If you’re an avid follower of trends in technology and a fan of all things gadgetry, then you probably already know that there’s a whole world of tech possibility at your fingertips thanks to your smartphone. Here are a few of our favorite tips for technophiles who are looking to live a little more efficiently while staying connected.
Start Smarter
What’s the first thing you do every morning? If you reach for your smartphone, make sure it’s equipped with apps to help you harness the productive power of your busy day. With the help of Hive, which makes smart home products easily controlled by a smartphone app you can schedule and set your lighting intensity to fit your morning mood using Hive Active Lights. Or harness the power of your appliances by using the Hive Active Plug to turn them off and on with your phone. (We can smell the coffee brewing on command already!) For your morning workouts, consider apps like Map My Fitness that can help find the best training routes in your city from a database of other on-the-ground users. Or let Workout Trainer plan your whole routine for you—just choose an instructional workout video from its library. And when it comes time for your morning commute, apps like Waze can come in handy for mapping (and avoiding) traffic, while in-car entertainment from Audible’s collection of books and Pocket Cast’s podcasts can make bumper-to-bumper drives a little less boring.
Eat Smarter
Whether you’re trying to decide what sounds most appetizing for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there’s a variety of apps at your service to automate your indecisiveness—and we’re not talking Uber Eats. Use apps like Pepperplate for healthy and reliable grocery list building and meal planning, or download apps straight from restaurants like La Madeleine, Krispy Kreme, and Chick-fil-A that are known for letting users cash in on free food offers. Take it several steps further and achieve technology nirvana by enlisting the help of a sous vide cooking device, and you’ll be able to get your meals simmering remotely from your smartphone—while achieving top chef-quality results every single time.
Work Smarter
Whether you spend your days sitting at a computer or running all over town doing business, list-making apps like FocusList can help reign it all in by allocating time for each to-do item (and enforcing these limits with timers). Strides can assist with tracking projects and goals from exercising to saving money to flossing your teeth. And when you need to sit down and focus, fire up Noisli for some background noise that helps block out everything else.
Unwind Smarter
Turning your brain off after a busy, stressful day can be tricky. Sometimes it can even cost you much-needed sleep. But thanks to ample apps on the market, there are new tools to help you relax. The National Center for Telehealth & Technology’s Breathe2Relax app offers guided deep-breathing exercises for “portable stress management,” while journaling apps like Narrato Journal and Momento can help lower anxiety and induce better sleep. When it’s time to actually fall into it, Sleep Genius can help you find your perfect bedtime and sleep cycle rhythm.
Live Smarter
You’re used to surrounding yourself with gear and gadgets, so why not bring that sentiment full circle and equip your home with its own set of tech tools? Engineered to keep your home streamlined and in-sync, Hive’s smart home plans range from the Hive Welcome Home Plan that’s perfect for growing families looking to live smarter to the Hive Home Check Plan that keeps an eye on your house while you’re away and the Hive Heating & Cooling Plan that allows you to remotely control your thermostat (and then some). No matter which Hive plan you choose, you’ll be equipping your house with a lineup of smart, reliable, and easy-to-use devices.
