Tag Archives: technology

Celebrating And Organizing (or And Yet Another Repeat Challenge)

Posted on September 6, 2023 | Comments Off

I set out to make sure that I celebrated my birthday in August as my monthly challenge, and I would say that I accomplished that. I know that some people might do a lot more to celebrate their birthday, especially if it’s a milestone one like mine was, but I did exactly what I wanted to do. I had a party with friends, and it was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I’m not great about planning things for myself, but I am glad I did it and loved seeing different friend groups coming together and having fun. I also got to continue my birthday tradition with my birthday twin and had our dinner out. It might have been a bit different than we thought it would be, but it was still perfect and made us so happy to continue the tradition.

I also just tried to be excited about starting a new decade of life, and I really did feel that way. I know realistically that turning 40 means that I’m not that young anymore or at the beginning of my life, but just because I might be in the second half doesn’t mean my life is over. I still love my life and have a lot of things that I enjoy doing. I’m planning for more fun things in the future and I truly believe that my life is just going to keep getting better as I age. And I feel healthier now than I did in my 30s, so that is helping me really enjoy my new age and new decade.

I’m really happy with how my August turned out and the celebrating that I did. And I know that I will continue to celebrate being in my 40s for a while. But I also want to set myself up for as much success as possible, and that helped to inspire this month’s challenge. I’ve done this challenge before, and it always has been helpful for me. I want to do another digital organizing/detox with the different apps and systems I use on my devices.

I have added a lot of apps to my daily routine over the years. Some of these are from challenges in the past, like using Duolingo to learn French, and some are apps I use to do other sorts of tracking in my personal life. But a lot of these apps or routines are just routines and are not really benefitting me anymore. I’m stubborn and want to continue a streak of doing something just to prove that I can keep it going, but that’s not the best use of my time. And even though most of these apps take minimal time from my day, it can add up and I don’t want to keep doing something that takes time if it’s not really doing much good for me.

When I’ve done this type of challenge before, I’ve gotten rid of apps that I know now were really just taking up time. Like the different food tracking apps that I didn’t use accurately so they weren’t benefitting me. Even though I had the best intentions to use it properly, it wasn’t working for me so I was making a minimal effort to maintain a streak but it wasn’t providing any results or data for me that I could use for other things.

There are a few apps I have in mind for this month. I’ve been doing my habit tracker either on paper or on my phone for over 8 years now. I haven’t changed the habits that much over the past few years and most of the things on there are things that I do on a regular or daily basis. I have reading listed as one of my habits, and the only time I can remember a day that I didn’t read was when I had horrible vertigo and couldn’t keep my eyes open. I have going to workouts on my list, and that’s something I do regularly and don’t need to have on a checklist as a reminder to do it. As much as I love seeing the streak of habits I’ve got going on the app, I think it’s time for me to let that app go since I really don’t use it for the reasons I started it years ago.

That’s probably the app that I use the most that I’m thinking about getting rid of during this month, but there are a lot more that I know I will probably delete. I plan on dedicating time to going through my various app folders because the way I organize apps means I don’t see a lot of what I have on there. And I know that keeping apps on my phone isn’t a big deal or makes using my phone harder, but I just want to streamline things. I want to do something similar on my computer, but with the various documents and things I have saved and not necessarily apps since I don’t put too many apps on my computer. And while I should do this on my iPad too, that device is starting to become a brick and not that useful, so I’m not using it that much. I don’t know if I’ll get another tablet anytime soon, but if I decide that I want one, then I might just start from scratch instead of transferring over all my old apps. So that’s a low priority for me. Working on my phone is at the top of my list and I’ll work on my computer after I feel like that work is done. If it takes me more than just this month, then I’ll continue into next month. But my plan is to really dedicate time so this should be done in the next few weeks.

Hopefully, while I work on getting rid of apps that don’t benefit me anymore, maybe I’ll also discover gaps in what I could be using to make my life better and I’ll find new apps or new routines that I want to add to my life. I just want to do whatever it takes to make sure that I’m not wasting time on unhelpful routines and that I maximize the free time that I do have in my life.

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Posted in Celebrations, Fun Stuff

Tagged 40, 40s, birthday, challenge, habit, planning, routine, technology, volt planner

A Bit More Technology In My Home (or Continuing To Upgrade)

Posted on June 3, 2022 | Comments Off

I do consider myself a pretty techie person. I don’t have a ton of technology that some people have, but I do like having things that run smoothly and can make my life easier. I don’t always have the latest and greatest things, but having different devices that work together is really convenient for me and I have always tried to make my home as efficient as possible.

In my last place, I was limited in what I could do but I did try my best. I had my different devices connected so I could do things on any of them. I had my streaming services linked up so it would be easier to see what I have watched or to pick up on a show that I might have started on one device to another. But because it was a rental, I couldn’t make a lot of changes that I wanted to make.

For example, I wanted to be able to control my heat and air conditioner more. My air conditioner was a bit easier to manage since it was something I bought to put into the window, so I did have ways to set it. But because it was a standalone device, I only had the controls on the actual unit to change the temperature. Plus, since it was not really able to cool my entire place, when I used it it was always just running at full blast and never would shut off because it never got cool enough. And my heater was really simple and not able to have much control. It was a gas-powered wall unit and even though there was a temperature control for it, it only worked as an on or off switch. I couldn’t set the heat to be for a specific temperature, so I just had it on until I wanted it off. For that reason, I never could sleep with my heat on and it got extremely cold in my bedroom in the winter (I know people make fun of me for saying it was cold, but my bedroom would often be 50 degrees or colder).

Moving into a new place also meant I had an upgrade with my heating and cooling. I now have a central heat/air unit, but I haven’t had to use it because of how insulated my condo is. We have had some warm days, but I’m sure when it’s really hot it will be nice to have. But the control for my central heat/air was a very old-fashioned control that had mercury in it. So of course, I wanted to upgrade it. So I purchased a Nest control.

Getting the Nest installed ended up being a bigger ordeal than I expected. I paid for the installation when I bought it, but the technician they sent couldn’t do the work. Then they scheduled and canceled about a dozen appointments due to a lack of availability with their workers before saying they would not schedule a new one. I had to fight for my refund, but I finally got that settled. So I asked my contractor if he knew anyone who could help me, and he did!

It’s probably better that I had someone who was referred to me because the actual installation also was more complicated than the technician expected. But after a few hours, it was done. It is a bit low on my wall because we had to use the space where the old control was and my unit was designed for wheelchair accessibility, but I don’t mind it too much.

And another techie thing I added to my house was something I had at the old place too. I liked having a little temperature monitor that showed the indoor and outdoor temperatures. I had the one in my old place for such a long time and it ended up dying right before I moved. So I knew I would just be buying a new one and that worked out fine with me. I got a much nicer one that is easier to read. I still need to hang the outdoor monitor outside, but I’ll be doing that this weekend. And then I’ll be able to easily check the temperature before I head out. It’s a small thing, but it’s nice to have so I’m not just always looking on my phone.

There are a few other techie things I would like to add, such as automating my outdoor light, but I haven’t gotten to those projects just yet. There’s no rush for me to do it, but it’s on my list. And when I upgrade my tv and other things, I know I’ll be setting up more to go along with that.

I know I’ve said this over and over again, but I’m just enjoying getting settled into a home that is truly mine and I don’t have to worry about what is or isn’t allowed to be done. And I’m sure that making my home feel like mine will be something I always am working on as I get new things and continue to make upgrades.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged condo, home, technology

Finally Finishing An Upgrade (or I Almost Forgot I Needed To Do This)

Posted on May 25, 2022 | Comments Off

I bought my new computer a while ago. I really needed it when I got it and I quickly got all the things I knew I would need set up so I could start working from it. Fortunately, a lot of my information migrated to the new computer right away because of iCloud, so I didn’t have to worry about transferring things like my photos or music. But there were plenty of things I knew I would need to manually move to the new computer that weren’t needed for work so I figured I could wait a bit on doing it.

But because the timing of getting the new computer was also while I was busy packing up my old place and getting ready to move, doing the rest of the data transfer wasn’t something I thought about a lot. When I was packing up my computers, I knew I would need to do that so I was reminded about it about a month ago. But it wasn’t something I felt a push to do until the other day.

I needed something that I knew was on the old computer that I hadn’t transferred over yet. The original way I was going to do the transfer of data was something that I couldn’t do while I worked, so I needed to look up another way I could do it so I could get it done quickly and not have to wait. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before, but I realized I could AirDrop the files and folders I needed to move from the old computer to the new one. So I finally turned the old computer back on (which ended up being a bit of an ordeal because of how bad the old computer was) and pulled everything I would need to transfer so I could quickly do it during my lunch break.

Doing the data transfer over AirDrop was ridiculously easy and I almost laugh about how long I had been putting this off. And because most things had already been transferred over through the cloud, it was only a small handful of things I needed to deal with. They were pretty big files, which is why I was putting it off (otherwise, I would have just done it by emailing them to myself), but each thing I moved over took only seconds to be done.

I feel pretty certain that I’ve gotten everything off of the old computer by now, but I’m still going to think about things for a bit before I wipe the old machine. I also don’t really have plans to try to sell the old one since the keyboard is broken, so I’m not in a rush to get rid of it. I might wipe it and then hold on to it a bit longer. I don’t want to store something I don’t need, but for some reason, I feel like I’m not totally done with making sure I have everything transferred. But that’s why I’m not wiping the machine yet. Hopefully, by the time I’m ready to do that, I will feel better about getting rid of it and I can see what options I have for it. Maybe I can sell it super cheap because someone could fix the keyboard and make it work. Or someone might want it for other parts. I’m not sure what could be done with it, but I also am not the sort of person who looks online for old computers for any reason.

And even though I transferred everything left over from the old computer, I do want to go through some of the folders because I’m certain I have things in them that I don’t need. If I haven’t needed them in the past month or so, I probably don’t need to keep them taking up space. But I also don’t have a rush to get through that since the new computer has significantly more storage so I’m not desperate for more space. I guess I need to do a similar clean-out that I did in my move and see what I really need and what I was just holding on to. But at least everything is probably in one place now so I can take my time going through it all.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged computer, organization, technology

Time For A New Meditation Plan (or Over 2000 Days Later And I’ll Be At Day 1 Again Soon)

Posted on March 23, 2022 | Comments Off

Several years ago, I set a monthly challenge to try to meditate every day. I had tried meditation in the past, but I just couldn’t stick with it. But I was really hopeful that by setting it as my monthly challenge, I could keep it up for a week and maybe start a new regular habit. I don’t know if I really thought I could keep it up every day after the challenge was over, but I knew even if I could do it most days of the week after that first month, I’d be doing better than I was without any meditation.

I was successful in meditating every day during that challenge, and I have been successful in continuing that every day since! I was very lucky that I found an app that I really clicked with when I started my challenge and that I was happily using it so I could just continue after the month was done without having to test out new apps. I think that was just luck because this wasn’t the app that most people use for meditation but it really worked for me. And I’ve been very happy using it ever since then.

I love how it’s become a regular part of my daily routine. I’ve completed a meditation on the app every day for over 2000 days in a row now. This is something I never expected to be possible. I was shocked when I was able to do it for the entire month that I had the challenge. And I have noticed a difference in my mood and how I feel after completing my meditation each day (which I typically do in the mornings now).

But the other day, when I opened the app to do my daily meditation, I saw this alert on the welcome screen.

I’m really sad that the app is shutting down because it has been a regular part of my life for so many years now. And I also have to think about how I want to continue my meditation practice. I know there are so many apps out there, so I might need to start testing them out and seeing which ones I like (and which ones don’t cost me too much). I’m still planning on continuing my meditations in my current app through the last day. I think in a way, I’m holding out hope that maybe they will change their mind and will not close down. And because my daily streak has been going since the day I started, I don’t want to lose my streak!

But if I do have to switch apps or if I decide to do meditation on my own without an app, I know the thousands of days I have done in this first app will still count. Even if a new app starts me off with a 0 day streak, I will remind myself that it’s not a fresh start. It will just be the start of a new phase and I will be building off of the meditation practice I have worked on building for the last several years.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged meditation, technology

My New Computer Is A Game-Changer (or The Stress Of Buying Was Worth It)

Posted on March 17, 2022 | Comments Off

When I ordered my new computer, it was both a thought-out and rash decision. I had planned on buying a new computer for a while, but I had been putting it off for a variety of reasons. And the reason I finally went for it was a sudden decision when I was fed up with some recurring issues I was having with my old computer. I still planned out the purchase and made sure I was getting the right machine, but from the time I decided I was finally going to buy the new computer to pressing purchase online was within an hour. I usually don’t do purchases like that so quickly, but since I already had a good idea of what I would be getting it was still something that felt like a very quick purchase.

Because I was customizing a few things for the new computer, I couldn’t go to a store and just pick it up. Plus, I wasn’t really wanting to go to the Apple Store or the mall. So having it shipped to me was what I was planning on doing no matter what. And while I was antsy to get the new computer and really fed up with the issues with my old one, I didn’t want to pay more to have expedited shipping. I got a shipping estimate and it was going to take a few weeks, and I just accepted that I would have to wait a few weeks longer.

So I was very surprised when it actually arrived almost a week and a half sooner than expected! I immediately started trying to set it up, but since I was also working I had a bit of a crazy setup on my desk using one computer for work and setting up the other.

I got a lot of things set up quickly for the new computer so I was able to spend most of the workday that it arrived working on it. And there were other things I couldn’t shift from one computer to another during work because I needed both computers to be off. But even with the limited stuff I had on the new computer, it was such a game-changer using it. Obviously, having a working keyboard is huge and makes things so much easier on me. I can type quickly again, although not quite as fast as I used to since it is a slightly different keyboard. But I’m sure I’ll be used to it soon. And the new computer is so fast and can do the work I need to do without a lot of delays. Since I have to multitask even if I’m just working one of my jobs, not having delays is so nice since I can actually get through each thing without sitting and waiting for the computer to catch up.

Even though I had a chance to finish doing some of the updates to my new computer after work or another day, I still haven’t done it. I will do it soon, but I’m looking at this time similar to my move. I know I had a lot of stuff on my old computer that I really don’t need. I’m seeing what I actually want to move to the new computer and what was just taking up space and I wasn’t thinking about it. I do have things I need to transfer over that I don’t use that often just because I need to have them, but I’m not in a big rush to do that. I also don’t know what I want to do with the old computer since it does have a broken keyboard. I haven’t looked into selling it to see what I could get and I don’t have anyone in mind that I would want to give it to.

And yes, I am thinking it was silly how long I waited for a new computer because having the new one has really made my life easier. But it’s always tough when I have to spend a lot of money and it is stressful. But it really is worth it and I’m so happy that at least for the next few years, I shouldn’t have any more computer issues. And then when I do, I’ll be buying another one and probably dealing with the same stress I had this time.

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Shopping

Tagged computer, online shopping, technology

Being Pushed Into Splurging On Myself (or Time For A New Computer)

Posted on March 3, 2022 | Comments Off

It feels like it wasn’t that long ago that I was buying a new laptop. But it was about 5 1/2 years ago now that I bought the laptop I have now. And I use it a lot every day. I work my jobs from my computer, and that can require having a lot of different windows open at once. I know I could probably do things on two screens to be a little less hectic, but I’ve gotten used to how I do things.

But as we all know, technology doesn’t last forever. And my laptop has been having issues for a little while now. It started with a few software issues, but everything was something I could find a way to work around. It might involve a few extra steps to do things like using my printer, but it wasn’t that bad and I could manage it. Then, the keys on my keyboard started to break. It’s been almost a year since I started having keyboard issues, but most of them were able to be fixed. But I couldn’t fix everything so there are 2 keys that are not technically attached anymore but I can still type if I’m careful. I also have a second keyboard I can use as a backup, but I prefer not to use it. And for the past few weeks, my computer has started to freeze as I work. I know it’s a memory issue and I’m trying to do too much. But I also need to do all of that in order to work.

I had told myself originally that I was going to get a new laptop when they were released. But when the new MacBook Pros came out, it was while I was in the middle of a lot of stuff with the condo and my focus wasn’t on spending money on other things. And the past few months, I have just told myself I would get a new laptop soon, but I could keep waiting on it. But this week, things started to get really bad with my computer freezing and how often I had to restart things. So I had to just accept the fact that I needed to spend some money to fix this.

Fortunately, I had the money saved for a new laptop so I had the luxury of being able to do this. Computers are not cheap, but I do get a lot of use out of them and I know having a computer that isn’t having all these issues will make my life easier. I did ask a few friends who work with Apple or in technology to make sure I was picking the best laptop for my needs. I had one friend recommend upgrading one thing since I work so much on my computer, but I was pretty close with what I was thinking I would buy. And earlier this week, I bought my new laptop.

Because I am upgrading the base laptop, I can’t just go to the store to buy it. I ordered it online and will be having it shipped to my house. It is nice that I work from home and it will be easy for me to make sure I’m here when it’s delivered since I will need to sign for it. I could have picked it up in the store after it was ready, but the pickup date was later than the delivery options and I would prefer not to have to go to a shopping center if I can help it.

It will be delivered in about 2-3 weeks (according to the timeline right now) and I know I will still have to deal with the issues with my current laptop until it’s here. But I do feel better knowing that I will be using technology that works very soon. And I think it will be nice to have it all set up before I move because I don’t need to add any additional stress to moving and I know I will have to figure out setting up things in my new place quickly so I can work.

Yes, this is a big splurge and it’s expensive, but I know it will be worth it. And if you break down the cost with how long I typically keep my laptops, it’s cheaper per month than a lot of streaming services that I use. So it’s just the shock of the upfront cost that is making me feel a bit anxious. But I know that once it’s here and I’m using a super fast computer, I will feel so much better about this and I will probably not think much about how much I just spent on a single purchase.

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Shopping

Tagged computer, shopping, technology

I Might Have Overreacted A Bit (or A Temporary Fix For My Computer)

Posted on May 26, 2021 | Comments Off

Earlier this month, my keyboard on my laptop broke. It seemed like it broke in a pretty dramatic fashion. Multiple key covers fell off, one bracket was broken in half, and multiple keys stopped working. After writing the post about the broken keyboard, I first ordered another keyboard that I could use since I needed to be able to type. And I also tried to see if there were any repairs that I could do.

After I calmed down a bit, I realized that it looked like the bracket for only one of the keys was broken. The other keys were able to be snapped back into place. They still weren’t working the way they should be, but at least all the parts were back where they were supposed to be. And I decided to do some more research about fixing the one that was broken. I had asked a friend who knows more about computers and that’s where I had gotten the information that the entire thing would need to be replaced (and would be expensive). But when I talked to them again, I mentioned the broken brackets and sent some photos, and they let me know that there was a chance that I could actually fix things.

I got the information for a company that sells replacement key covers and brackets and tried to order a key from them. They were all sold out so I put myself on a waitlist and did some more searching. Then I found another company that had good reviews so I tried to place an order on their site. I was able to order it, but soon after got an email saying they were out of the key that I needed (which was the “a” key). They gave me a few options, and one option was to fully replace the keyboard which was as expensive as I originally thought. But they also said they could sell me a key that didn’t have the “a” on it and they could put a sticker on it too. I would have been fine with just a blank key since I don’t need to see the letters when I type, but I decided to get the one with the sticker so it looks a bit more like the original keyboard.

Before the replacement arrived, I watched some videos online about how to make this repair. I’ve never fixed anything on my computer like this, and while I knew I couldn’t necessarily make things worse I still wanted to give myself the best chance for success. It didn’t seem too hard, but I know those are famous last words and things aren’t always as easy as they seem in an instructional video.

The key arrived the other day and I got the tools I thought I’d need plus a few extras. I ended up using needle nose pliers, tweezers, and a few different mini-screwdrivers that my dad got me in a set a long time ago. And I turned on the super bright light I have on my desk for self-tape auditions or Zoom meetings. And like I guessed, it wasn’t as simple as the video made it look. I was so sure for about half an hour that they sent me the wrong size bracket. I couldn’t make it fit even when I was sure that I was following the instructions properly. I still don’t know how I got it in there, but eventually the bracket clicked in. And putting the key cover on top was pretty simple. I just had to press it down and it fit on there.

You can tell from the photo that it’s not a perfect match, but it looks good. And once I got the bracket and key cover replaced, the other keys that weren’t working started working again. Maybe it’s some sort of fail-safe that they don’t work when there is a key without a key cover on it? Or maybe it was random luck that they broke at that moment and started working again. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter because I have a working keyboard again.

Even though I was able to fix things, I am still looking at getting a new computer later this year. The keyboard wasn’t the only issue I was having with the computer. And while I can make things work for now, I also don’t want to wait until things are really bad. There are supposed to be new computers released later this year, so I’ll be seeing what those are like and figuring out if those new ones will be right for me.

But at least for now, I have a working keyboard and don’t have to use the external one (which was fine, but I didn’t love it). And I know that if another one of my keys breaks off, there is a chance that I can fix it myself and not freak out too much.

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Tagged laptop, repair, technology

More Tech Issues (or This Was Typed On A Phone)

Posted on May 18, 2021 | Comments Off

I remember when I got my current computer. I was so excited to finally have an upgraded computer, especially since I was working from home at that point. And that computer has been amazing, but lately it’s starting to have some issues.

None of these issues have been that bad. Some things are slower than I’d like. Some pages I use for work aren’t as efficient as they used to be. I know that many people use computers for a long time, but I’m at 4 1/2 years with this computer which isn’t that long but I do use it a lot. So I have toyed with the idea of maybe upgrading my computer in the next year or two. But I didn’t have any set plans for a new one. I figured I would casually do research and see what would be best. I pretty much know what I would get, but there are options too.

I’ve noticed recently that there have been issues with my keyboard. Some of the keys weren’t reacting the same way they used to. My trackpad was getting sticky. Nothing horrible, but with the amount of typing I do, it was noticeable.

Then, some of the keys fell off my keyboard. It was the top of the keys, but it appears the bracket that holds the keys down is what broke. It almost looks like they snapped in half but are still connected. And of course, the first thing I did was do a search online to see if I could fix this. And while there are fixes, because my computer isn’t under AppleCare anymore, it’s not cheap. And most of the fixes require me to give my computer to a shop for several days. If it was cheap to do it, I could probably figure out how to take time off work to make it work. But it will be pricey to fix the keyboard and the computer was already having other issues. So I’m not going to fix it.

What I did decide to do is order a keyboard I can use with my laptop. I’m hoping the one I ordered will work, but I can always return it and try a different one if I have to. And while this won’t fix everything, I just need to make this work until I get a new computer. I also am using my phone for a lot more than normal until the keyboard arrives.

The newest MacBook Pros are supposed to come out later this year. While I would prefer to have time to save money and not feel rushed for needing to make a purchase, I’ll probably buy one pretty quickly unless I discover that using the external keyboard is a solution I really like. Maybe I’ll enjoy having the setup that way. You never know.

Hopefully this is the end of my computer issues until I am able to go out and buy a new one. I don’t always have the best luck with all my technology, but maybe this is the end of the bad luck with my laptop.

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Posted in Shopping

Tagged computer, technology

Another Small Upgrade (or Making Things Easier To Watch)

Posted on December 26, 2019 | Comments Off

I try not to always splurge on the latest and greatest technology. I’m usually the person who keeps something as long as possible, even when it gets a bit outdated. I’m always having friends making fun of me for my phone because it’s so small (the reason I haven’t upgraded my phone is that I like a small phone). The only time I got something brand new as soon as it came out was my laptop, but that was something I had been waiting on for a while.

Besides my phone being a bit outdated, the other thing I have that wasn’t close to being the most recent version was my AppleTV. I got my AppleTV years ago so I could watch Netflix and Hulu on my TV. I know there are cheaper devices I could have gotten that could have accomplished the same thing, but I liked how the AppleTV worked with things I had in my iTunes account and it was worth the splurge. And I’ve been enjoying it for years (almost 9 years to be exact) even though there were features that people were able to enjoy that I couldn’t because my device was so old.

There were lots of things that I was ok with missing out on, but this year it got a bit much and I realized that I should just upgrade it. I think the final straw was when I realized I couldn’t watch Disney+ because I couldn’t access the app. I debated about getting a different device, but there were a few things that were only able to be accessed with an Apple device (like lots of movies and apps that I had things on). So getting a new AppleTV was the best option for me. I didn’t feel like braving the Apple Store so close to Christmas, but fortunately, Target had some in stock and there wasn’t a huge crowd when I happened to be passing by. I was in and out of the store in under 10 minutes with my new toy in my hands!

I’ve actually been enjoying this more than I was expecting! Obviously I’ve been able to take advantage of downloading different apps so I can watch things from different systems. I also can access my digital screeners for the SAG Awards on it so I don’t have to watch on my laptop. I spent more time than I probably should have this week with my time off watching screeners, Disney+, and all other streaming services. But I was also recovering from food poisoning and my plans were already to spend a lot of time watching shows.

This wasn’t the cheapest upgrade, but it wasn’t too horrible either. I didn’t get the most expensive version since I didn’t need all that it had to offer. And I figure that since I enjoyed the last one for almost 9 years that hopefully I could do the same for this one as well. And if the cost is spread over 9 years (or even 5 years), it’s not bad at all. And it does bring me a lot of happiness and makes it feel like I did a big upgrade in my house. And having that upgrade did inspire me a bit to spend even more time working on cleaning up my space and making it even better for sitting on the couch and watching movies. So having something I bought motivate me to do something I have been putting off a bit is another added bonus.

Of course, I don’t want to get into a place where I spent more time sitting and watching shows because I can finally access them on my tv. I think this week was a weird one since I had so much time off and could actually be lazy like this. When I’m in my normal schedule, I don’t think I will prioritize watching stuff on my tv over what I need to do. Of course, if I notice that I’m starting to do that I’ll have to take action and get back on track. But for now, I’m really just enjoying being able to watch things I’ve been wanting to watch and have something that feels a little fancy in my house.

Comments Off on Another Small Upgrade (or Making Things Easier To Watch)

Posted in Fun Stuff, Shopping

Tagged fun, technology, TV

My Monthly Challenge To Finish Out The First Half Of The Year (or Sleeping And More Organizing)

Posted on June 4, 2019 | 2 comments

It’s crazy to think that after this month the year will be half over! I’ve said it dozens of times (and will say it probably thousands more), but time is just going so fast! I do love that I have so many checkins with myself to not let time slip by. I have things that I do to check in every week and every month and it does help me stay more mindful as time goes by. And one of those checkins is my monthly challenge.

Last month, I had a challenge to work on my sleep a bit more. I have finally gotten to a place where I don’t struggle to get up in the morning. Even when I can sleep in on a Sunday, I still usually wake up at 7am since that is the time I get up every other day. But because I naturally get up early, if I stay up late it means I just won’t get the sleep I need. And I had been noticing that I was going to sleep later and later even on the nights I needed to be up early. So I wanted to work on my better bedtime routine so I could be closer to getting all the sleep I needed most nights.

There were still a few nights that I know I was up too late and I did suffer for it. But I am in a better place now with being used to going to bed a bit earlier now than I was before I started the challenge. I did think about it more when I wanted to watch another show before going to sleep and I would often decide it wasn’t worth staying up. I still have a lot of work to do so that I’m averaging enough sleep a night when I take tossing and turning into account, but I’m much closer to that.

One unexpected thing I did discover about myself while doing this challenge was what later bedtime would also work. While I don’t want to be getting under 5 hours of sleep a night, there is something about making sure you are in the best part of your sleep cycle when you do wake up. So if I’m up a bit too late, I now have a slightly better idea of how much later I should stay up so getting up doesn’t feel as hard. It’s weird to think that sometimes forcing myself to have less sleep will result in not being as tired, but it does work. But it’s not something I want to get into the habit of and I want to work on increasing my sleep.

My sleep challenge is going to continue over the next few months for sure, but I’m glad I did focus on it last month so I could get some of the better habits started and I have a better idea of what to work on. I knew I needed to fix things, but the specifics were a bit up in the air until I tested them out and I discovered new things that I hope will help me.

I wanted to shift to a bit more concrete challenge this month so my progress was easier to see. I had a few ideas of what I could do, but I ended up being inspired by a few different things that happened. First, my phone gave me an alert that I was running out of space. I am waiting to see if Apple will release another smaller iPhone because I don’t like the giant ones, so I have to do what I can to make my current phone work as long as possible. I also realized that I wasn’t using my iPad the same way I had been using it when I got it. I still use it and am so grateful to have it, but I was just getting frustrated with a few things that were’t working the same way my phone would do.

So I decided that for this month, I’m going to do some digital organizing. I have already been clearing things out of my phone to add more space, but I know there is so much more than I can do. And I know that a lot of my frustration with my iPad comes down to not finding my apps as easily because they aren’t organized the same way and I just grab my phone because it is easier.

I know this is really a first world problem, but I know that being more organized on my devices will help me be more productive. And that really is my goal with so many different aspects of my life. I don’t want to have to waste time trying to find where something is on a device and then waste time being frustrated after I can’t find it. I do have a bit of this issue on my computer as well with a few things on there that I don’t need or links in my bookmarks that are outdated, but I don’t notice it as much. Maybe that’s because I spend so much time on my computer with work so I don’t feel like I’m wasting as much time. But I want to try to work on that as well.

I’m sure in working through this organizing I’ll discover other things with my devices that I want to work on. Maybe I’ll find new systems to make my life easier. Or I’ll discover new apps that I will want to help with things that aren’t as simple as they can. Doing any sort of audit or organization really brings out new and interesting things. I’m excited to see what I will discover over this next month working on it.

2 Comments

Posted in Fun Stuff

Tagged challenge, organization, sleep, technology, volt planner

Tag Archives: technology

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Another Small Upgrade (or Making Things Easier To Watch)

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My Monthly Challenge To Finish Out The First Half Of The Year (or Sleeping And More Organizing)

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