January starts in a blaze of optimism about all of the ways in which you’ll do better in 2012. As the days go on and it’s cold and dark outside, it can be hard to stick to your resolutions. This is where your Android phone can help – for every resolution there is an app that can make keeping it that little bit easier.

Is your resolution to write that novel you’ve been talking about, to post more on your blog, or just to keep in touch with friends and family? SwiftKey takes the hassle out of typing on your phone and can make it easier to stick at it.

Here are some resolutions from the SwiftKey team, along with the apps that will help:

Listen to more new music – Spotify is a great way to discover new bands, especially now that it integrates with Facebook and you can see what your friends are listening to. 

Travel more adventurously – TripIt talks the hassle out of complex travel itineraries. 

Exercise more – Endomondo Sports Tracker uses GPS to track how far and how fast you run/walk/cycle. 

Save money – daily deals like Groupon offer big discounts and can be a great way to discover new restaurants or stores, just remember to check the T&Cs to make sure you’ll be able to use the voucher. 

Read more news and blogs – Pulse is a great way to monitor lots of sources in one place. 

Check out new restaurants and bars – Yelp helps you to find places to eat and drink in unfamiliar areas. 

Practise the guitar more – gStrings is a simple but effective guitar-tuner. 

Be more organised – 1password helps you to keep track of all of your passwords and Evernote is our favorite note-taking app. 

Don’t get parking fines – RingGo lets you pay for parking without going back to your car (this one only works in the UK, sorry guys).