How Are You Using Technology, and What Are Some Ways It Can Help You?

Managing your time is one of the most important skills to have in the real world. As a young woman myself, balancing school, work, family, friendships, and my life goals can be a hassle, and choosing how we spend our time matters. Being who we are, as individuals, means we have control over our own lives and can decide how technology plays a role in them.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think devices or social media are necessarily bad. I use them every day just like anyone else. But I do think learning time management and figuring out how to use your device and what for are crucial. What matters is that we're using our devices for an intentional purpose that helps us build our skills, goals, and future. But first, we need to practice how to manage our time and apply it. Here are some useful digital habits that have helped me manage my time more effectively and proactively:

1. Time yourself: Add a timer or reminder to your device that notifies you when to stop or start using a digital platform.

2. Silence your device: Toggling the “Do Not Disturb” icon or “Mute” button when trying to stay off your phone. OR Turning off notifications for specific apps in your settings when you want to use your device, but for something more important.

3. Keeping yourself busy: Finding an activity or task for the day, whether it’s work-related, school-related, or even a skill you want to improve.

Now that we have learned how we can manage our time, the next focus is actually reaching our goals. Think about this for a minute. Everyone has different goals that they want to set their mind to, whether that’s learning a new skill, building their resume, graduating from school, or so on. The important thing is choosing what can help you achieve your goal, and your devices can help you. Many of us use our devices for entertainment purposes, whether that's to text or call friends, scroll on social media, or watch videos. But what if I tell you your device can do so much more?

Instead, you can create more opportunities using your device with intentional purpose. Your device is actually one of the most useful tools we own, as it can teach us many things, such as growth and preparing for the future. Here are some suggested tools you can download and find on your device: (Android and Apple friendly)

1. Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Reminders App Purpose: to help you stay organized and keep track of events and reminders.

2. Khan Academy – A learning app that offers lessons and practice in the subjects: math, science, history, etc. Duolingo – A language-learning app that teaches different languages through short and interactive lessons. Coursera – A learning app where you can take online courses on topics such as business, tech, finance, psychology, etc. TED – An app that provides short talks from experts and professionals on various topics that can be inspirational. Brilliant – A learning app that helps you problem-solve and use critical thinking skills through its interactive lessons on topics like math, science, and computer science.

Purpose: to help you learn new skills, explore different interests, and discover topics that match your personal preference.

3. Linkedin, Canva, Google Docs, Microsoft word

Purpose: to help you connect and network with people, create a resume, build portfolios, and prepare for future opportunities.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to how we choose to use our devices. No matter what your goals are, your device is there to help you every step of the way, whether that's managing your time, building healthy digital habits, or using it as a tool to build your future. The future doesn’t just mean 5 or 10 years from now; you can start building your future today. Every small change you make now can help you build better habits for the next day, and so on.

Moving forward, think about how you spend your time each day, and the next time you pick up your device, remember that you're in control and that using it to achieve your goals is what’s important. After all, the choice is yours, so make it one that helps you become the best version of yourself.