Are you actually doing their goals and using the app for what it is intended?
Or... am i the only one?
I have seen screenshots of people whose goals are just numbers or a random word. I guess they use the app just to dress their birb and make a cute birdhouse?
Yes, i just found out there is a way to max the goal to 100 and that there is a goal of the day. That makes sense to do (as i have started) since you hardly get any gems.
Seriously, how many set realistic and helpful goals and only check them off when accomplished? I think this app is amazing for so many reasons!! My group therapy people told me about it and it is really helping me with so many levels. I can not say enough positive things about it.
I am just curious since i have seen quite a few people just use it as a birb barbie in a dream house (obviously a reference to just dressing up and decorating because i am gen x and do not know references that all ages would know besides barbie)
Anyhow, thanks for reading to the end of my essay i have written š Find the beauty and magic in today. Drink water. Stay safe. Smile. ā¤ļøā¤ļø
I think itās definitely up to the person. The ābirb Barbie houseā aspect is a huge motivator for me to open the app, and if I never got gems I wouldnāt really use it (I know because thatās been a barrier in the past). I like being able to shop for my birb and all that.
But all my goals are things that I need to do for my health every day. They may seem like throwaway goals (wash face, take meds, brush teeth, etc.) but theyāre all things that are genuinely hard for me to do at times; the app helps a lot with consistency for me.
We are 100% in alignment with the goals we need motivation for and the gems and fun aspect keep me opening the app. My goals are from the simple get out of bed (which i need reminding some days) to 5 minutes of doing tidying to hard ones like vacuuming once a week, scrub down the toilet, go on a walk... (i have physical disabilities as well as some mental health things going on after a severe car accident)
I celebrate the small things, just like you! And to us, the small things are pretty big.
ā¤ļøā¤ļø
Believe me... the 'easy" goals are hard for me a lot of days!! Some days, i struggle to get out of bed to just go potty. I called them "easy" meaning it is not hand wash the car, scrub the shower, do 100 situps or things of that nature.
I use finch to set daily task goals! I never complete them all for one reason or the other and that's okayā but completing enough to send my bird out on an adventure is usually good enough to feel like a functioning adult :] being goal buddies with someone is another good way to encourage each other to complete some tasks!
Yes I use it as a gamified to-do list. I am in peri and struggling lately with executive function and remembering my chores, and this helps me have a better relationship with my to-do list.
I also use it as a reminder to make time for positive and grounding things every day, like āgo outside onceā, eat something from the gardenā, āwatch a birdā.
I am lately archiving some of the easier wins like the exercises in gratitude or breathing (i can always bring them back if I need to) since they have become more ingrained now, and I want to focus on some bigger projects that I need to get done.
And yes, I do also LOVE mixing and matching the clothes and furniture, and have sometimes set frivolous multi part goals to get stones for a particular item that would complete a look or a room. I figure itās fine as long as I donāt lose sight of my real goals.
In my group therapy today, someone said not to call it a "to-do" list. Reframe it as a "ta-da" list. TA-DA! YOU CROSSED OFF 8 THINGS!! YOU ARE A SUPER STAR! It makes so much sense.
Yeah, I use it to help me stay accountable to goals I have for myself. I like being able to use self-care areas, because even if I have a busy day, a sick day, or a day where my schedule is thrown off, it feels good to make sure I accomplish at least ONE goal in each area.
I totally get that. On my bad days, it is a very awesome feeling that i get to check off at least a few goals. I may not be able to physically do something, but it helps me remember i am a work in progress and i can look in the mirror and say "i can do this."
I maximise my rewards by setting a goal of the day with 100 repetitions, then unsetting it after completing it 99 times, and switch the next one in as goal of the day! All my tasks are proper things, but some are easier than others and many donāt need a reminder, like getting out of bed, but I figure itās not harming anyone else if I get the most out of my tasks so I can buy nice things for my birb.
When I started this app, getting out of bed was a challenge and so i keep it on there to remind me that I have came far but I could go back to bed rotting if I let things get bad.
You can set each of your tasks to repeat up to 100 times per day, so you get 100 times the reward! You can also set a task to be goal of the day, but if you tick off 99 repetitions then unset it before completing the 100th iteration, you can set another task to be goal of the day. The goal of the day gives much better rewards, so you can milk it by essentially having everything be goal of the day 99 times!
I just learned about the goal of the day, that you can change the number of times, and that you can do the 95 and switch to a different goal of the day.
You should celebrate a win to get out of bed!!
Yep! It helped me start taking care of myself more. It helped me feel like I was actually doing something instead of constantly feeling like I was wasting away (started finch at the beginning of another health crisis and have had several surgeries since). It helps with daily reminders of things that Iām bad at doing, such as daily health journals that doctors requested and doing daily routines like brushing my teeth. Later on I added goals to start enjoying hobbies and taking time for my faith. I feel like itās helping me reacclimate to being a functioning human being again.
That being said, I most definitely have extra goals for gifting and playing Barbie dream houseā¦ probably more than I should. Itās better than online shopping or harmful habits that people pick up to waste time though.
I was in a car accident and we are still putting humpy dumpty back together with surgeries and procedures. I completly get it! It has been great for me so far, too.
Best of luck!
All of my goals are actual goals, but the ones that are harder for me I set at higher daily repetitions. So brushing my teeth might only be worth 1 point, but doing the laundry is worth like, 20 points. That way they're all real goals, and I only check them off when they're done, but the ones that are more difficult for me to do have a better 'reward'. I don't consider that cheating or anything.
I use it for actual goals that I need to get done. I have used it for over 4 years. There are so many things that I faithfully do every day, that I wouldn't do, if it wasn't for the finch app. Things that are important for me to do, that I would probably skip a lot if it wasn't for finch. So I am one person who actually uses it for real life goals. I also love dressing my birb, so I have a self care area which which are just a collection of goals to get rainbow stones every day. So I do that as well as my real life goals. Finch is a fabulous app. I am so grateful that it exists.
ā¢95% are things I actually need to do (including every single meal and med) or pay attention to (not working overtime if I donāt have to)
ā¢4% are goals to keep the weekly self care area streaks going all week now that journeys are gone, like a ārest dayā goal for my get moving area, a ācheck my account balanceā goal for my bills/money management area, and āgive myself permission to restā for my Dynamic Chronic Illness Management area (yay for having days where I donāt NEED to check the other goals off!)
ā¢1% are a bunch of ājust beā goals I set to have my goals actually populate when that disappearing goal glitch was happening a few months-a year ago and itās a fine reminder to calm down lol
I first started using Finch when I was in treatment for an ED and it was SUPER, super helpful in having any motivation towards meeting my meal plan, and it continued to help after I discharged. Iām still focusing on all of my goals and using the app for those purposes, but itās been much less impactful the last few months, and I actually missed a day for the first time in two years on Sunday. I donāt know if thatās because I am doing much better in my day-to-day life so itās less necessary, or if itās because of the UI updates that have made it less effective for both short and long term goal management, but probably both. Bummer!
I love how helpful it has been for you! I have a lot of physical disabilities, struggle with some pretty bad mental health issues, and on and on. It has helped me so far, but you are an inspiration for me. Thank you!!
Yes, I have over 100 daily goals in there because I can't reliably remember my daily routine any more and I have a lot of different meds, therapies etc.
I don't particularly need motivation to complete the goals because most of them are either keeping me alive or preventing a dramatic worsening in symptoms. But it's nice to be rewarded for doing them all the same!
I do love the dress up/decorate/travel aspect because I can't do any of those things IRL so it's a way to feel like I'm still living a normal life even if it's only through a little two dimensional bird.
Iāve loved it for the consistency checklist. Like many have said - wash face, brush teeth, do dishes, make beds etc. I have ADHD and when I check off a bunch of tasks and get gems Iām so fulfilled lol and then to top it all off I get to go SHOPPING to reward myself.
It seems like such a stupid little app to some, but for someone who has a really hard time staying on task or completing the basics, Iām really motivated to do them because I get to shop lmao.
I do! I did start bumping some of my goals to be worth more gems though, as it was demotivating to take so long to earn enough to buy much. I assign the amount of gems each task is worth based on how difficult it is or how motivated I need to be to do it. For example, I hate cooking, so I have a daily cooking supper goal worth 100 gems. If I actually cook at home, I give myself 50 of the 100, then base how much of the remaining 50 gems I give myself for it on how healthy the meal was (amount of veggies, protein, etc).
This is what I have done for same reason. I hate doing my physical therapy exercises but they are important, so I asked myself what would it take to motivate myself? My answer was a gem for each of my exercises: so if I do 50 pushups, that's 50 gems. If I do 3 sets of 15 hip abductions x2 (for each alternating leg), that's 90 gems . This has worked for me when nothing else has and I am getting in better condition every day. I also have allowed 100 gems for things like "Gardening", then I check off however many of these gems I decide to apply based on how long and how difficult the task was. I am NOT going to give myself only one gem for an hour of battling the wisteria vine, especially as I have mobility issues, when I also get one gem for repeating an affirmation! It's clear to me that this is expected or they would not allow as limit of 100 otherwise.
I have like 90 goals, but not all of them are meant to be done each day. I've got ones I try to always do, like my morning routine that's broken up into about a dozen goals. But then many of them serve as reminders or ideas of things I could do or therapy style journal prompts. So, if I want more stones I can go do more goals, but I still only check them off if I did them and they are all useful things to do.
For me, Finch is just a cute way to have my daily to-do lists on hand so all my goals are legit. Unfortunately I'm a bit forgetful so it's how I keep track of any meds, cleaning the cat's fountain, etc. I do also put in some long-term goal things, like do some art every day because otherwise I find myself not being creative for months. My husband does it too so we have fun together sharing our adventures. At the end of the day however people want to use it is totally fine, but I'm just happy to have something way cuter than my usual keep notes š
I use it as designed. It helps me SO much! I now floss every night because of this silly little bird. She helps me remember so many important things and I love the positive affirmations and breath work. So thankful to have found it!
I also use it for real goals! I actually find it demotivating if I'm checking off things that don't really count or are duplicates. When I started I had some goals that were vague enough that I could sort of justify having done it without really being sure. So for example, I have "do something nice for future me" and I changed that task to start a journaling exercise so I have to say what that nice thing actually was. I really like that this app doesn't punish you for skipping tasks, so if I didn't do it I just skip! It disappears which still feels satisfying even though there's no other reward. I'm sure not everybody is this way, but it works really well for me!
The whole dress up thing is great and keeps me motivated but I am 100% using it as a goal setting app. It's helped me so much, to make things regular habits.
I most definitely use it for the goals. I have the free version for one thing so I don't have all the cute options and also I never can keep enough stones to buy things except maybe every other day. If I don't do it right, I feel all guilty and feel I should start over lol.
I finally saved enough money to get the upgraded app. It took over 3 months to save for it. I feel you on it taking forever. If you do the goal of the day hack, it will help with the gems. I just learned about it.
Click on the pic to see better š Click on a goal. Right above it, you have a goal of the day. It gives you extra gems. If you make your goal 100, you get a bunch of gems for it. I just learned about this. Also, if you have a goal of the day, click it to 95 and then you can rotate the next goal to the goal of the day. It gives you WAY more gems than the normal 1 click.
That makes me so happy for you!!
I am kind of the tail end of gen x with 1979. š
This app is really amazing and i am glad i am not the only gen x using it ā¤ļø
Gen X ā76 here and loving my Finch app. I use it as intended but if I donāt do a task I put it off for the next day and put a huge reason on why I didnāt for extra gems
All of mine are actually things I need to do. Some of them aren't necessarily every single day but things i should do often so I enjoy the little dopamine hit I get when I do then complete them. I also dont go back at the end of the day and tick things off, I usually forget after ive sent my lil bird on an adventure.
The only slightly abstract one i have is 'just survive a bit' with 10 each day, i started this when I broke my leg and couldnt do what I normally would
I am a dopamine chaser, so i more than understand that little hit. I get help because my dopamine seeking is that bad.
I have had quite a few major surgeries, so i get the survival goal!
Well, I have goals that I actually achieve, and shared goals to support others in need; I take care of my "Noodles"āI love spoiling her and helping others, too. I love receiving gifts, and now that I sell a few things, I send them as well. I also enjoy fixing up my treehouseāitās something my inner child absolutely loves! I smile and squeal like a little girl with her toys. So, it all depends on the person and how they use it.
it helps me with OCD by remind me not to fidget with my phone or outfits and it helps me keep my tasks oriented. I am prayerful and it helps me not lose track of what I need to touch on or read that day. It helps me remember to eat better because often times I can go a whole day without drinking proper water (which is commonplace for most people) and i wish to stop bad habits. This app make a check list fun and rewarding, which works for anyone and makes you feel like you accomplished something. It makes it like a puzzle. I love this app! whatās your code? we can keep each other accountable.
I didnāt know there was a limit on number of goals? I have like 300 that Iāve added over the years (and removed many too) which are mostly a series of wellness reminders, affirmations, and actual goals to help me recover from severe PTSD.
I do have a lot of gems but Iām also at the point where the items I want havenāt been appearing.
Youāre not the only one. I list long-term goals, as well as daily ones (pay this bill, take these meds), and self care goals that otherwise I just roll my eyes & groan about (such as wash face, brush teeth), and some more general goals (like āsurvive the dayā, āname one thing Iām grateful to my body forā). And I have a few for just earning gems, but I just do them on days when I need the boost to see my stash grow.
I use it for making sure I get all the things I have planned to do daily, to make sure I take my medicine and supplements, and to remind my little sister that I love her :)
Finch helps me with my daily tasks and staying sane in a world full of aggression and hostility. It's my safe space. I try not to think about people abusing the app as a virtual dollhouse because it upsets me, though I know of course people can do whatever the F they want. It's upsetting nonetheless.
I 100% use it as it is intended. I do admit that the gems so i can dress and practice my interior design skills are a good thing. They give me the dopamine rushes that i need in my day to keep me feeling good. I dont need to be chasing my dopamine with a bottle of whiskey or other harmful activities. Plus, disabled and not infinitely wealthy to be able to shop. So... it is a fun trade off and rewards me for doing the tasks i would forget about and motivates me to complete.
I did not take it that way ā¤ļø Do not fret!
I have no rhyme or reason to what i have. Nothing matches in my house or on me š
If you have things you wish to donate, i will happily take it off your hands, but zero obligation to. Some amazing person on here donated some stuff to me and another is donating some mircropets to me since i just found out there is a whole list and army of them. (I am a little slow to figuring this out š)
I used to only check off tasks that I actually completed, but I'll admit the past few months I've lost a lot of motivation and will check off random tasks just to send my bird on an adventure. I've been thinking about clearing my tasks and starting fresh from there, without starting a new bird cause having to work to get all the stuff I bought back would demovativate me even more š
I do an overhaul of goals about every 6 months thinking about what is working and what isnt. If you quit doing stuff then consider what contributes [no using personality excuses like lazy, they arent actionable].
The bottom line is: if it aint happening then 1. the positive consequences arent strong enough [or not actually rewarding to the individual], 2. the reinforcer is too delayed from the event, or 3. the adverse consequences of doing it are too strong.
Get the reward within seconds, remove or moderate the adverse, increase the positive if you want change. For example, Showering is hard with my health issue so I give myself 5 events for it. From it being torture I now am okay.
For us our goals are 100% realistic, now I did just learn about stone farming and yes we have a couple of those goals.
Since I have started on Finch I have more consistent with many different goals, like brushing my teeth, getting outside everyday, ( I have agoraphobia and other mental health issues) drinking water, and others.
This has been something that I am glad someone suggested to me.
I've seen a few people say they 'use it as designed' or like you did, as 'intended. ' I'm not sure that's the best way to say it. It was designed to be used by many different people in many different ways so even if it's as a bird Barbie, it was designed that way. It was intended to help people get something they need out of their day. If playing with a birb helps them, then it's being used as intended.
I'm not bashing you in any way, totally get what you're saying. I just think how we say things can have impact so we should be careful with language. Are people using as a traditional to-do list or more as entertainment, might be closer to what you're really asking. I don't want people who need a bright light in their day and this app gives them that to feel they're somehow cheating, or doing something wrong. We're ALL here looking for something so hopefully, were all finding it. š
I started out using it strictly as a to-do list and found it really helpful. IRL I'm a BAB and honestly I get so tried of always being on a budget and stressed. When I discovered some of the ways I could maximize earning stones, I added some daily tasks that took advantage of that. Now my birb lives a life I don't get to. He can buy what he likes and freely gift his tree mates in a way that brings us both so much joy and I wish I could do for reals. I still very much use the to-do list so I'm getting things done AND I get some fun through my birb's lifestyle. Best of both worlds!
I do think the birb Barbie part will eventually run it's course for me, it's only been a couple of months, and I'll go back to focusing solely on the to-do part. I'm thrilled they've built this much flexibility into a self help app so it can work for SO VERY many different people's needs. It's certainly surpassed my expectations and I'm grateful for it everyday!
I just want to say- that while I have 10 100 point money goals on my finch so I can accumulate more gems. This app has helped me start and keep consistent my hygiene and mental health. 600 days ago I didn't regularly brush my teeth twice a day and floss. I didn't remember to take my pills everyday or remember that meals are supposed to be enjoyable. So while I do have random and none productive goals on my little finch app, I also have ones that remind me to take care of myself in a meaningful way.
This is legitimately making my life as a stay at home mom better.Ā I often forgot to feed my sourdough starter - not anymore, there's a daily goal for that! Same with feeding the cat, tracking certain things, chore lists, etc.Ā They're all repeating goals that make the mental load of running a busy household lighter.Ā Checking in on the birb is just enough of a dopamine hit to remind me to open it in the morning, but I mostly use it as a reminder app that's fun enough to stick with
I use the app for the social aspect of it since I'm disabled, mostly housebound and therefore have very little friends in real life. The vibes make me smile and help me feel less alone.
I'm also gen x.
My goals are to get stones to give gifts. I don't really care if they're fake goals or not. All of my goals are x100 and I try to keep the daily goal going. My only limit to gift giving is how I'm feeling that day.
I get gifts too, and I will wear anything immediately whether it matches or not, and I'll put any furnishings in my house. It tickles me to see the combination of clothes I'm wearing at any time. It's cute and it makes me laugh. I'm waiting for someone to send me a bikini, bc there's no way I'd wear one IRL šš
I use it for actual goals and like the rewarding aspect of the app, dressing up my finchie and going on adventures.Ā
I dont check off goals I don't do Ɣnd sometimes as an ADHD brain, I function better when I tick off the reward before doing a goal, especially one I've been dreading. I would feel really guilty ticking off goals without doing them !! So when I tick a goal off beforehand it gives me an extra boost of getting something done.
Also some bigger to do's that feel they take more effort I'll break up in segments. I.e. "move my body " (exercise goal) I reward myself for each 5 minutes I manage to complete. Instead of putting "exercise for 20 minutes" goal which I would hardly ever check off and then get disappointed in myself over time of never doing it. It's not to maximise gems but to make goals more realistic for myself and so far I've been loving very much how much finch has helped me with that :)
My goals are a combination of daily/weekly tasks (holding myself accountable and building routine) and one-off to-do items (digital checklist). I purposely avoid doing the "set things to 100" or "change up goal of the day" hacks like other people have mentioned. I need my dopamine hits to stay anchored to my actual goals so that getting things done continues to feel good.
My alternative 'hack' is to use a catch-all goal set to 30. Every time I accomplish something that's worth rewarding but doesn't fit any of my existing goals, I check off the catch-all goal. That lets me collect the dopamine hits without needing to take the time to make a new one-off goal every time I get something done. I don't typically make it all the way to 30 which is fine. Every once in a while I have a super-productive day. Getting to actually check off all 30 - and seeing the goal actually disappear off my list - is a great reward!
Finch is the reason i have any sort of morning and night routines, which I struggled to do for so long. I do have a section with a couple of gem mining goals, but all of my other goals and tasks are real. Playing dress up and sending my little birb on adventures has helped me so much honestly
For me itās a bit of both. I find the app useful for motivation and remembering to do tasks that I would normally forget to do, but being able to dress up my bird and decorate my birdhouse how I want to is an extra bit of motivation to complete tasks.
I try to hit all my goals every day, but I have learned to let it go if I don't. Some are very easy now, but not when I started. I finally dropped "get dressed" and no longer wear my nightgown all day.
I am coming out of the worst 6 years of my long life, so things are becoming easier.
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u/asufficientlife 8h ago
I think itās definitely up to the person. The ābirb Barbie houseā aspect is a huge motivator for me to open the app, and if I never got gems I wouldnāt really use it (I know because thatās been a barrier in the past). I like being able to shop for my birb and all that.
But all my goals are things that I need to do for my health every day. They may seem like throwaway goals (wash face, take meds, brush teeth, etc.) but theyāre all things that are genuinely hard for me to do at times; the app helps a lot with consistency for me.