If you’re like me, you occasionally wake up at 3 a.m. with a desire to overhaul your entire life. It’s like inspiration strikes out of nowhere, and suddenly I want to go on daily walks, drink more water, and do yoga every night before bed.
The only problem? While I feel inspired in the moment, it’s tough to make these habits stick the next day, let alone days and weeks later. It’s only a matter of time before I forget all about my new wellness to-do list and fall back into my old ways.
This is why I wanted to try Fabulous, an app that uses behavioral science to help you make changes and build new habits. It’s said to be like having an accountability partner in your pocket, since it checks in to make sure you’re staying on track.
Fabulous has 10 million downloads on Google Play and a four-star rating with over 585,000 reviews. I’ve also heard it mentioned on #WellnessTok as a great app to have for building a healthy routine. Here’s what it was like to give it a try.
Fast Facts
- Price: Free one-week trial; free access to basic version; $39.99 for premium access to journeys, challenges, coaching, and other features
- Best for: Starting basic habits and making them stick
- My rating: 3.5/5
- What I like: Cute interface, helpful tips
- What I don’t like: Not budget-friendly after the free trial, has pop-ups for other apps
What To Know About Fabulous
Fabulous is a cute and colorful app that was created by behavioral science experts at Duke University who found strategies that make it easier to achieve your goals and stick to new habits.
Want to drink more water? Remember to floss? Check your email? There are some mental tricks you can play on yourself to make it easier, like thought experiments that encourage you to “do something nice for your future self” — an exercise that encourages you to think ahead.
The app starts with a Home page that lists “Your Plan for Today” at the top, short coaching audios you can listen to for inspo, and a daily checklist: your personalized morning, afternoon, and evening routine. You’ll see a journal, soothing ambient sounds, and a mood tracker, too.
While you can work on forming new habits every day, there’s also a Journey tab that encourages you to dive into a bigger, weeks-long “journey” towards a larger goal, which you choose when you first sign up. There’s “Self-Discipline Made Simple” and “Work-Life Balance,” just to name a few.
As you go on your Journey, you watch an animated character make progress on a path. The app walks you through lessons that help you understand your habits, and you mark off tasks along the way. The goal is to go slow and take it a day at a time. The idea is that small changes stick while big ones don’t.
A Routine tab allows you to see your daily habits at a glance, a Circles tab adds a social element, while a Discover tab reveals more trainings and challenges. If you want, you can allow the app to ping you with notifications, so you remember to complete certain tasks at specific times of day.
Trying It Out
One of the first habits I added to my list was drinking more water. Instead of simply reminding me to take a few sips, as many other apps do, Fabulous showed me a few studies and science-backed tidbits to sweeten the deal.
First, it reminded me that good hydration boosts energy and focus. Noted! It also gave me actionable tips for making the habit happen, like setting a glass next to where I make breakfast. That way, when I wake up in the morning, half of the task is already complete. The glass is ready and waiting, serving as a reminder, and all I have to do is drink. It’s a lot like habit stacking, where you combine tasks to make life smoother.
It was the tiniest change, but it helped me realize that setting myself up for future success — something the app talks about a lot — really does make all the difference. Instead of relying on my groggy morning brain to remember to drink a glass of water, I removed some of the barriers to getting it done. Water is a simple example, but you can apply this same mindset to anything. It’s all about getting out of your own way.
While there are pre-made journeys you can follow on the road to creating better habits, like perfecting your “Work-Life Balance” or a course on “Transforming Your Self-Esteem,” I like that the app allows you to create your own goals, too.
Since it’s the middle of winter and I’m feeling all sorts of sluggish, I decided to make a “Stop Bed Rotting” task under the Routines tab. Alongside my morning, afternoon, and evening routines that were already full of habits I’d like to start, I also have a “Stop Bed Rotting” checklist that includes to-dos like reducing screen time, stretching, and taking a short walk — all things that get me off the couch and doing something different.
Once you tell the app what you want to accomplish, it sends you reminders, as well as tips for making it all happen. For example, part of my morning routine checklist includes making a good breakfast.
Like drinking more water, it reminded me to do a few things the night before, like setting out the things I’d need in my kitchen. It seems obvious, but it’s these little changes that help you keep marching towards your goals, and before you know it, they’re second-nature.
Sure enough, I found myself whipping up an avocado toast the next morning — all before laziness threatened to set in.
Every time I opened the app, I was also prompted to complete a few tasks related to my journey. Since mine is “The Science of Habits,” it offered a few slides with studies and scientific info so I fully understood how habit-making works. Personally, I wasn’t super motivated by the journey feature, but I did like learning the “why” behind what I was doing.
The Takeaway
If you’re really struggling to make habits stick, I can see the Fabulous app being a big help. It breaks everything down into actionable steps and then encourages you along the way. The behavioral science studies that pop up also help reframe what you’re doing, so it’s more likely to stick in your brain.
After using Fabulous, I’ve found it’s easier to set myself up for success so I actually follow through with my new habits. Is this a must-have app? No. But it’s a nice one to try to get yourself out of a rut.
