10 Ways to Use Technology to Improve Your Life
We often talk about the ways the technology can hinder us. It distracts us from our friends and family, we fail to connect with others, and we waste precious time on social media. While all of these reasons have a basis in reality, technology can also add great value to our life.
1. You can work from anywhere
One of the most beautiful aspects of technology is the fact that you can work from anywhere. While we are all still college students, I think we can all say we have worked on papers, projects, etc. from the car or while on vacation. As a graphic designer, I have spent many hours in the car working on design projects since the Adobe programs do not require internet. If you are in a remote place with internet connection, you can connect with your work back home and maintain productivity.
2. You can sync all your devices so nothing slips through the cracks
We have all been blessed by the cloud. I have my email, texts, Google Drive, calendar, notes, photos, videos, etc synched between my phone, laptop, and iPad. Apple makes this extremely easy for all our information to sync between devices, but Android has features that make this easy as well. We will never miss a meeting or email because of this great feature.
3. You can connect with people all over the world
This is one of the greatest aspects of technology. No matter where we are in the world, you can talk to people with just a simple internet connection. Two years ago, I traveled to Israel for a month and while I was there, I was able to iMessage, email, and Skype with loved ones back home and to let them know I was safe each night. While the internet was spotty and unreliable, it worked well enough to be effective.
4. You can research literally any topic
Want to learn more about a certain topic? Well guess what? You can! You can google literally anything and find more information about whatever you want to learn about! You can also find out information about issues happening around the world. We no longer have to rely on a few news sources to find out about world issues, we can hear from people experiencing it.
5. You can keep track of your health
There are endless apps that track your health and help to keep you on track for your dieting and exercising. Some health apps I have personally used are My Fitness Pal, C25K (Couch to 5K), and Nike+ Running. Between these three apps, I have been able to track all my food intake, calorie count, daily running plans, GPS of my running routes, running intensity at different times, calories burned, etc. And there are literally thousands of these apps that will help keep you healthy.
6. You can manage your time better
To-do lists are one of my favorite things. Ever. You can find endless apps that manage how you track your time and productivity levels. You can also find programs that force you to take a break and look away from your computer screen to protect your eyes. By not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by work or burn yourself out, through taking breaks, you can increase your productivity.
7. You can sample products before you buy them
Read reviews, listen to music, preview books, watch trailers, the list goes on and on. We can find out everything we possibly can about products before we spend our valuable money on them. Whenever I shop online, I always read the reviews to find out how others like the product and view photos of users wearing the clothes.
8. You will never get lost again
GPS has saved me so many times. I can program Siri to where I want to go, and she takes me there. Now, even though GPS is not always 100% accurate, it has saved me more times than I could ever count. I am fairly directionally challenged, so GPS has helped me to know where am I, where I have been, and where I am going. I always feel much more secure whenever I travel with GPS.
9. You can find an app for literally anything
Seriously though. If you can imagine it, I am sure there is an app for it. That’s all I have to say about that.
10. You can do all your banking online
Pay your bills, manage your checkbook, transfer money, and deposit checks all from your smart phone. It’s brilliant! Some may argue that they do not think it to be as secure, but you are still able to track every single purchase made on your cards. In fact, if somebody steals your card, you can notice fraud purchases faster because you have access to all your information in the palm of your hand.
People have a lot of negative opinions on technology, but we live in a world where technology is not going away. So we should embrace the world around us and use technology to it’s full potential.