Many of us want to improve ourselves, but we don't know where begin or how to change.

Maybe it's lack of time or motivation that keeps you from working toward improvement, or maybe it's simple procrastination.

Whatever your reason for neglecting self-improvement, there's an incredible variety of tech tools available to help you move forward.

Begin with Self-Awareness

On your journey to a better you, recognize that self-improvement begins with self-awareness. Knowing yourself, your habits, your motives, and your values will make it easier to transform your problem areas. Taking a good look at yourself from within will help you to realize who you truly are.

Apps for Journaling

my wonderful days app

Writing down your daily thoughts, activities, and revelations will serve you well. One study proved that writing eases the symptoms of depression. Here are a few of my favorite apps for journaling:

  • Momento [No Longer Available] (iOS, $1.99). Momento helps you create a snapshot of your day by integrating information from your social networks with your personal daily thoughts.
  • My Wonderful Days (iOS, $2.99). If your aim is to create short journal entries, My Wonderful Days is perfect. There's space to add your daily thoughts, upload images, and record your mood.

Download: Momento for iOS [No Longer Available] | My Wonderful Days for iOS.

Personality Testing Apps

Know thyself pro app

Maybe you're interested in learning more about your own personality traits. Such knowledge will help you become more self-aware, which will then lead to more successful progress toward self-improvement. I like Know Thyself Pro (iOS, $2.99) and Personality Coach (Android, $9.99).

Download: Know Thyself Pro for iOS | Personality Coach for Android.

Reach Out to Others

iCoach app

Self-improvement is a highly personal process, but that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. Communicating with other people about your intentions and progress can actually be very helpful. Here are a few ways to effectively connect with others and further your progress toward self-improvement using tech tools:

  • Find a mentor. There are plenty of ways to use technology to locate a mentor. Great mentors can be found on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Try an advanced people search on LinkedIn. Ask yourself what do you want in a mentor. Consider MicroMentor, a free online service.
  • Seek anonymous feedback. Getting feedback is valuable, and you must learn to take the good with the bad. Tools for anonymous feedback will encourage people to say what they truly want to say.
  • Use a life coach. You can speak with a life coach or use a life coaching app, like The iCoach (iOS, $4.99). The app acts as your own personal coach to help with different areas of your life, such as focus and clarity, health, and finances.

Download: The iCoach for iOS.

Besides addressing self-awareness, lay out some goals for overall self-improvement. What exactly do you want to improve and why?

Whether you want to improve your weight, mental focus or relationships with other people, think about schedules instead of deadlines and lifestyle choices instead of immediate life-changing transformations.

Best Apps for Goal Setting

habit list app

Unrealistic expectations are among the top killers of any self-improvement plan. Begin by writing down small, measurable goals. Once you know where you want to go, set a proper schedule for how to get there. These are my favorite apps for goal setting:

  • Habit List (iOS, $3.99). Habit List allows you to achieve your goals through creating good habits. You can set reminders, track progress and more.
  • Strides (iOS, free). The best part of Strides is that it's free and creates beautiful graphs and visuals that show your progress.

Download: Habit List for iOS | Strides for iOS.

Make Lifestyle Choices

healthy recipes app

While it's noble to aim high and set forth to immediately transform your life overnight, it's more feasible to make lifestyle changes that you can integrate into your daily life.

For example, instead of saying, "I will lose 50 lbs in the next three months," make a commitment to replace one unhealthy snack with a healthy alternative every day. You could use a free app like Lose It! to help you reach your goal, slowly, over time, and by changing your lifestyle.

Try Something Entirely New

DuoLingo app

Don't be afraid to break outside of your comfort zone and try something new. For example, learn a new language, then sing in that language, and maybe write subtitles to your favorite movie in another language. (There's an app for language learning, too, of course. I like DuoLingo.)

Download: DuoLingo for Android and iOS.

Look into a day in the life of an interesting professional with a site like Life Tramp. And yes, here you can give back by helping someone find their own passion as well. You can even use the right tools to reinvent your career and improve your life.

Matt Cutts is the last person you would find stuck in a rut. The Google engineer and a well-known name to webmasters around the world advises trying something new for 30-days. Watch this excellent (and inspiring) three minute TED talk.

Enjoy Your Journey

A recent Oxford Economics study found that the number of unused vacation days in the United States is the highest it's been in 40 years. By some estimates, workers leave nearly 25% of their vacation days on the table, choosing instead to work.

All work and no play can be stressful for anyone. Your journey toward self-improvement should be empowering. And while that comes with some dedication, it should be fun. Work hard, play hard, and use the tech tools available to you to make the most of your life's journey.

What do you struggle with most when it comes to setting a new self-improvement goal? What is a strategy you have used to overcome these struggles in the past?

Image Credit: roya miller