As we’ve all had a year to really take a step back and reflect on our lives, it’s become clear to most of us that our day-to-day carries a lot of weight. With the added stress of the pandemic’s unknown outcome, it feels as though our lives are held together by work, food, family obligations, and sleep (when possible). It’s challenging to wrap your head around, it feels like we’ve ignored the challenges of work-life balance prior to COVID, and once we hit lockdown and our world began to shrink it slapped us across the face. So, what CAN we do to make life a little easier? That’s the question you’re looking for the answer to, and luckily for you, I’ve got a few tips.
The importance of technology has become a lot more apparent in recent months as we rely upon our devices for communication with our loved ones, fitness classes, working, and more. But technology can do more than just bridge the gaps between our needs and wants, it can also support us in the background, every day. This is where smart home technology comes into play. I bet you’re asking yourself “how can a smart security system or thermostat make a difference in my life?” Smart technology has expanded to cover a multitude of tasks including cleaning, cooking, and exercise. Let’s take a closer look…
As our work-life and home-life have morphed together, weekends that were once used for spending time with family and relaxing, have now transitioned into being used as “catch-up” time. Catching up on cleaning, catching up on errands, catching up on sleep - it seems like there’s no escaping the neverending list of tasks. Cleaning is definitely up there as one of the top most annoying but necessary tasks on my to-do list. But there are ways to work around it. Investing in an automatic vacuum cleaner is a great place to start. iRobot’s Roomba works to learn the layout of your home using sensors and cameras and over time adapts to a regular cleaning schedule. Imagine hopping off a stressful zoom call and walking into a clean living room? Now, if your home lacks rugs or carpets, maybe consider iRobot’s Braava Jet, it’s basically the Roomba but acts as a wet mop instead!
I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I find Sundays are usually the days spent preparing for the busy week ahead. Meal prepping is a common Sunday activity but requires a lot of attention and time. The Anova Precision Cooker Wi-Fi is a sous-vide appliance that connects to an app on your smartphone so you can control the cooking process from your couch! You no longer need to be on your feet all day in the kitchen, simply prep, submerge, and relax.
I’ll give you one last bit of advice from someone who’s a chronic worrier - invest in a smart home security system. I can’t be the only one who’s driving to an appointment, to see a friend, or to grab a takeout order and suddenly gets struck by “uh oh, did I shut the garage door?” More often than not, you did, but also more often than not, you’ll feel the sudden urge to turn around and check. This especially bugs me since I live by the “if you’re not early you’re late” rule - and turning around to go home almost always makes me late. Most smart security systems link to your mobile device and will send you push notifications if you get within a certain distance of your home and have forgotten to lock the door or shut the garage door. They now also typically come equipped with a built-in camera system and allow you to arm and disarm your system from anywhere.
They say that a lot of small changes over time will have a huge result and to that, I am a firm believer. Do some research of your own and see if there are ways you can integrate more smart technology into your home. I mean, eventually, every home will have them, why not be a trend starter?
