For most of us, New Year’s resolution are a tale of best intentions gone bad. And we’re not alone. According to the smart people at US pollsters Nielsen, in 2014 43% of Americans resolved to lose weight, but 76% admitted at the end of the year they had not followed any sort of eating plan.

So how to avoid followed the well-trod path of broken resolutions? As it’s now 2016, we do at least have technology on our side. Let’s take a look at the top resultions (according to Nielsen) and how apps can assist you to keep them.

1.  Stay fit, lose weight

This is, if you’ll pardon the pun, a biggie. It’s no surprise these take the top two spots. There are tons of apps to help you achieve just these things.

If you’re big on ambition but short on time, check out the 7 Minute Workout app.

Coach.me will help you stay motivated to change bad habits and create new ones. So you can give up smoking and take up running, all with the help of one app.

2.  Spend less, save more

There’s nothing like the festive season to deplete cash reserves. If this is one of your resolutions, check out local app 22seven.

There are also some great apps that offer you discount vouchers, so you can live life to the full without spending a fortune. Coincidentally, living life to the full is the next most popular resolution, closely followed by spending more time with family and friends.

3.  Get organised

An organised life is within reach. These calendar apps can help. Once you’ve set up your smartphone to be, well, smarter, turn to your home. Be environmentally friendly and recycle all that junk – the Tuffy app can direct you to your nearest recycling centre. It’s not totally comprehensive, but it’s a start. It’s available for Apple or Android.

4.  Learn something new

If your goal is to be smarter in the new year, check out Elevate, the app that aims to exercise your brain.

Get your fill of enthralling books, all for free, with these reading apps. If you want something a bit more formal, sign up for an online course – there are plenty of free options out there, such as Coursera. 

5. Travel more

When it comes to holiday planning, there are more apps out there than there are beers in Berlin or cups of tea in China. Take a look at our roundup of some of the essential apps for your next holiday.

What’s more, you no longer have to worry about surprise bills when you come back from your trip overseas. Vodafone World means fixed, predictable rates for calls, data and SMSes when you roam on Vodacom and Vodafone partner networks.

Please note: While most of these apps are free to download, the data required to do so is not.