Bad habits are difficult to break. Good habits are difficult to form. Self-improvement is a marathon, and if you get any help on the way, you should take it. Start with habit-forming apps to gain motivation and meet your targets.

There is no shortage of such habit apps, of course. But in the past few months, a few new tools have come up that deserve a mention. From tracking how often you work on your habit to participating in a community that eggs each other on, there is a self-improvement app for everyone.

1. Goalify (Android, iOS): Record Your Habits and Goals

Goalify is perhaps the most impressive new habit tracking tool. It eases the process of setting new habits or goals, and it also makes tracking them much simpler.

You can pick among the preset habit ideas from Goalify or set a custom one. The presets are wonderful. Choose a category, choose the type of habit you want to target, and then how regularly you want to do it. It couldn't be simpler. Every time you accomplish your goal, add it in the app.

Goalify will alert you when you are falling behind. For example, let's say you decided to exercise three times a week. If you've only gone once and its already Friday, you'll get an alert saying the activity is due soon.

The app also has statistics and other details you might want to check out. It's a personal victory journal to boost your self-esteem. You can also challenge friends on a common goal, and track each other's progress.

Download -- Goalify for Android (Free) or for iOS (Free)

2. Daybook [Broken URL Removed] (Web): How Many Have You Done?

If you like setting annual resolutions to form new habits, then Daybook is the ideal companion for you. It's a free web app (and mobile-friendly) that keeps things simple. Add the habit you want to count, and check-in every time you do it.

Let's say you want to quit smoking. Going cold turkey may not be the best option, so first, try and reduce the numbers. Add an entry for "cigarettes" to your Daybook, and every time you smoke one, click the counter. Daybook is completely manual, so you can reset the counter at the start of a day, or make it a weekly target, or whatever else you feel like.

Tap the entry ("cigarettes", in this case) to write notes about it. If you smoke more or less than your target, put in a note marking the event. These small things will help keep you on track.

You can even share your Daybook by making it public, so that a buddy can help you stay true and on track in forming a new habit. It's a new take on the age-old idea that you should ditch your to-dos and use a "Done list" instead.

3. RioFolio (Web): Set Custom Rewards for Actions

If you do something right, you should get a reward. It's a basic tenet of training, and RioFolio is happy to let you set that for yourself. The app is completely customizable, and works perfectly on desktops and mobiles.

You get four "journals", which is the equivalent of categories. These can be things like "productivity", "fitness", "education", and so on. You also get eight different types of rewards. Whenever you complete an action, add it into your RioFolio and categorize it under one of the journals.

Each action earns you a few credits. These credits can be used to unlock rewards, depending on how many credits a reward costs. And every time you unlock a reward, its price goes up, so that you balance out your rewards too.

As we know, "points for everything" helps you win at life. RioFolio gamifies habit-forming to the most customizable level.

4. HabitHub (Android): The All-in-One Habit App

Once in a while, a new app comes along that knocks our socks off. HabitHub uses Jerry Seinfeld's "Don't Break The Chain" productivity method, where you do the intended new habit every day. But there's also so much more in the app.

HabitHub solves the biggest problem with this productivity method: the fact that you sometimes need a reminder. Building a chain of a small new habit is difficult when you have several other regular tasks to tackle. HabitHub will remind you about your daily or weekly habit, including multiple reminders for the same thing.

As you build your habit, you will be able to see graphs and statistics, which can provide tremendous motivation. You can also add "rewards" at milestones, again customizable like RioFolio.

HabitHub is free for up to five habits, and an iOS version is in development as well.

Download -- HabitHub for Android (Free)

5. 43 Things (Web): Join a Community of Habit Reformers

One of the oldest habit-forming communities on the internet, 43 Things shut down a couple of years ago. But it has recently resurfaced in a new avatar, and seems to be better than ever before.

At 43 Things, you have to add three goals you are working on. When you type the basic goal, like "go to the gym", the site will prompt you with variations of the goal set by others, like "go to the gym thrice a week". You'll also see how many people have subscribed to that goal, which can serve as additional motivation.

Once you've made your basic account, you'll see "Trending goals" in your dashboard. This is the best way to find common goals and work together to form a new habit.

Which Habit App Do You Use?

Habit-forming and tracking apps are some of the most popular productivity tools. Which one do you use? Is there a particular habit method that you find more helpful than others?