There’s no doubt that we live our lives surrounded by technology. And whether we love it or hate, the rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things is shaping the world around us – and whether this experience is positive or negative largely depends on how we choose to use.
Recent studies have found that modern technology solutions are saving the average person a total of two weeks each year – and that’s time that would otherwise be frittered away on tasks like food shopping and banking. Technology solutions such as internet delivery, mobile traffic updates and even the dreaded self-service checkout are helping to save time each day with mobile devices alone saving users around an hour each week. With the pace of life seeming to accelerate all the time, we need these time savings to help us along the way.
We all have life admin and tasks that need completing, even if we don’t want to spend time on them, so using technology to minimise that time makes a lot of sense. Not all of us are using the tools available to the best of their ability, so taking time to review what apps and processes could benefit your unique circumstances is always worth doing.
1. Using Tech For…Healthcare
Technology and healthcare are a natural fit, but it’s only in the last few years that developers have focused more on holistic patient care and end-to-end service solutions. The rise of wearable health monitoring tech gives you more information than ever about your own general state of health – smartwatches and phones allow you to track the number of steps you take during the day seamlessly. You can also choose to use a calorie monitoring app like Lifesum if you want to stick to a diet plan or need to become more aware of what you are eating. A sleep cycle app can give feedback on the duration and quality of your nightly rest, coupled with tips to improve your sleep hygiene and a gradual alarm system which can wake you up at the optimal time according to when you fell asleep. As a patient, you can now report symptoms remotely to your doctor and manage medical conditions better, as well as go online to pick up a prescription, book healthcare appointments or even access private, on-demand frontline general practice via your smartphone.
2. Using Tech For….Finance
The rise of the internet has created a new age of empowerment when it comes to our finances, with more money information at our fingertips than ever before. Your financial universe can now be managed almost entirely from your smartphone, and that is a huge boon for both time saved and even security. Encrypted online payment systems, like PayPal provide consumer protection by allowing you to make purchases online without handing over your bank details, plus giving your purchases a level of protection in much the same manner as traditionally offered by a credit card. Meanwhile, devices like Apple and Google Pay allow you to store card details securely in one place, validated by fingerprint. Managing your finances is also much more of a seamless process, thanks to the rise of money management apps which give a real time track of your spending habits and accounts and provide financial advice based on your transaction history. Even checking your credit score is much easier thanks to simple online tools. And with apps like Moneybox that even allow you to create an investment portfolio and set automatic contributions or even round ups of card purchases, there’s no aspect of financial management you can’t do on the go. With seamless payments, enhanced security and access to much more information, tech can totally revolutionise your approach to money.
3. Using Tech For… A Greener Life
Many of us have aspirations to lead a greener life, but unfortunately convenience sometimes gets in the way of our good intentions. But technology is making it easier than ever for us to live up to a greener way of life. First of all, the use of smart metering in homes allows us to really visually and reduce our energy consumption through making simple behaviour changes. Being able to time when heating and hot water are on also means less wasted energy. The power of the internet also means that we can find things where previously it was much harder. So opting to purchase some items pre-loved, with it’s much lower ecological impact, is far easier through sites and apps like eBay, Depop and Gumtree. Even things like food waste have a remedy on food sharing apps designed to bring communities together and cut down avoidable waste.
4. Using Tech For… Exercise
Whether you’re an ultra fit gym bunny or a bit of a couch potato seeking to change your ways, you can now have the ultimate customised fitness journey in the palm of your hard, with technology revolutionising the fitness market. You no longer need an expensive gym membership to benefit from customised on demand fitness coaching or dietary advice – there are swathes of apps dedicated to getting you fit at home – from simple HIIT session interval timers to libraries of workout videos and live online classes. You only need look at the hugely popular Peloton phenomenon for proof of that. Tech truly offers us the option to build fitness programmes tailored to our individual preferences and activity levels. And with the capability to add an interactive gaming element via augmented reality, every run or walk outside can now be part of Pokemon Go or other games. Technology has removed many of the traditional barriers to entry for an active lifestyle – the cost is much lower, the time can be adapted to suit you, and you can get individual advice if needed or just dip in and out of some online classes occasionally.
With all these amazing tech solutions to hand, the big goals in life that we have to be healthier or more active or to improve our footprint on the planet all become much more achievable. We save an awful lot of time, quite a bit of money and we come closer to what we really want to achieve – and all through an LCD screen.
