At 2:00 A.M. Sunday, our cell phone clocks automagically spring forward for daylight-saving time. Let’s use this year’s first time adjustment to consider a few easy ways to start saving time on and away from your phone.
Sync your phone to home computer and cloud
Use automatic photo uploads with Dropbox, Google Drive, Apple iCloud, or Microsoft OneDrive. No need to fret over when to move those pics from the weekend to your home PC. Automatic camera upload wirelessly moves those pictures to your secure cloud storage. Download one of the apps to get started; they all offer free space. Need help? Come to a class for more info or ask and we can show you.
Begin the day with a friendly voice
You’ve probably heard how audiobooks are amazing for a commute. Another great place for hands-free entertainment is at home. My favorite apps for a project or workout are Stitcher and TuneIn Radio. These free apps have easy controls to help you download podcasts and stream live radio. Also, grab some free downloadable audio books and complete albums through your library with the Overdrive Media Console, Freegal, and Hoopla Digital apps.
Disable annoying notifications
Some phone notifications are helpful, but many just clutter your already busy life. Does that app really need your attention right this second? Not so much? So take back your device and turn them off. Believe me, you won’t miss the pop-ups, dings and vibes. To disable an app’s notifications on Android, go to Settings > More > Application Manager then choose an app and disable notifications*. On iPhone or iPad,follow these directionsat the website GCFLearnFree.org.
I also hear it helps to check email and messages at regular times, ideally when you have some time to answer. This is one tip I find incredibly hard to follow!
*Devices vary slightly depending on version. Most apps also have notification options within the app itself that allow you to pick and choose which alerts to receive.
"Benjamin Franklin conceived of it. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle endorsed it. Winston Churchill campaigned for it. Kaiser Wilhelm first employed it. Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt went to war with it, and more recently the United States fought an energy crisis with it. For several months every year, for better or worse, daylight savings time affects vast numbers of people throughout the world."
"Long before GPS, Google Earth, and global transit, humans traveled vast distances using only environmental clues and simple instruments. John Huth asks what is lost when modern technology substitutes for our innate capacity to find our way."
"Hallowell identifies the underlying reasons why people really lose their ability to focus at work--where many of today's adults feel distracted and unproductive. He explains why commonly offered solutions like "learn to manage your time better" or "make a to-do list" just don't work because they don't address the deeper, underlying issues of mental distraction at play."
"Carr digs behind the headlines about factory robots and self-driving cars, wearable computers and digitized medicine, as he explores the hidden costs of granting software dominion over our work and our leisure and reveals something we already suspect: shifting our attention to computer screens can leave us disengaged and discontented."
