It’s probably fair and square to say that the digital age has come upon the world and is still in full swing. From telephones to computers to smartphones to pleasantly voiced AIs that inform you of the weather, technology has become a staple in almost all aspects of our lives. There are some very obvious upgrades that the digital age has brought upon us. Entire catalogs of movies and TV series have now become available in the palm of your hand instead of a local Blockbuster. But there are also some advantages technology has given us that might not be glaringly obvious but are assuredly helpful things that ease the stress of daily life.
Everyone only has 24 hours to spend each day, no matter who you are. Sometimes it might feel like you barely have time to spend on things you love because you focus your spare on errands and chores. Collated below are some ways to utilize technology to help you save time, giving you more time to spend on the things that matter. If you haven’t tried some of these apps or products yet, consider living smarter and utilizing them to help take the stress and mundanity out of daily living.
Online Grocery Shopping and Meal Prep
Do you barely have the energy to go grocery shopping or cook dinner after you leave work? Fear not! Enterprising companies have come up with services that allow you to shop online and have the products you want delivered straight to your house. This saves you the effort of going to a physical store and thinking about what to buy for dinner. And if you don’t have it in you to plan out all your meals for the week on top of doing the grocery shopping, there are meal kit delivery services that do all that for you—all that’s left is for you to cook!
Calculating College Chances
Suppose you or someone you know plans to apply to several colleges for the upcoming school year (or even transfer for the next semester). In that case, some sites help guide you through the process. Some even have sophisticated algorithms to help calculate the chance of your acceptance into your school of choice. They take information such as the SAT requirements for the school, your SAT score, ACT score, and GPA to determine the likelihood of your acceptance into the school. This saves you the time and effort of gathering data, from reading the school’s requirements to asking people who have gone to that school for their experience.
Digitized Accounting
Say goodbye to spreadsheets and balance books to figure out where your expenses are going. With the advent of apps, budgeting and personal accounting have become a lot easier. Whether you want to track your spending, your investments, or the bills and loans you have to pay, there’s a financial tracker app out there tailor-made to help you sort out your finances and get back on your feet. Each app has its unique feature, so take the time to research and choose the best one to help you. There are also options to use a free app or one that might need to pay for premium features.
Detailed Maps and Recommendations
The advent of the global positioning system (GPS) has ensured that the chances of you digging out a road map while stopping for gas are close to nil. Technology has enabled everyone to now need nothing but smartphones to help guide you to a new location or have recommendations ready, should you need them. Make full use of global mapping apps such as Google Maps or Waze to ensure you don’t get lost or to help you determine the route less traveled by (and therefore with less traffic). Some apps recommend the nearest or best accommodations to stay in should you plan on traveling. Recommendations for places to eat at and explore are also available now due to technology—and no doubt a great help when you and your partner are not exactly sure what to have for dinner.
Robotic Houshelp
Digitalization hasn’t only been limited to websites or apps, though. Programming has been cleverly meshed with gadgets to give you automated house help to ensure your floors are clean and you feed your pets on time. Just an example of how technology helps lessen the burden of everyday chores for you.
If you’d rather be doing something else than vacuuming and mopping the floor, invest in a robotic vacuum cleaner to do it for you. Worried about coming home late and your pets going hungry? Invest in an automated feeder to ensure they get their food on time. There are numerous gadgets online that will help make your life easier, such as self-cleaning litter boxes, air purifiers, power scrubbers, and handheld UV light sanitizers (to name a few).
Undoubtedly, technology has made life easier. Whether through apps or smart devices, you can take control of your life with just a tap of a screen.
