Habit-forming for good with Finch
January 15, 2025 2:59 PM   Subscribe

Is there something you can do on your phone that's the opposite of doom-scrolling? It would probably need to be cute and encouraging and maybe it somehow allows friends to support each other... That's basically what Finch is trying to do. Sadly, their own website provides very little information about what using the app is like, so I've selected some reviews to give you an idea.

Or go to your preferred app store (Google, Apple) and just give it a try!

The Occuplaytional Therapist has some screenshots of the views you'll see daily. When you first start using the app, you'll get a 'birb' companion, which starts out as a baby. Completing 'goals' (in real life, then checking them off in the app) grants you both experience and currency, the latter of which you can use to buy outfits, stuff for your birdhouse (birbhouse?), etc.

What kind of goals are these? You can define your own, but mostly, the built-in questionnaire will attempt to set things up for you. MakeUseOf shows this off quite well. At the start of every week, there will be some questions to choose a focus area for the week, which again will have some suggested goals.

So why would you do this? Well, if you ever owned a Tamagotchi or Neopet, you know the delight of a cute virtual pet - and they are cute indeed. One look at the screenshots in this ViralTalky review should be enough to see whether this is for you. (If the cutesy style puts you off, consider Habitica instead.) Unlike those pets, though, caring for your birb requires you to take care of yourself. By leaning on both gamification (gotta collect those outfits) and whatever psychological principle it is that makes it easier to do something for someone else than for yourself, self-care becomes less of a slog. Along the way, you're also invited to do some mood tracking and perhaps reflect on your day or week. The tone is positive throughout; you may break a streak but your birb will neither go hungry nor get hurt. And if you indicate that your mood is (very) low, a 'First Aid' button will appear to highlight some evidence-based exercises like the grounding techniques and breathing exercises.

Mood tracking and reflection... sounds like something you'd want to keep private, perhaps? Finch has got you covered there. If you prefer, your data (including backups) stays entirely local. The Privacy Policy is rather refreshing to read if you don't like the idea of your data being collected. Mozilla's 'Privacy Not Included' is slightly less enthousiastic, due to an optional feature to allow Finch to use your contacts to reach out via other means than the app. If that's not your thing, you can keep your 'friendships' entirely within the app; you'll still be able to send your 'birb' over for a visit to give a high-five, wish someone sweet dreams or just wave hello.

Overall, and perhaps due to that attempt to provide encouragement even when people fail to open the app, the concept reminds me of Naomi Kritzer's Better Living Through Algorithms (previously). Is an app going to make you happy? No; that wouldn't even seem right. Will it help you find activities and people who can get you there? It might!
posted by demi-octopus (51 comments total) 33 users marked this as a favorite
 
I used Finch for almost two years*! It was cute and helpful and nice enough that I paid the subscription for the second year. I liked the first aid recommendations a lot when I was really Going Through It, and the micro-journaling prompts were also nice little check-ins throughout the day. A lot of the therapy stuff I was working on during this time was about self care and self compassion, so I found myself tying my own self-talk into how I cared for the bird. Put on clean clothes, drink some water, go on a little adventure. Take a nap when you need to, etc. Overall, just really gentle and compassionate assistance.

*my late-diagnosed ADHD ass generally can't stick with a routine for more than two months, let alone two years. my phone is a graveyard of productivity and meditation and self care apps that i've tried, loved, and then abandoned immediately. Finch is the only one that ever survived this long
posted by specialagentwebb at 3:10 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]


One of the Finch features I like is that you can tie a specific goal to a specific unlock for your lil guy (micropets). Am I going to waterpick my teeth for my own dental health? Hell no. Am I going to do it so that my lil guy can have an even smaller guy of his own? Yes!
posted by icebergs at 3:20 PM on January 15 [15 favorites]


Is there something you can do on your phone that's the opposite of doom-scrolling?

But that's why I check MetaFilter, obviously!
posted by Smedly, Butlerian jihadi at 4:26 PM on January 15 [7 favorites]


Considering how much I am invested in not letting the Duolingo Owl immolate everyday by practicing French, this might be the trick for me to reach other goals.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 4:38 PM on January 15 [5 favorites]


While this seems a cute idea for a self-help app... this seems awfully close
to a blurb for a (subscription?) app, especially given the
breathless ad-copy speak of the "reviews". Maybe a mod can weigh in on
whether this is appropriate for MF. demi-octopus, I'd rather you had waited
and reported to us how well this worked for YOU, personally.
posted by Vegiemon at 5:22 PM on January 15 [9 favorites]


As someone who was wondering what this was about, I actually appreciate the post since "just download it!" is not something I'm into doing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:26 PM on January 15 [3 favorites]


Also, per one of the links: "There’s a free version and a paid version. I made myself use the free version for 50 days before letting myself upgrade to the paid one, because I wanted to prove to myself that I would stick with it for a little while. Honestly, the difference between the two is very minimal — you get access to all of the tools and every part of the app for free. I largely wanted to subscribe to the paid one to support the developers, and it also unlocks some extra items, some extra options for some of the tools, etc. For example, you get access to a wider variety of soundscapes, exercises, or breathing patterns."

So it's not a mandatory for-pay thing.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:28 PM on January 15 [3 favorites]


There are definitely a number of mefites on finch, myself included. If folks want to chain invites or trade member numbers to be friends, we could do that here or start a MeTa on the topic.
posted by gingerbeer at 5:41 PM on January 15 [8 favorites]


1) If this works for you, that's great, keep at it and share it with friends etc.

2) As personalized opiates of the masses go, this is the most benign i've seen.

3) Its quite a poignant counterpoise to the earlier thread about doomscrolling, because the idea is not to do anything about what is bad in the world, but to change how you feel, so that you can be less upset and more content in the midst of life. Since very bad things are happening, this is a Rx for "entertain yourself and chill out".

Notice how the antidote to Doomscrolling isn't activism, political participation, boycott, divestment, group joining and power use. Its breathing, journaling and self-soothing

So, I don't know how ordinary Germans kept their moods while participating in the war machine and the holocaust, but at least for the latest genocides and technodistopian panopticon and rising authoritarism and climate choas, we'll have birbs to keep us company as we follow orders and follow the rest of the lemmings into the abyss. 4 stars, works on android, could use better sound-board.
posted by No Climate - No Food, No Food - No Future. at 8:22 PM on January 15 [2 favorites]


I think that critique has a lot of validity. But also I am a more effective organizer when I practice healthy methods of soothing myself. Today I did yoga and went to therapy. Last month I helped pass this.

I do begrudge failing to act. But I can't begrudge anyone a practice that gives them ease and peace.
posted by latkes at 10:33 PM on January 15 [19 favorites]


"activism, political participation, boycott, divestment, group joining and power use"

I do these things, and they're quite demanding emotionally, and they can be quite demoralising to keep plugging away at if results aren't immediate. Things that restore and soothe help me to maintain the energy to do stuff in the world. This oppositional framing is mistaken, I think, not only can you do both, you'll probably do better (at fixing shit in the world) doing both.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 10:36 PM on January 15 [25 favorites]


Finch is delightful and got me through a long streak. I’d love more novelty for an excuse to return to it because it hits a great sweet spot for productivity apps by putting in a deliberate slowness and focus on being comfy and kind over ruthless to do tasks. I paid in appreciation that the no pay app is very very usable. They also are pretty generous with gift sponsorships for people who can’t afford it.

It’s a very interesting app and I’d love to see an interview on the nuts and bolts of the development team process.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 10:58 PM on January 15 [4 favorites]


Now I read how this thing works, seems like you can set quite arbitrary goals.

"Overthrow capitalism" isn't what I'd call a SMART goal, but any of the small bread and butter activities of activism from making a phone call to to talking to a fellow worker could totally be gamified through Finch.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:31 PM on January 15 [11 favorites]


Thanks for this. I tried it last year but bounced off it (think I found it too cutesy), but people have rec'd it in the GSD thread, so have been meaning to try it again.
posted by paduasoy at 11:45 PM on January 15 [1 favorite]


I downloaded it yesterday to see, and you can definitely use it to set goals related to organizing your workplace or creating a mutual aid network for local disasters. Maybe not boycotting because it works better with concrete actions to take than things to avoid.

This is essentially a cute task list. Neither an alternative to doomscrolling imo or some tool of capitalism to further alienate us.
posted by tofu_crouton at 3:37 AM on January 16 [7 favorites]


Should i be more caveated, mealy mouthed or ambivalent when i offer disagreement and criticism.

You should stop using dehumanizing language like "lemmings," as well as stop thinking the dehumanizing thoughts that go into that kind of comment. When we call people at large lemmings, swine, sheep, etc., we are demonstrating a sort of anti-political viewpoint--they're not human, they're not worth empathizing with or saving. It's not the worst thing in the world, but as you see, it's the sort of judgment that automatically stops further conversation because now everyone has to deal with your emotions.
posted by mittens at 5:17 AM on January 16 [21 favorites]


No one has to "deal" with anything here. Attacking other posters is not cool. Flag it and move on and don't derail the thread further, please.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:40 AM on January 16 [1 favorite]


I've used Finch, Daylio, and currently I'm trying out Bearable. Bearable does what Daylio did, but with more customizability and better data analysis -- for instance if you want to figure out what correlates with that insomnia you seem to be getting: is it that new medication, is it having anxiety during the day, or does it happen on sedentary days? Bearable is designed exactly for that. It collects enough info and lets you slice it it in more ways than Daylio, so I like that. Or if you have ADHD and you need to adjust or titrate meds, and you know you're going to forget -- was I more scattered last week??, etc. Bearable is excellent for that.

Neither of them have the charm of Finch, and neither have the tools to help when you're feeling bad that Finch has, but then Finch doesn't have the data analysis bit. Oddly, I think the thing I miss the most from Finch were the breathing tools, despite being turned off by the idea of breath work in general. But Finch made it easy to try a few techniques and just run them for a minute or two, and it would guide you, and I found some that did help for bringing down anxiety. And some of the writing prompts were nice, as well. And I wasn't using the paid version, so I wasn't even getting the full library of tools. From a therapy standpoint, Finch is great.

Oh, there was one big problem with Finch: a lot of the little habit things it was helping me with are things that I do in the evening -- some mobility exercises, setting up beans to soak or oatmeal the night before, making sure I checked my calendar and tasks for the next day, etc. But that meant I would never get to send the little bird off on his adventures until the evening, when it was too late. I couldn't figure out how to solve that one, other than including a bunch of morning tasks, which are the things I don't need help with so they just clutter up the system.
posted by antinomia at 5:58 AM on January 16 [2 favorites]


Mod note: Some of comments deleted, some left up for a bit of context.

First, please avoid attacking other members. Second, please avoid equating other members to being mealy mouthed and aiding Nazis, that's never going to go well

Specifically for No Climate - No Food, No Food - No Future, you've noted that others have mentioned that you threadshit=t. That's a sign that you absolutely need to stop coming into threads and berating those who disagree with your beliefs. It almost always winds up as a derail and that needs to end.

Please consider reframing your disagreements in a more productive way or just refrain from commenting. Because if your behavior continues we're going to have to start removing more of those types of comments and asking you to stop posting in threads where you do this. And if this doesn't work, we're going to have to move on to bans, first temporary and then possibly permanent.

We don't want to do that, so we're asking you to adjust your behavior on the site, please.
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 6:06 AM on January 16 [21 favorites]


> it works better with concrete actions to take than things to avoid

You could have "Had a Nestlé-free day yesterday" or whatever the boycott of your choice is.

My birb is named Crouton and sometimes the app encourages me to pet Crouton and yes I did that deliberately.
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:09 AM on January 16 [14 favorites]


Another Finch fan here! antinomia, depending on what I've got on my list, my birb often goes adventuring when I go to bed, but that just means I get to see what she brings back the next morning instead of later in the day. I do like that you can adjust the time your day starts and ends, and the very positive approach the app uses. Also I have 2 friends on there, and it's nice to be able to send a little gift or hug, just a small "I'm thinking of you". I like the option of having the tiny social contact there. Before I had friends there, I rarely bothered changing up outfits or furniture, now I enjoy that aspect more because I can also see their rooms and outfits.
posted by dorey_oh at 12:13 PM on January 16 [3 favorites]


My apologies to the folks in this and other threads. I hope this app and other conversations bring you peace and joy, and I will make the recommended changes. And thank you to the moderators who have a thankless task.

May your birbs lead to good things.
posted by No Climate - No Food, No Food - No Future. at 12:33 PM on January 16 [16 favorites]


* I'm nearing my 90 day streak and my wife often asks me if I would do X for some bird points.
* I'm currently in Iceland trying to collect all the sweaters.
* Apparently, I really needed a way to tie real life chores to a cozy game of dress up and decorating.
* Still trying to get that llama micropet. So many blobs...
* everything is a list to me now
posted by advicepig at 1:19 PM on January 16 [7 favorites]


antinomia, I have a quick morning checklist of things that I've been doing that get Pebble out on an adventure before my workday starts. Some are basic AM hygiene that I usually do anyways, but I did add some reflections and intentions that have really helped start my days in a more charitable headspace.
posted by advicepig at 1:22 PM on January 16 [2 favorites]


I like Finch having discovered it recently. If you're having a hard day, it's remarkably heartwarming getting a notification saying "I care about you", even when you know it's just a piece of software generating that message.

My favourite feature is related to the daily goal of scoring a certain number of points so your finch can head out for an adventure. You get points related to each task you perform - usually 5 points per task. The daily goal changes depending on how many different tasks you give yourself, but it's set so you don't have to do all of them (I have 12 goals and I have to hit 7 of them to send my birb on an adventure).
The thing that is clever is that it asks you how you're doing when you open the app. If you say you're not so good, each of the tasks you perform score more points, making it easier to hit the daily goal.
The other thing I like is that there's not really any negative consequences to not managing any of this stuff.
posted by Stark at 2:49 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]


I am thisclose to learning how to make Android apps so I can make one with a Klingon in it instead. I appreciate what Finch is trying to do, but it's too cutesy for me to take seriously at all. An app yelling "Your enemy occupies your very mind! Fight for your honor!!" would help me out so much more.
posted by nonethefewer at 3:21 PM on January 16 [10 favorites]


Mod note: My apologies to the folks in this and other threads.

Thank you for that, it is noticed and appreciated!
posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 3:26 PM on January 16 [5 favorites]


I use Finch and very much enjoy it! I use it to gently prod myself to do things that are good for me (like take a walk, do some knitting, small things like that) and for little mood-boosts during the day. I don't love everything about it, but the cuteness appeals to me, and it does add a little brightness to my day.
posted by maryellenreads at 4:23 PM on January 16 [3 favorites]


Oh, and as to the paid-vs-free aspect: you can apply to be sponsored for a month of the paid app by a "guardian." And I signed up for the free week-long trial, but ended up not subscribing because I couldn't afford it, and within a few days of canceling the paid trial they emailed me letting me know that, since times are tough for a lot of folks, they were giving me the paid version for free forever. So that was really nice!! Plus, their customer-support staff are very responsive and nice, and their Discord server is great.
posted by maryellenreads at 4:29 PM on January 16 [7 favorites]


I just hit a hundred day streak on Finch. :) It’s was really helpful in recovering from an awful, burnout job full of moral injury and despair about the system. Which then put me in a place where I was able to apply for and get a job doing direct community advocacy. The cynicism from the previous job almost kept me from it, but the things that I did to take care of my mental health and connect with people around me let me push past that and take a chance on an opportunity to actually make change. And now I’m doing that! As anyone who has been involved in activism for a long time knows, when you’re in a change movement and stop believing in change, that’s when you need to step back and start taking care of yourself. Well organized and structured movements are designed to let people do that, but they rarely are able to offer help with people trying to structure their recovery and healing. This is a tool that a lot of people I know in advocacy work have used both as individuals, and as a community because the optional social aspects help us care for each other even if we’re super burned out ourselves.

Btw, there are “journeys” where you can focus on different goals such as nourishing your body, managing anxiety, staying present in the moment, etc. One of them is “connect with my community” which includes volunteering for a nonprofit, helping someone in your community looking for mentorship, learn about your local government, contribute to a local fundraiser, etc. And of course you can put in your own goals, which is in fact much more encouraged than their default ones. The focus isn’t on self-soothing, it’s on living the life you want to lead in accordance with your goals and values—whatever that looks like.
posted by brook horse at 7:01 PM on January 16 [8 favorites]


My bird discovered Baby Shark today! She wanted to sing it, Finch did give me the option of "Please don't, I can't have that song stuck in my head. But I appreciate you offering." LOL.
posted by jenfullmoon at 8:32 PM on January 16 [6 favorites]


I started Finch just after Christmas and thanks to it I do have a near-daily walk routine going, which I wouldn't have accomplished otherwise, so that's a good start.

Also I'm somewhat pleased that my Finch detests Baby Shark hahaha
posted by creatrixtiara at 12:40 AM on January 17 [3 favorites]


Baby Shark is the only thing my new birb likes so far.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:02 AM on January 17


An app yelling "Your enemy occupies your very mind! Fight for your honor!!" would help me out so much more.

I would use a spite app that showed me an enemy's face and reminded me that I need to stay active to defeat them.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:03 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]


Ok I’m convinced! Just signed up. Wish Peachy and I luck!
posted by Sticks and Rocks at 6:49 AM on January 17 [5 favorites]


An app yelling "Your enemy occupies your very mind! Fight for your honor!!" would help me out so much more.

MeMail me when it launches.

In the meantime glad to know about this one.
posted by warriorqueen at 1:03 PM on January 17


I use Finch, despite being Super skeptical of the cutesyness to start. But I actually do most of my physical therapy most days, yay! That's a huge change over the past. And I fully believe getting stronger will help me resist a little better/stronger/longer.

Antinomia, I have "wash my face" and "brush my teeth" as goals that I check off in the morning, even though I do them last thing at night. It helps me to be able to wake up and cross off a couple of things right away. It's your app, use it as is helpful to you!

(Personally, I now have so many PT exercises and other tasks in there that I feel like my bird goes adventuring too early in the task list/day. But I can, and should, tweak that.)
posted by ldthomps at 2:30 PM on January 17 [3 favorites]


Sitting here this evening and thinking about how it's weighing on me that I have, aside from work and a lot more life-stresses than usual, some plans to do two different writing projects at the same time as well as wanting to add some light exercise to the days that I don't work out, and thinking about how I always fail at stuff and then I was like wait what was that thread called and so now I have this baby bird bossing me around.
posted by mittens at 3:47 PM on January 17 [12 favorites]


Thanks for sharing this. Just started yesterday. I've been using Todoist to keep track of the things I have to do and that's working for me, but I think it might be better to separate the self care things into a different list. So far, so good! Still figuring out the basics.
posted by Zumbador at 3:02 AM on January 18 [2 favorites]


I love my little birb. I've been using finch for 2+ years now. I use it as my todo list and it has helped me create some habits. I need to add journaling back because I got out of the habit.

MeMail if anyone wants to add me to their birb town (?)
posted by kathrynm at 10:10 AM on January 19 [3 favorites]


Started yesterday thanks to this post. I'm decent at keep me alive tasks, but I always forget to do stuff like change sheets. Going to give this app a try. My friend code is 7KZ7HKCKWR. Please give my birb bean other birds to visit and help me keep using the app
posted by Higherfasterforwards at 11:52 AM on January 19 [2 favorites]


Add me and my birb Sprinkle to the list of people influenced by this post. So far so good, I need to hone in on useful daily goals.
posted by Sparky Buttons at 7:04 AM on January 20 [2 favorites]


I just want to say thanks to those who have added me. Getting a visit from other birbs is great! And I changed my sheets yesterday! well the bed sheet at least, I was too lazy to change all pillows too.

I'm going to have to be careful on how many tasks I have on the list. I can tell if I have too many it'll make it hard to open the app, even if they're things I want to do or have done.
posted by Higherfasterforwards at 7:25 AM on January 20 [3 favorites]


Just making sure that those of you wanting more of a "You will bring shame upon the House of MeFi if you do not look after yourself!" vibe are aware of Orcspiration.
posted by The corpse in the library at 1:08 PM on January 20 [4 favorites]


I've just discovered that you can arrange plane trips across the globe for your bird! That take several hours in real time! For some reason that makes me really happy.
posted by Zumbador at 4:23 AM on January 25 [2 favorites]


My friend code is MABARFG3AN.
posted by Zumbador at 4:34 AM on January 25 [3 favorites]


I feel bad I have done virtually nothing on my bird goals (still in bed), but I had a late night last night, darn it.
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:26 AM on January 25 [1 favorite]


OMG the birbs who've visited me have the coolest outfits!
posted by Zumbador at 9:36 AM on January 25 [1 favorite]


How do you visit other birbs? I'm unclear on this, though I am enjoying when others visit me.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:21 PM on January 25


I think visiting other birbs just happens. At least, someone showed me I was visiting them, and I hadn't taken any action to make this happen. My code is GQFR8GWDVX.
posted by paduasoy at 3:10 PM on January 25 [1 favorite]


Hm, it does let me mark off that someone can come visit...just not sure how it goes the other way around.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:58 PM on January 25


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