‘Be the change you want to see in the world,” the saying goes, though it’s unlikely that any of us can become a miraculous cure to the coronavirus.

As we close out 2021, we must acknowledge the dreary deja vu of saying and hoping that next year will be a better year, that the worst is behind us, that the only way to go is up.

COVID-19 did a better job of evolving than most humans, spawning a delta variant and an omicron flavor as well. By the time we’ve exhausted the Greek alphabet, we’ll probably be facing COVID-22.

Things have been rough. Everyone is exhausted. But how can we not look at a new year as an opportunity, however flimsy or fleeting, to do better, or be a better person? So let’s try, together.

This past year, as a husband and son, I’ve learned that your family and your health are both immensely important and incredibly fragile. As a technologist, I can’t help but look for ways to preserve the priceless.

Here are some tools that I recommend to build better habits and keep your wits about you in 2022.

>> Daylio (Android and iOS app, daylio.net): Before you can take on the world around you, you should have a firm grasp on what’s going on within. Daylio is a bullet journal and mood tracker app that I’ve found helpful in getting a higher-­level view of how I’m doing.

At its simplest, you check in daily with your mood, and you can check off a variety of options, like “watched a movie,” “exercised” or “ate fast food.” It doesn’t take long for you to see trends and correlations that allow you to make small changes to improve the chances of having a good day.

>> Productive (Android and iOS app, apalon.com/productive.html): There are many things we must do every day, and too many things we should do every day. The Productive app is a great way to track both, and to build small actions into good habits.

There are a lot of free task-tracking apps out there, even built into smartphones. But Productive is both beautiful and powerful. You can track both one-time and recurring tasks, organize tasks by time of day or category (like work, home, health or family), get well-timed reminders, track streaks (like going for a walk 51 days straight) and more.

>> DayOne (Android, iOS, and macOS app, dayoneapp.com): I’ve kept a journal off and on for most of my life, in long-lost marble composition notebooks, on manually coded web pages, and through a dizzying array of software. Every time I fall out of the habit, I regret it, only realizing the value on the far side of a life-changing event.

I recommend journaling, even if it’s a sentence a day in a note-taking app or a steno pad. But DayOne is a wonderful tool that is private, readily at hand, flexible and even helpful.

You can simply jot down a note every day, or every few days. If you rather not type, just record a voice entry, or drop in a photo. Entries can be geocoded and browsed on a map, which is great for travelogues. You can tag and search through your entries and get “on this day” alerts to revisit the past.

DayOne also can do much of what Daylio and Productive do, with reminder and calendar integration, and the ability to keep multiple journals, like a personal diary, a food log, and a gratitude journal. Everything is encrypted and synced, so you can tap out a few sentences on your phone, then do long-form writing when you sit down at your computer.

>> JamBios (jambios.com): This one is locally built. JamBios takes the concept of journaling and makes it collaborative. JamBios also provides great prompts, so you’ll never be at a loss for words.

Let’s say you’re prompted to write about your first car. You can tell that story, but also invite your parents or best friend from high school to contribute their recollections as well. Or imagine asking your grandparents and parents to share the story of how they met. Chances are, you’ll learn things you never knew.

It’s like reminiscing at a family gathering, or in a group chat, but with the goal of gathering and preserving meaningful memories. And JamBios can even print your collective stories in a hardcover memory book, creating a truly priceless keepsake.

Ryan Kawailani Ozawa publishes Hawaii Bulletin, a free email newsletter covering Hawaii science, tech and innovation. Subscribe at hawaii.bulletin.com.