We’ve all made a New Year’s resolution with good intentions at least once in our lifetimes. Whether we stuck to it was another story all together. But regardless of if you stuck with it for 10 months or lost your motivation within the first 2 weeks into the New Year—keeping resolutions are easier now than ever before!

Why? Because we have the power of technology on our side in the form of handy smart phone apps, for your iPhone or Android, which are not only perfectly free, but there to support us when times get tough.

Technology has your back when it comes to sticking to those yearly goals

The New Year is a logical time to take stock of your life and improve it where you feel it could use a little polishing. With the help of the following smart phone apps for the most common New Year’s resolutions, I’m hoping that in 2012 you will be able to stick to your goal—be it weight loss, getting n shape, eating better, curbing spending, or quitting smoking—and become the person you’ve always wanted to be.

The following top 2012 apps for keeping your New Year’s resolutions will inspire you to stay on track all year long:

1. Task management

TaskThis a very popular, and completely free, app for iPhone manages your tasks by organizing them in a simple way that will keep your day on track. Customize your daily to-dos by creating project lists, scheduling events, and even creating personal shopping lists with tags so you can search and locate any event by day, category or milestone. Take control of your day by being in control of your life!

2. Healthy eating

Almost everyone resolves to eat better for the New Year. Well 2012 is your year to actually take that well-meaning goal seriously by eating out less and cooking healthier meals at home. Healthy eating begins at the food source—in our case, the grocery store or local market. Fooducate, another free app for your iPhone, makes healthy eating simple. It’s like having a personal Dietitian at your disposal. While shopping for food, simply scan the barcode of any item and Fooducate will then grade it based on the calories per serving, fat content, and where needed, provide healthier alternatives.

3. Quit smoking

Do yourself, and your health, a favor by downloading Quitter, a completely free, lifesaving-app for iPhone that will motivate you to butt out! Quitter hits smokers where it hurts—in the wallet—by displaying how much cash you’re saved by not buying cigarettes. You’ll be sure to stay on track when you see how much you’re saving weekly, monthly, and yearly on quitting for good.

4. Get active

Another common resolution for many ringing in 2012, being more active is a dream many have—either to lose weight or to simply have more energy. Exercise will help you achieve your goals, but everyone needs a little encouragement to stay on track. Trust the professionals at Nike Training Club to help you get active. This app is not only free, it’s akin to having a personal trainer on your iPhone, offering up step-by-step exercise routines, giving you tips and words of motivation from celebrity trainers, and keeping track of your activity or weight loss goal via calorie counters, activity trackers, BMI indicators and more.

5. Get your finances in order

Even though we’ve rung in a new year, the recession is still an unfortunate reality for many. So getting a handle on finances was a top goal for many folks in 2012. Mint, another free iPhone app will help you achieve financial control by keeping track of all of your financial information (e.g., credit card information, savings and checking accounts, as well as debt) as well as your spending. By keeping track of what goes out and comes into your accounts, Mint creates a personalized budget, reminds you when to pay bills and loan payments, and tracks all of your cash spending.

Author bio: Melanie Gray is master of her T-Mobile HTC and writer for AndGeeks, a popular site that provides Android news, commentary, reviews and beginner Android tips for Droid newbies.