Technology has become an integral part of our lives. With the proliferation of technology over the years, it's hard to imagine what life would be like without it. So while social media and other technologies have allowed us to connect with people worldwide faster than ever before, we are still faced with so many problems that need to be solved. One way that technology can play a significant role in solving these problems is by helping us improve productivity and efficiency in everything that we do.

Technology increases productivity

Technology is everywhere around us. In almost everything we do, there is a piece of technology that can aid us. But, unfortunately, people can abuse technology to become lazy, procrastinate, and be overly reliant on it. However, if used correctly, technology can bring many benefits to make our lives easier and more convenient. In addition, many businesses and companies utilize technology to improve workplace productivity and employee engagement. Even in our personal lives, we can significantly benefit from the wonders that technology can bring. There are many areas in our lives where technology can impact how we do things and make them better in the long run.

1. Communication

If there is one thing that technology greatly improved upon, it's communication and the ability to connect with practically everyone globally. With the advent of the Internet, it became possible to communicate and even see someone from another country in the world, no matter how far they are. As long as somebody has an Internet connection and adequate Internet speed, you can chat or see them in a video using your computer, laptop, or cellphone. This capability opens up many opportunities for people, including gaining employment from a foreign company outside your country of residence. In addition, the recent pandemic forced many people to become remote workers, and technology truly shined during this situation. Technological tools for communication, messaging, and productivity allowed employees to work outside the company premises. Without technology, many people could have lost their livelihood if they couldn't go to the office. Business owners also greatly benefit when technology enables them to reach a broader customer base through social media and the Internet.

2. Convenience

Technology brings many conveniences into our lives. One can save money and time by using it properly. You can now buy many things online thru Amazon or eBay and have them delivered right to your doorstep. You can also order food online now. Many transactions can now be done online, saving you the hassle of going to a branch to make payments. Doing all these things frees up a lot of time, allowing you to focus on other things like doing your job.

3. Automation and streamlining tasks

It's now common to see companies where employees only have to swipe their IDs on a reading device to log in to their attendance. In old times, workers had to use time cards or an attendance log to write their time-in and time-out manually. Many companies also have their IT departments create programs that allow for automation and streamlining of tasks. Some of these include:

• Time-tracking software to monitor the amount of time spent by an employee for each task
• Online form submissions where employees type in data and they automatically get sent to a database
• Macros that are installed within office applications to help automate some processes
• Outsourcing and contracting tools for receiving, submitting, and managing files to and from clients.

Then there are the usual office applications for productivity, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace. These apps are where workers spend a lot of their time typing documents, inputting data in spreadsheets, creating presentations, etc. Collaboration tools for messaging, meetings, and communications include Slack, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc. With the advancing technology of smartphones, these applications now have their mobile app versions. It's now possible to have mobile employees using these apps on their mobile devices to get caught up with what's happening in the company and do work while on the go. Many of these things wouldn't be possible in the past because most things had to be done on paper, and you had to physically meet with somebody if something needed to be done outside of the office.

4. Learning

The ability to learn something new today is much greater compared to previous years. As long as you use the Internet correctly, it becomes an ocean of knowledge where you can pretty much learn anything you want to know. In addition, people are not limited anymore to schools and physical libraries to gain access to knowledgeable sources. For example, if you want to know how to utilize a particular feature of your smartphone or PC, many videos on the Internet show you how you can do it. In addition, many informational websites allow you to learn something. For example, asking alone on Google search can yield many results depending on your query. This instant information access opens up many opportunities for you, allowing you to try out new things.

5. Entertainment

There is no doubt that technology provides a multitude of ways to have some fun time. To name a few examples:

• Play video games
• Watch your favorite shows
• Talk with your friends online
• Listen to music
• Tinker with social media
• Read blogs
• Watch entertaining videos
• Do online shopping

You might be asking why do these things matter for productivity? We can't spend all our time working on our goals and not allowing any time for break and enjoyment in life. To be a well-rounded individual, you need to maintain an excellent work-life balance. The entertainment you can get from technology is an alternative when you can't go out all the time to enjoy things outside. This idea became prevalent when the pandemic hit as it put a halt to a good majority of our outdoor activities, including leisure. Technology helped alleviate our anxiety and stress by providing means of enjoyment even while locked inside our houses.

One thing to remember with technology is that you must know how to control yourself so as not to overindulge yourself with them in terms of entertainment—moderation in everything, as they say.

Technology can benefit everyone.

We humans have gone a long way in inventing many gadgets that can aid us in our lives. Who doesn't want a convenient life, right? New technology keeps popping up, and they keep getting better each year. Technology's primary benefit is making our tasks more manageable, doing them faster, and freeing up more of our time. There is no harm in using technology as long as we use them in the right way. Unfortunately, they are prone to having a negative impact and are open to abuse. However, if you have the discipline and correct mindset, the negative things wouldn't be an issue.

Companies and businesses alone benefit a lot from the incorporation of technology in their business processes. For example, things are accomplished faster with better project management and employee productivity. Likewise, we benefit from technology in our personal lives by allowing us to do more things more quickly.

If you are a bit apprehensive about using technology, you should give it a try, especially if you have the money and willingness to learn how to use them. However, should you decide to make technology a part of your life, you have to be a responsible user and know how to use them the right way. Also, you have to set aside some budget for maintenance and replacement costs because slow or obsolete technology defeats the purpose of making your life easier and more convenient. Keep in mind these things, and you can achieve greater productivity in your life.