2 Apps That Have Changed My Life for the Better

By Ron Pereira Updated on May 6th, 2016

I’ve recently started to use two different iPhone apps that have made a dramatic impact on my life. And, don’t worry, if you’re an Android user you’re also in luck since there are apps available for you too.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

Snip20160505_1 First, I’ve been using the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock for the past 93 nights. This app uses the microphone on your iPhone to monitor how well you’re sleeping which is pretty cool.

But, the best part is the alarm clock feature. Since the app is constantly monitoring your sleep patterns (based on how much you move in your bed) it’s able to wake you up while you’re in a lighter phase of sleep.

All you have to do is tell the app a range of time for when you’d like to wake up. So, for example, I tell the app to wake me up between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM. Some mornings it may wake me up around 5:40 AM while other mornings it may be 5:55 AM… it all depends on my sleep cycles.

What I’ve found is that I’m far more refreshed when the app wakes me up since I was already in a lighter phase of sleep.

There’s both a free and paid version. I started with the free and eventually upgraded to the paid version since it gives you more stats… and I love stats!

And, in case you’re interested I’ve averaged 8 hours and 1 minute of sleep over the past 93 nights… not too shabby, right?

Moment

1-today Next, I’ve been doing my best to use my iPhone less (especially when I’m home and want to focus on my family) and recently discovered an app called Moment that monitors how much I’m using my iPhone.

You can tell Moment how much you want to use your phone and it will start to squawk at you once you get to your daily limit. It also measures how many times you pick your phone up.

So, while Moment doesn’t actually stop you from using your phone… it does seem to help since it makes you aware of how much time you’re wasting staring at it!

I’ve only been using Moment for a few weeks but have immediately found myself using my phone less… in fact I’ve averaged around 45 minutes per day which is mostly me checking email.

By the way, I recently interviewed the creator of Moment for the Gemba Academy podcast… so be on the lookout for that!

And if you’re an Android user you can try the Quality Time app. Some friends of mine are using it and seem to like it.

Give Them a Try!

I’d really encourage you to give these two apps a try. As we explore in the Culture of Kaizen course it’s critically important we get adequate sleep while also learning how to be respectful of others… and staring at your phone when you should be focused on the people in front of your face most definitely isn’t respectful!

Ron Pereira

Ron has more than 20 years of experience in various manufacturing, supply chain, and senior leadership roles. Ron has held the titles of process engineer, engineering manager, master black belt, and director of manufacturing & continuous improvement. In 2002 Ron was the first American to win the Nokia Global Six Sigma and Overall Quality award in Helsinki, Finland. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing and an MBA in technology management.