Yes, we all want to change something about ourselves. We want to do more push-ups, stick with our diet, work less and sleep more. One day we are determined, scribble them down on our to-do list, then we wake up the next morning and all the willpower from the day before had magically (if you believe in magic) vanished. So we eat a piece of that delicious cake, and graciously quit.
For all of those who need a bit more motivation, Lithuanian startup Whemsy has come up with a mobile application that helps users develop and maintain better habits. Released in December 2012 for iOS and Android, more than 4.000 people are now using it to improve certain aspects of their lives. Whemsy (Wealth, Health, Emotion, Mind, Social, and You) is a social network and game that enables users to keep track of their habits, their progress and get social encouragement from the community. You know, because we all need that pat on the back.
Last week, Whemsy signed a cooperation agreement with Pearson Education Ltd, a leading education company. “It will help us get relevant and quality content for users from Pearson Education books,” CEO Martynas Kairys told inventures.eu.
Team Whemsy Photo credit: WhemsyMake habits stick
It all started with the ambition to be more productive. Kairys was giving lectures on life improvement at companies. “I had noticed that people get really excited but this excitement seldom translated into action the following day,” he said. “It seems like hectic schedules, insufficient and sometimes sheer lack of willpower keep us from staying on the right path.”
With a 40.000-euro investment from two business angels, Kairys could gather a team of five developers, designers, and entrepreneurs to develop the mobile application. Based in Vilnius and London, they recently changed their business model to attract more customers. “We are now a B2B that brings an IT solution to companies interested in delivering their content to their customers through an app.” Most of Whemsy’s customers are seminar providers, coaching companies, self-help content creators and coaches.
The team just signed another deal with a seminar company that aims to provide content to their users through Whemsy. “We are in discussion with three other companies and a big association regarding creating the right app for them,” Kairys said. “It’s all about how to transform knowledge into actionable steps.”
Kairys uses Whemsy himself to develop good habits. “Right now I am working on better planning my day and smiling more often,” he said. It takes about 30 days to turn a certain action into a habit. You better start now!
