Smartphones, wearables, and portable devices have become ubiquitous in the current world, their importance made more apparent as social distancing initiatives become commonplace worldwide, due to the global pandemic. However, this technological advantage has both upsides and downsides. While they provide us with extraordinary amounts of information and 24/7 connectivity, it is also these same qualities that can impact our lives negatively if left unbalanced and unmanaged.
For those constantly spending time online and on-the-move, it can be difficult to maintain a sense of balance both offline and online. The constant connectivity – whether to our devices, the Internet, or to social media – means that our personal and professional lives intertwine more deeply than ever before. With so much work, education, entertainment, and socialisation taking place online, it can be difficult to keep track of plans and activities happening simultaneously. In fact, it can be overwhelming and downright stressful. As such, it is important to use technology meaningfully and ensure we take control of our online activities and lives, instead of being hampered by its constant presence.
Decreasing Stress through Sorting and Organisation
We’ve all felt it – the anxiety and closing-in feeling when there’s a laundry list of things to do, but only a limited time and capacity to complete them. The not-so-secret secret solution to combating this sensation is in getting organised. Whether online or offline, clutter and chaos can impact your mental health. It is important to recognise the effect of organisation, especially if this organisation extends to multiple areas of your life; this can help reduce stress levels long term by requiring less last-minute scrambling in a variety of everyday situations. Furthermore, it can also be empowering, as it helps you experience new situations as “exciting” instead of “stressful”.
How then does one get organised? A simple way to do so is to keep tabs of your to-do list and day’s priorities. Plan and access your calendars, reminders, and notes from your smartphone and plan your day around your activities to stay one step ahead. To ease this process, your smartphone can be your personal digital assistant. For those with a Samsung device equipped with an S Pen, you even have a whole disposal of stationery and tools for all your notetaking needs to boost productivity. With access to a range of colours and thickness through a variety of pencils, pens, highlighters, and even a convenient eraser, the S Pen is great for any notetaking purposes, allowing you to organise and sort through your files for easy sharing. However you do so, a little organisation goes a long way; even sorting your apps on your device’s homepage can help provide screen clarity and reduce stress.
Ensuring Convenience and Peace of Mind with Practicality
Given our current reliance on our smartphone, it is significantly more important today than a decade ago to have a reliable device that survives the day without needing to be plugged in. Meetings, conversations, and crucial moments may be missed if our smartphone’s battery dies and having to charge it whether via outlet or a portable power bank can be troublesome and unnecessary. That’s why having a smartphone with a larger-than-average battery capacity – like the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, with its 4500mAh battery to ensure you have a full day’s use of your smartphone without needing to worry about missing important moments.
Now, knowing you have a device that will last with you as you go about your day, other quality of life habits to pick up that can ease stress and help you better manage your day can be considered. Staying practical can be helpful. For example, synchronising your files and documents across all your devices by using a cloud service like Samsung Cloud can help you stay connected with all the necessities while having the freedom and convenience to access them from other devices. Similarly, you can seamlessly synch your written notes with the Notes Live Sync so you can access your notes without a worry. When a connection is limited, saving files to your phone can also be beneficial and timesaving. However, if you’re a consistent smartphone user and traveller, local memory and storage may already be full. That’s why when shopping for a new phone, selecting one with expandable memory – to refer to the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra again – can not only expand your smartphone library, but also provide you with the freedom to discover and create more without worry or storage hindrance when you’re out and about and on the go.
Equipping Yourself with the Right Accessories
When you’re out for the day, the gear and accessories you carry with you become more relevant, as they can help cover your needs for you to have a productive, effective day. As such, it is natural to want to travel light and reduce the weight and clutter of carrying too many items. Keep your on-the-go kit simple and easy to pack. You could bring along Galaxy Buds Live that give you the freedom of music and handsfree communication without the mess of wires, or pick up a protective standing cover for your phone that both protects your device and allow you to kick back while watching a video hand-free. Furthermore, you can put to practice safe habits by keeping your smartphone clean with a UV Sterilizer, which can help kill harmful germs and bacteria that gather on the surface on your devices.
If you find yourself needing to also work on the go more often than not, it also pays off to bring along a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so you can work on-the-go on your smartphone. You can also multitask well with the right devices, like the Galaxy Note20 Ultra’s ability to connect to your office’s monitor through the Samsung DeX app and act as a mobile keyboard and touchpad. Features like these transform your lifestyle and potentially omit the need for you to lug a laptop around, confining your work within your smart device alone.
Be Proactive with Living, Online and On the Go
The connectivity we enjoy today can be incredibly valuable and even liberating, if managed correctly. Taking control and managing your activities and devices does not have to take a lot of time or effort, and you will be successful when you stay committed in managing your lifestyle consistently. With the right tools and mindset, leaving home and leading an active life will become second nature. Whether it is work or play, the right smartphone paired with the right attitude can help you better utilise your time and energy for more important moments in your life.