btw: we’re loving the twitter love

ANDROID app on the way…
Since we’re talking about things coming out soon (yes, the book really is coming out soon!) — let it be known, THF Android flavor is on the way. So, while we greatly appreciate the inquiries about Android, you can save your email! It is too soon to give any realistic delivery dates though. However, we’re very pleased to share that bit of news and equally pleased to see the number of requests interested in seeing THF in the Android space!

Back to FREEDOM
The fourth of July is about freedom. I think we’ve all found that freedom has many faces. The most significant form of freedom I believe is choice — the ability to choose what you want (even your own thoughts!). The ability to create your ideal future.

The Habit Factor® was invented to help people create their ideal future and achieve big goals via diligent tracking of their habits. Doing so would not only help them achieve goals but help them forge a new, improved CHARACTER. However, I wanted to ensure that this process, knowledge, awareness and technique would be provided FREE.

Now, with the recently released 1.7 version of THF LITE, ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world can use the app, apply this technique and transform their life – FREE! (Yes, assuming they have an ipod touch, iphone) However that will change with the book and android release too! : ). More on that later.

All the best, enjoy a happy and safe 4th of July!

~Martin

*US ranking (may have been higher. App price I believe was .99¢ during a promotion. UK and Australia rankings have been higher. THF reached #2 productivity in Australia. (for the record).

“I love the habit factor and use it every day. It has made a real difference in helping me to change my habits so I can achieve my goals. Well done in developing this app. Thanks for the latest update. Some really good developments.”

~Joy in Australia

Before we get into the latest release, I’d like to take a moment to reiterate what I think is the most under-appreciated and perhaps misunderstood factor in personal development; the Habit — Goal relationship.

The more people are exposed to The Habit Factor® and Habit Alignment Technology™, the more startling it becomes that so many personal development experts, coaches, authors, trainers, bloggers (no names) — even Wikipedia, has this concept (pardon my French) BASSAKWARDS… if they even ‘have’ it at all. And, don’t get me started with the handful of apps in iTunes – all of which literally confuse the two (habits and goals) and offer no distinction. Good thing you recognize the difference because they apparently do not. Even at this moment, you can find Wikipedia suggesting that, “In this sense, habits often are a vestige of past goal pursuit.“  This is true – but where do they make mention the inverse? That is where the power is!

The first and best thing we can ALL do is invert that statement, and consciously craft habits which support our goals to make them become a reality much more quickly. More on this one later…

The Habit Factor® Version 1.7

So what did we do to make the #1 habits and goals app (productivity) better? Well, once again, we listened to YOU! Nearly ever feature and update was based upon your user feedback!

FEATURES UPDATES: (The Short List)

• Backup/ Restore: In the event you need to reload the app, lose the phone, etc. A great way to protect your data. This is FREE with the FULL version. Store up to five of your most recent backups
• Infinity Tracking – No required End date when setting up a habit. Believe me, we recognize the whole point of the app is to have a tracking period to measure your actual behavior vs your ideals however, some people just want no end date – no set tracking period. This should keep them quite! : )
• Tracking Views: More quickly toggle between Form View and List View when Tracking
• Photos: Now add Photos to your Goals to help motivate!
• Establish Default Tracking Mode in Settings
  
• Goals: See Percent Status in Goal List View
• Goal Status: Adjust/Track and update your progress
• Habits View: See tracking period or Infinity
• Establish “Once a Month” Habits
• Twitter: Automatically post twitter updates when you create or update your goals
• Improved Habit Alignment Technology™. Cleaned up user interface when aligning habits and goals.
• Streak Charting
• And much more… Also, if you’re looking for a REMINDER to make sure you update THF every morning or evening SEE TIP/TRICK #4 on the support tab above!

The latest news…

We were very excited to find out that iTunes UK just featured The Habit Factor® as a “Staff Favourite” and it’s been a Top Productivity seller in iTunes Australia.

On a separate note; check the support tab above, there have been a few videos added to guide app use or answer any questions.

Last Word

Thanks for all the support. Once again, it’s your QUALITY feedback that helps us to create a better product which in turn serves everyone.

Until next time.

~Martin

If it’s FREE it’s for ME!
Is anything better than FREE? The AIR is free. The Earth has been given to you. The Ocean is FREE. Your family, friends, relationships (the good ones) ALL free, surfing is FREE (assuming you can borrow a board & the water isn’t too cold). I’m constantly reminding myself it’s the things that are FREE which are PRICELESS and those things that we pay for are often FAR less valuable. A dramatic introduction to be sure but a great way to REITERATE that The Habit Factor®, currently recognized as the premiere Goals & Habits app (iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch) REMAINS — you guessed it, FREE! (limited edition).

So, what makes it “limited”?
Well, you are limited to one active goal and 3 active habits which you can track. All other features – at least with version 1.5.5 remain intact including yes, you guessed it, Habit Alignment Technology®. See below post to better understand that.

Happy Birthday to Virtues!
The inspiration for The Habit Factor® (app) was the “VIRTUES” (iphone app) which just enjoyed its ONE YEAR anniversary! Sorry Ben, we should have thrown you a party! You may recall it was Benjamin Franklin who suggested he owed his life’s incredible success to the practice of TRACKING his virtues daily.

So, while I was in the process of completing The Habit Factor®, book (still in the process ) I was inspired to take Ben’s practice and apply it to The Habit Factor® APP, after all, it was Aristotle who said,  “it is moral virtue which is formed by habit.”

Since we’re on the cusp of releasing version 1.7 and in the midst of a 50% Off Promo Sale, The Habit Factor®, (FREE / LITE) edition of app continues to demonstrate its favor world-wide with almost 1,300 ratings all-time! I can assure you we do not take that praise lightly and while the app is far from perfect, the feedback we’ve received from professional trainers, athletes, high achievers, “everyday Jills & Joes” even a handful of famous people, suggests (and thankfully so) that almost everybody wants to improve their habits and achieve their goals.

Book update
To those of you who’ve emailed and asked about the status of the book (soon to be released!) … I can assure you, it’s on the way! There have been so many cool developments! We are going through 2nd round of edits: hoping to REMOVE text. Unfortunately, I keep adding copy. Here’s a little offering…

“If actions speak louder than words, how loud do your habits speak?”

The question I hope you are asking is, “Who are they talking to?”

Well, you’ll get to read all about that in the book, The Habit Factor®. One great thing I hope the book will do is complement the app and take some of the mystery and questions about why the app operates the way it does and why things like TRACKING periods are so important.

App update
Version 1.7, she’s a comin’! She’s been caught up in QA… final, final tests… (please).

As mentioned, we don’t take any of the praise lightly (just the criticisms ), but it looks as though the number one goals and habits app (productivity), is going to get a whole lot better and has some exciting new features, including;  the long awaited STREAK capability —which has been the #2 feature request since the app came out last June as well as the #1 request which has been the ability to Backup/Restore data! Keep your feedback coming – that is what is driving the updates and the features!

There are at least a dozen other feature and usability improvements in 1.7 (it really could/should be a 2.0 release) those will be covered in another post (or maybe video). Stay tuned!

Keep on Tracking!

~Martin

“In life, goals are NOT optional” ~THF