Everyone seems not to have enough time in modern life. You probably wish you had some extra hours in the day or could survive on less sleep as the time you have seems so inadequate. There is a proliferation of self-help courses and webinars available that promise you surefire ways to find the time and increase productivity. The Internet often gets blamed for being a distraction, but think about all the tasks you used to have to do that the Internet now takes care of. Most people have become so used to using the Internet they’ve forgotten how much time it saves them, so here’s a little reminder.
Meetings
Probably the best example of using technology to achieve what would previously have been a considerable investment in time and money. Attending a meeting is a vital part of most jobs, but can involve expensive and time-consuming travel, and if you have to attend a meeting far from home, it could involve flights and overnight stays. Conference calls are one approach, but although everyone can talk to each other, one of the benefits of seeing your colleagues is being able to gauge their reactions and interpret their body language. With video-conferencing, everyone gets to stay where they are, there’s no extra expense, and all the participants can see each other.
Shopping
It’s amazing what you can buy online now, in fact, there are very few things you can’t order from your desk. You can now buy mature trees, antiques, biological pest controls, and even houses online. You can buy clothes to try at home and return the ones that don’t fit. You can join and cancel club memberships, donate to charity, book a skydiving experience; there’s very little you can’t do. It represents a huge saving in travel and shopping time and avoids the inconvenience of having to get all the way into the city just to exchange a pair of shoes. You can get help online to ensure you know your rights, and check out services like technologydreamer.com for information on using these types of online services.
Dating
Before online dating arrived, if you were looking for ‘The One’ the only way to meet them was to dress up and get out into the world. Nights out, excursions, the efforts of friends to hook you up with someone they think would suit you; all those options are still available, and if you enjoy having a night on the town, there’s nothing to stop you. What the Internet does is give you a way of connecting with many more potential partners, and get to know them first before investing time and effort into what could be a waste of an evening.
The Internet is a tool, a handy aid to help us in managing our lives to the best effect. The time saved by using the functionality of online services is yours to use as you wish, so it makes sense to use it wisely.