Using Technology to Help Fulfill Your New Year’s Resolutions

It is that time of the year again when everyone makes New Year’s resolutions. I am no stranger to this yearly exercise. After determining what I wanted from this upcoming year, I shifted my focus to the “HOW”. In the past, I have heavily focused on the outcome rather than on the journey needed to get there. This time around, I decided to take advantage of everything technology has to offer in order to meet all of my resolutions.

Getting Organized as a Resolution?

You do not need a fancy app to get organized for your resolutions, although there are many great ones out there. Everything you need to help plan out your days is on your phone.

• At the beginning of every school year, add your kid’s events and days off to your phone calendar. This will help you better manage your time through days, weeks, and months.
• Plan workouts ahead of time and add them to your calendar. This is a great way to remain engaged if you are trying to work on your fitness. I have noticed that if I add the time to my calendar, and make it as important as any other meeting, that I am more likely to accomplish it.
• Set your phone to remind you of bedtime. I tend to be a night owl and lose track of time easily. This nightly reminder helps me be more conscious of time and allows me to get to bed earlier. They say that you can sleep when you die…but the truth is, if you do not sleep well enough you may get to that “final nap” sooner than you would like!
• Add a reminder to drink water at least three times per day. I know this sounds silly, but it is easy to forget water throughout the day. I am guilty as charged! You can also add meal or snack reminders if you plan to eat multiple small meals daily, or if you want to decrease the number of times, you “snack”. The remainder will train you, over time, to only get hungry when your 15-minute reminder pops up. Much like the mice in those experiments, you saw in high school, hungry cravings can get controlled by a schedule and sound. Is it some sort of dark unspoken magic? No, it’s psychology, but it feels like magic when you actually catch yourself getting hungry when that reminder alerts you.
• Keeping track of your finances by adding goals to your calendar, making lists of how much you are spending, as well as setting reminders for due dates are a few easy ways to meet your fiscal goals.

Productivity Ideas to Meet Resolutions

• Say YES to cleaning robots. We purchased our first cleaning robot five years ago. It’s been one of the best purchases we have ever made. True, that it is not a deep cleaning device, but it is a perfect helping hand for all busy moms when trying to tidy up around the house daily. I put mine on in the morning and at night. Total lifesaver if you are looking to keep a clean house as a resolution.

• Take advantage of the new age concierge services offered by stores by using an app for grocery purchasing and delivery. This has been a game changer in my life. There are so many different applications out there. You can join a membership service or pay for each delivery as needed. Many stores also offer pickup options free of charge. I have paid as low as $6.00 to get all my groceries delivered. Think of all the time you will get back in your day!

Beauty and Style in the New Year

• One of my best friends gifted me a free subscription for a year to a beauty club, and since then, I’ve been hooked. It’s like a having a personalized beauty consultant every month sending you makeup and all kinds of beauty products to help make you look your best. I look forward to my delivery every month.
• Shop online for clothes and shoes, no reason to go to the store and meander around. I WAS one of those people that needed to see and feel an item before purchasing. After becoming a mommy and returning to work, shopping for clothes became a bit more challenging. Once I started to shop online, I never looked back. Many online retailers now offer free returns by mail or in store. Always look at the review section with pictures. If you don’t like it, no big deal, just put a label on it and return.

Ultimately, everything that we do on daily basis is for our families. We often get so caught up with their needs and providing all the mommy, wife, aunt, daughter duties, that our pleasures and needs take a back seat. Use technology, to ensure you can take care of yourself, because if you aren’t in tip-top shape (not just physically), then it will become harder to wear all the hats that you do. The technology, services, and tools are there to be utilized; it is up to us to become “Digitally Educated”, and “Service Savvy”. I encourage you to invest in finding the ones that work best for you, and furthermore, I encourage you to invest in yourself. You deserve it, and it is well within reach!