Devices That Simplify Your Life
Devices That Simplify Your Life
**This is a sponsored post
Sometimes it seems that technology just clutters everything up. Whereas once upon a time, we used the phone on the hall table, now we’re supposed to carry a smartphone, and an MP3 player, and an e-book reader, and who knows what other device tomorrow. That’s not to say that technology isn’t useful, but sometimes it makes life much, much more complicated. These devices let you do new things – and it’s great that anyone can get hold of you anytime, no matter whether it’s convenient or not – but they don’t really seem to save any time. Instead, they give you a whole raft of new things to do that you didn’t have to do before.
Photo Credit: Globe Scribbler
However, there are some things that can really reduce the effort you have to put into everyday living. The microwave and the dishwasher are pretty obvious ones, so let’s look at some other less-known bits of ingenuity that free up a little of your time.
The first thing you should really try is a pants press. Now, these are often sold as men’s items, but the truth is if you want to go out looking your best in dress pants, then this is a timesaver for anyone. Simply lay the pants you are going to wear the next day into the press, close it up, and turn the dial. That’s it – the press does the rest. There is no more struggling with a hot iron, tugging to get the board open, or worrying about whether you’re going to scorch the fabric. The best ones are made by a company called Corby, based in the UK. Of course, being British, they call it a trouser press, but it translates pretty well over this side of the Atlantic.
Next, if you own a few watches, you’ll know exactly what a pain it is when you come back to one after a few days and find it has stopped. It’s not just winding the watch – it’s setting the time, the date, and the phases of the moon if you have one of the fancy ones. This is where a watch winder comes in. If you have a watch with a self-winding movement then a watch winder will keep these perfectly wound when you are not wearing them. Simply put the watch in the winder, and it will be gently rotated, keeping the watch wound until the next time you want to wear it. You can get these online, including at buywatchwinders.
Photo Credit: Charlottes Kitchen Diary
Finally, buy yourself a decent food processor. Don’t buy a blender, and a mixer, and a dough hook for bread, and a vegetable slicer, and … well, you get the idea. Instead, buy a good quality all-in-one processor that slices, dices, blitzes, and does all the other things that you want to do in the kitchen. Not only does this speed things up – it avoids you having to get half a dozen different devices out of the cupboard, or having to fill up your counters with machines.
Filed in: gadgets
I do love gadgets. When these same gadgets save time it's even better The pants press has me intrigued. I hate to iron so is something I would like to try. 🙂
Gadget lovers we are! I try not to meet up with my iron very often.
All those time-saving devices eat a TON of time when they don't work. I spent more than an hour on the phone last night with Apple tech support because my work calendar disappeared and my Time Machine backup wasn't installing the backed-up version. So frustrating, and although I was happy to have the problem solved (ultimately through a call to Microsoft for Mac), that was a very stressful hour because I don't have a paper calendar. Well, I do as of today!
I feel your pain. Been there. Done that. Another reason why I use multiple backups. I don't count on just one. Glad you got it all sorted out.
I know that I would have a tough time living without my smartphone. 😉
Yeah, my smart phone and me are close buddies, too!
Personally love how technology enables us to do things that use to be so complicated. Having said that being available 24/7 is not for me. Tried it in the Middle East but swiftly decided to switch off my Blackberry. My performance as a businesswoman is not great when someone wakes me up in the middle of the night. So they have to leave a messag and I call them back:-)
I hear you and I agree with you. Unless you have a business that is 24/7 the phone needs to be silent when you sleep.
Technology has its uses, but I've been slowly returning to non-tech to simplify my life. I use a paper bound planner for my schedule, paper notebooks to do much of my writing planning and hand tools for my hobbies. I'm finding that the connection back to physical objects and the real world has made things more meaningful for me. I have not given up the tech, I own a smartphone and use my computer to interact with the world, but I'm finding that creating a balance between the tech and myself has proven to be a good thing. I am no longer subject to the whim of battery life.
I agree with you. I cannot go without my technology, but I am also finding that I need to engage in other things as well. Gardening, sewing, crocheting and things like that help me maintain a balance.
What is this pants press you speak of? Goes to show what I know and the lengths I will go to in order to avoid ironing or dealing with laundry in any form. Can someone say polyester blend? Though I am pretty thankful for automatic water timers when it comes to watering outside. The climate in Boise is high mountain desert and things dry out very quickly.