Tag: senstone

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‘Scarily Good’: The Voice Technology Revolution

voice-technology-wearable-device-senstone

Voice technology got impressive when we weren’t looking. Seemingly out of nowhere, cutting-edge solutions pop up one by one, and they actually work.

 

This generates a lot of discussion, which inevitably lags behind the reality: people can’t not use something this good. While tech experts argue about the ramifications of AI, the internet has a field day exploiting AI-powered voice technology.

 

And you know what? I think everyone should try it.

 

voice-technology-wearable-senstone

 

1. Voice Typing & Transcription.

The voice transcription technology used to be hilariously bad. You had to speak in a refined TV accent, and even then you’d get gems like “cat atrophy” (catastrophe), “success exam” (6:06 AM), and “cake asked me to” (tracheostomy tube).

 

Today voice typing is at 99% accuracy. You can even buy wearables allowing you to voice type without a phone. These apps and devices support multiple languages. They ‘understand’ accents and compile your notes into neat, formatted text files. You can also browse the internet using nothing but your voice; and this used to be sci-fi.

 

Examples:

2. Voice Cloning.

One of the most controversial and flashy services enabled by the progress of voice technology is voice cloning. It’s exactly what is says on the tin: AI can copy any voice. A 30 seconds worth of audio is enough for it to pick up your speech patterns.

 

While many netizens immediately think about identity theft and scamming, imagine all the creative content that can be made using voice cloning. The audio books, the movies, the video games.

 

Voice cloning can potentially help disabled people express themselves more clearly, or even regain speech. It can assist paralysed patients, those with vocal cord issues, and other diseases.

 

Examples:

  • ElevenLabs: cutting edge voice cloning gone publicly available

3. Voice Recognition.

Voice recognition technology keeps making big steps ahead, all thanks to advancements in machine learning and NLP (natural language processing). Major tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and IBM made a lot of progress in improving their voice recognition systems. The field is tense with competition, and for good reasons.

 

Uses for voice recognition include gadgets adjusting to your emotions, personalizing smart homes, and boosting your security with additional voice checks.

 

Examples:

  • Deepgram: commercial voice recognition & speech-to-text API

  • Beey: online voice recognition service

4. Smart Assistants & Voice Technology.

Combine the best voice technology has to offer into one and get smart assistants. As they keep getting better, expect your Alexa to be able to mimic voices, read your mood, and book appointments for you.

 

The disadvantage of such assistants is that they need a constant online connection to access all of their functions.

 

Examples:

  • Siri: app, virtual assistant by Apple

  • Alexa: physical device, made by Amazon

  • Cortana: the Microsoft virtual assistant for Windows

While some people might feel uneasy about the world changing so rapidly, ultimately the voice technology revolution is a good thing. The new tools are helpful and easy to use, and you can access them from the comfort of your home.

 

If you want to know more about voice tech and the future of technology, read more of our posts here, sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on social media.

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What Is Senstone?

senstone scripter

 

Senstone Inc. is a U.S.-based tech company manufacturing AI-powered wearable recorders.

List of Senstone Products & Services

 

The current generation of Senstone recorders is dubbed Senstone Scripter.

Senstone Scripter is a miniature wearable recorder that can be clipped to your clothes or worn as a pendant. It uses AI for voice recognition and speech-to-text conversion. You can use Scripter to capture your thoughts and ideas, make to-do lists, take notes, and set reminders.

Senstone Scripter main features:

 

  • speech-to-text conversion for 12+ languages

  • automatic spell checking & syntax

  • audio recording

  • works offline

  • screenless

 

The one-button design allows you to record hands-free, using nothing but your voice. It’s faster than conventional typing, and you can take notes even while driving or jogging. This makes Scripter particularly useful for managers, journalists, doctors, content creators, care givers, and many, many others. Scripter is designed to boost productivity and help you remember everything that matters.

How Does It Work?

 

What is Senstone Scripter as a whole? The answer is simple: it’s a system where each part is built for accuracy and speed. This is what happens when you use Scripter:

1. Intention. You have decided to take a note. You reach for Scripter, clipped securely to the lapel of your coat. It takes a fraction of a second.

2. Press the button to start recording. Scripter has only one button. It takes up the entire front surface of the device, so you don’t have to look for it. Tap Scripter once, and you’re good to go.

3. Speak. Scripter will take care of the rest. Your voice will be converted into text, and if you used any keywords, such as “list” or “reminder”, the AI will format your note accordingly. Scripter will also save the audio file for your note, which you can always access via the Senstone app on your phone. If there is no internet connection available, the device will store your notes offline: up to 4 hours of audio.

4. Press the button again to stop recording. Short memos or long office meetings, Scripter can record for as long as you want it to.

5. Done!

Notes are processed by the AI and stored in the cloud. You have full control over your data. Edit, delete, or share your notes. Scripter connects to some common note-taking and sharing apps, such as OneNote and Gmail.

Okay, What’s the Catch?

 

There’s none. You only pay for Senstone Scripter once and it’s yours forever. While we do have a Premium subscription service, it’s completely optional.

If you want to know more about Scripter, here is something that might come in handy:

And if you’re the type to dig even deeper, you can access Senstone Scripter user manual (PDF).

You can also contact us using this page or via email, and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.

Stay amazing!



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No Going Back: Voice Input Is Set to Replace Typing

Voice technology is going to replace typing, and it’s going to happen soon. There is nothing we can do about it, but that’s a good thing.

Wait, what’s going on?

Physical keyboards (and that includes touchscreens) are about to suffer a mass extinction event by way of voice technology. It might not seem obvious, because most of the world lives in the eye of the storm. But if you look at the big picture, you start to notice the pattern.

  • Your grandma uses voice input, and so do all of her friends. She can’t type, but that doesn’t make her any less efficient. She mastered it seemingly overnight.
  • Your kids use voice input. They goad Alexa into helping them with home assignments. They make their favourite characters tell them stories, and employ black magic trickery to change how their voice sounds online.
  • More and more apps get voice-adjacent features, especially speech-to-text.
  • Said speech-to-text is nearing 100% accuracy. (We’d know, we have developed a device relying on that exact fact.)
  • Voice tech revenues.

What about those cases when using a keyboard is the only option, you ask. Like when you text your friend on the bus, quietly. Or type a report in your cubicle surrounded by identical cubicles where other reports are being typed out. What about users with a speech impairment? Strong accent? Sore throat?

 

Yeah, no.

The world secretly hates their keyboards.

 

Voice is going to replace typing. Brain chips are going to replace typing. The process has begun. Typing is going to be replaced for the very same reason why you no longer use candles for illumination. Several inventions combine, creating the suitable zeitgeist. Faster information processing is calling for faster input.

 

Typing was always a temporary crutch.

 

Entering commands letter by letter seems barbaric when you know just how fast your laptop really is.

 

It seems even more barbaric when you eventually develop carpal tunnel syndrome and scoliosis from communicating with the machine in slow-mo.

 

Now that we have better ways to talk to computers, typing is going to fade into obscurity. I like to think the invention of the computer mouse landed the first blow and broke the keyboard-centric paradigm.

Even writing by hand is better than typing.

 

I mean, it’s objectively faster and you can write on anything. Writing is closer to voice input than typing is. Think about that.

 

When?

The keyboard is going to be on its last legs by the 2030s. Most people are going to be using the combination of voice technology and predictive typing (bastardised, simplified keyboard layout). When the brain-computer interface devices become affordable and mainstream, the keyboard will disappear.

Do you want to help us kill the keyboard?

Check out our website and tell us what you think.

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Top 5 Unexpected Benefits of Wearable Technology

wearable-recording-device-technology

While wearables offer many benefits we’re familiar with, like helping us stay in shape, they have some underrated, surprising advantages. Even the devices you already know and love can impact your life positively in more ways than you expect.

This article is 100% good news, no flavor enhancer needed.

Benefit #1. Improved mental health.

The overabundance of technology is often cited as a source of stress, but many wearables benefit a user by reducing their stress levels.

 

For example, wearables can help alleviate anxiety. A device like Senstone Scripter minimizes your time online without sacrificing productivity, so you can take a break from the notifications and still get things done.

 

Fitness bracelets calm you down just by providing real-time statistics on your vitals, which makes you feel in control. In the long run, they help you make better lifestyle decisions, which again impacts mental well-being.

Breathing patterns is another thing wearable tech can track and notify you about. This can be used for breathing exercise and stress monitoring.

Benefit #2. Better posture.

 

Counting steps is one thing, but did you know wearables can correct your posture? This particular market is a diverse niche that offers many good options: from a gadget that vibrates when you start slouching to posture trackers that send detailed statistics to your phone. Whatever you choose, your back is going to thank you.


Benefit #3. Enhanced learning.

Wearable technology is a boon to educators because it gives them more options. VR and AR are especially useful in the classroom. They allow for truly interactive lessons, which gives students a better grasp on scientific concepts.

Voice-to-text wearables are another helpful innovation, and we have covered them in more detail here.

Benefit #4. Healthier relationships.

 

Another benefit of wearable technology that might surprise you is this: it can help you maintain a healthy relationship.

Again, this might seem counterintuitive to some people. We are used to computers and phones taking away from our family time, and a promise to solve this problem with more technology seems suspicious. And yet, wearables have succeeded.

Some of them make communication easier. Others are designed for couples, like the device that lets you feel your partner’s heartbeat in real time. “Friendship lamps” are a thing as well, a concept that is both incredibly neat and heart-warming.

 

And, of course, we have to mention virtual reality. With VR, you get to share a virtual space with another person. You can talk, explore the interactive environment, and play video games together. Physical distance doesn’t matter.

 

Benefit #5. Environmental awareness.

 

Wearables can help our planet in a number of creative ways, raising awareness on a personal level and actually making an impact. For instance, there is a cotton apron that captures carbon dioxide. There are also CO₂ tracker wristbands, and nothing makes climate change a more pressing issue than watching your carbon dioxide meter go haywire in the middle of the street.

 

To sum up, wearable technology is expanding. It’s gone beyond basic fitness bands. Now we can use its advantages, such as mobility, to solve problems in new, unconventional ways.

 

And you know what? Unconventional is our speciality. This article has been brought to you by Senstone. Check out this homepage to learn more about cutting edge wearables. Follow us on social media or contact us at team@senstone.io if you have any questions. Stay cool!

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How Do Wearables Connect to Your Smartphone?

Have you ever wondered how wearables connect to your smartphone? How do they “know” to send data to your phone specifically? What type of connection do they use? How does it work? Read on, and we’ll do our best to answer these questions.

 

Why Do Wearables Connect to Other Devices?

 

Before we get into how wearables connect to smartphones, let’s establish why they need to connect to your phone at all.

Unlike your laptop, most wearables are highly specialized. That means they were designed to perform only a certain amount of functions. For example, Senstone is a wearable voice-to-text recorder. Its functions are: 1) record audio on demand, 2) store the recordings, 3) make sure audio is transferred to the cloud storage and processed by artificial intelligence. As you can see, step 3 relegates the data to a more generalist and powerful machine.

 

This “division of labor” is what makes wearables so efficient. They connect to other devices and access their computing power. The ability to connect is a core feature, and wearables rely on it a lot.

  • Notifications are sent and received.
  • Commands allow you to control other devices.
  • Data is collected for storage and analysis. This is how you get your activity stats in real time.
  • More functions, such as AI spell checking, can be accessed by sending the data for processing to another computer.

In short, wearables really do need to connect to other devices. And your phone is perfect for the job!

Wearables & Wireless Connection(s)

 

We’ve come closer to answering the original question: how do wearables connect to smartphones? The reason why people ask this a lot is because they cannot see a visible proof of connection, i. e. wires.

 

Wireless technology shaped wearables as we know them. There would be no wireless headphones without a way for them to receive the music they are supposed to play.

With the many types of wearables we have today, there are several different technologies used to connect a gadget to your phone.

  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Bluetooth Classic. These two standards are the most common ways for your wearable to connect to your phone. Devices supporting Bluetooth connect using ultra-high frequency radio waves. You need to enable Bluetooth on  both devices and pair them so that they automatically exchange data when nearby. The BLE standard is cheaper and better suited for low-power gadgets, and this is why most Bluetooth wearables run BLE.
  • Wi-Fi. Some wearables can connect to your smartphone via the regular Wi-Fi. This allows for a greater range and faster data transfer speeds. To connect your wearable to your smartphone via Wi-Fi, you usually need to connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and  then pair them.
  • Near Field Communication (NFC). NFC is a short-range technology that allows for contactless communication between two devices in very close proximity (4 cm or less). Some wearables have NFC capabilities, allowing you to pair them with your smartphone by simply holding the devices close together. Contactless payments is the usual reason for running NFC on a wearable.
  • ANT+. An ultra-low-power protocol. Unlike others on the list, ANT is meant for sports wearables.

Some wearables can use more than one protocol. The specific methods of connectivity will heavily depend on the make and model of wearable and smartphone, so you can always refer to the user manual for more information on how to connect your gadgets.


This post has been brought to you by Senstone. As a company, we have been actively contributing to wearable technology for years. You can visit our homepage – or read another article about cutting-edge inventions and trends. Stay cool!

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The Digital Divide & Why We Should Fight It

Our world is facing another challenge: the so-called digital divide. This term is used to describe the growing technological disparity between certain countries or social strata, the gap in technology access between the richer areas and those who didn’t luck out.

 

The divide can be caused by several factors:

  • Physical location. Lack of imported gadgets or parts, low economic development, remote and/or inaccessible regions, isolated economies, little to no infrastructure all contribute to the digital divide.
  • Low income. Many people cannot use new technology simply because they cannot afford it. 24% of adult people with household incomes below $30,000/year don’t own a smartphone. 40% of those with lower incomes don’t have home broadband services or don’t own a PC. Location influences income also, with certain regions being poorer and/or experiencing low purchasing power.
  • Low literacy. College graduates have a much better grasp on tech due to their education, and they usually own more gadgets.
  • Low motivation. Some people possess the necessary income and education to use the full potential of technology, but choose not to. Mostly this is due to the lack of motivation (“I don’t need it”) and age (“This is too different from what I’m used to”). Luckily, there are one-button gadgets like Senstone Scripter, but they are far and few.

All of the above can be countered with policies, reforms, and awareness campaigns. While such sweeping measures can seem too drastic, they are completely justified.



Why Closing the Digital Divide Is Worth the Effort

The digital divide concerns everyone, even those who don’t experience its immediate effects. Since the industry has become globalized, with supply chains spanning the entire planet, a physically distant event or phenomenon can influence the unsuspecting citizens around the globe.

Let’s consider a city that experiences a bad case of digital divide, such as the lack of internet access. It creates all sorts of problems for the state:

  • problems implementing digital solutions such as eID, remote education, billing, mobile banking
  • creating a real-life divide between those who can access technology and those who can’t
  • fewer citizens can become skilled workers
  • low income cycle: cannot afford new technology – cannot make money using it – cannot afford new technology

uninformed voters are easier to manipulate into supporting backwards and/or harmful policies

 

 

Reversing the trend will bring a lot of benefits to the tech industry of the city and, by extension, the rest of the world.

  • more clients
  • more demand
  • more skilled workers
  • more opportunities


The community will directly profit from the policies aiming to close the digital divide, and the effects are going to last for generations.

  • better education
  • higher income
  • job opportunities
  • easier communication

Everybody wins.

 

How to Bridge the Digital Divide?

The digital divide is a relatively recent trend, and governments and companies are only just starting to catch up with reality.

In the US, policies are being implemented to ensure access to the broadband internet for all Americans. The issues are mostly local, with rural and tribal areas overrepresented in the statistics, and the percent of Americans without broadband access ranges between 6 and 12% depending on the study.

 

The US solution can be boiled down to a few bullet points:

  • federal programs that help cover the cost of communication services
  • broadband service discounts
  • promoting mobile and satellite internet
  • avoid unnecessary regulation of ISPs
  • e-learning vouchers for students

Other countries, like India, where the digital divide problem is much more severe (half the Indians don’t have access to broadband), have had moderate success when dealing with it. A lesson we can learn from them is simple: lack of systemic approach undermines all effort.

To conclude, it’s important to remember that the digital divide can be reversed, but fighting it has to become the business of policymakers. As regular netizens, we can do our best to draw attention to the problem and support the candidates who focus on communities and infrastructure.

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We are dedicated to making advanced technology accessible to everyone regardless of age and technical know-how. Visit our homepage at senstone.io to learn more.

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5 Benefits of Wearable Technology in the Workplace

Consumer-grade wearable technology has been around for a good decade, but it has only recently started to gain traction in the workplace. There are many potential benefits to using wearable gadgets, both for the employer and the employee. Some of those benefits are easy to predict, and some can be quite surprising.

1. Increased productivity.

One of the most important improvements wearable tech brings to the table is the productivity boost. It’s very noticeable and nearly instant. By allowing employees to access, record, and exchange data more easily, wearables can help streamline processes and reduce the amount of time spent micromanaging mundane tasks.

  • Taking notes. Wearable speech-to-text recorders like Senstone Scripter.
  • Monitoring health parameters and stress. Smart watches like FitBit Charge.
  • Identification. ID badges, wrist bands, and even rings.
  • Lifting heavy packages. Exoskeletons? Why not.

In addition, wearables can provide you with real-time feedback and statistics. This helps workers and businesses identify areas in which they both can become more efficient.

2. Easier communication.

Wearables can also give a boost to everyday communication in the workplace. By allowing the team to stay connected to each other, wearable gadgets can help ensure that information is relayed quickly and effectively.

Wearables can provide you with an easy way to access help or support in case of an emergency. The data gathered by the wearable is stored in the cloud and can be shared with colleagues instantly.

3. Workplace safety boost.

Here’s the one you don’t hear often: wearables can save lives. This is one of the reasons why them being reliable is such a big deal. The raw potential here is great but we already have some amazing systems making the workplace safer for everyone.

A wristband connected to a sensor can signal the wearer about chemicals in the air. Warnings, such as air raid alerts, can be transmitted to the smart watch. Vitals transmitted to the wearable can be used to help you take proper breaks.

4. Transparency and trust.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement toward greater transparency in the workplace. There are many ways in which wearable technology can support and encourage this amazing trend.

For example, making the data collected by wearables available to the entire team in real time does wonders for morale. Everyone feels – and is – included.

5. Worker satisfaction.

Companies are always looking for new ways to keep their employees satisfied. They know that happy employees lead to worker retention, good reviews, and, of course, more profit.

Wearable technology can do a lot to improve the workplace environment. It can help employees stay connected and make sure they are comfortable. It can also help employers keep track of tasks and make sure the management and the managed stay on the same page.

 

Naturally, it’s vital to ensure that employees are comfortable with the technology before implementing it in a company. Some training is necessary, even if the wearable in question is an intuitive screen-free solution.

Still, in the world of enterprise, time equals money and wearables save a lot of time and effort. We can expect more businesses to experiment with wearable technology. The future looks bright as ever!

 

This article has been brought to you by Senstone Inc. We specialise in wearable recorders powered by the AI – all to make your life easier. Check out our home page to learn more.

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Wearables: Examples of Wearable Technology

Wearables are everywhere these days, and examples of wearable technology available to the customer range from digital wrist watches to ‘smart’ jewellery and fashion accessories. This trend is well past what we would call a fad; there is no longer a doubt wearables are here to stay.

 

In the Palm of Your Hand

 

Wearable technology had few examples until recently and used to be little more than a concept – simply because computers used to be pretty unwieldy up until a couple of decades ago.

 

Before the 1950s, all computers were operating using vacuum tubes. A vacuum tube in ENIAC, one of the most advanced computing machines of the time, was 6.9 centimetres (2 ¾”) tall; there were thousands of them! ENIAC took up a large room.

 

In the 1950s vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors, and these were replaced by the integrated circuits as soon as 1960. An integrated circuit is tiny, nanometres in size, and contains a huge number of transistors. This number is growing with each new generation of electronic chips. We have gone from 1,000 transistors in the 1970 Intel 4004 microchip to 50,000,000,000 in Apple A13 (iPhone 11 Pro) in 2020.

 

“Moore’s Law: the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years.”

 

Just like the smartphone that fits in your pocket performs better than the best laptop of 2006, your smartwatch could easily outperform Ferranti Mark 1.

 

The further technology evolves, the smaller powerful gadgets get, to the point where they eventually become wearables.

 

Magic Rings, Superhero Costumes, and Artificial Intelligence

 

As of 2022, examples of wearable technology include everything from lockets that can verify your identity to rings that keep track of your heartbeat. Here are the five products to illustrate just how useful wearables can be.

 

  1. Senstone Scripter

 

This wearable device can record speech and automatically transcribe voice into text, using artificial intelligence to make sense of your notes. You can use it to keep track of things at work and/or at home. The accuracy of speech-to-text conversion is at 99%, and the battery lasts between one and two weeks depending on usage. Senstone Scripter supports 12 languages. It’s small and versatile, which is perfect for day-to-day tasks.

 

  1. Prevention Circul+

 

Prevention Circul+ is a smart ring designed to help you monitor your health. Blood oxygen, heartbeat, sleep, temperature, calories, steps – all of these are tracked by a single accessory. You can access the detailed metrics via the app on your smartphone at any time. Another pro to this wearable: it’s cheaper than other wellness rings.

 

  1. TESLASUIT

 

Unlike most, TESLASUIT is a full-body wearable, a suit combined with VR goggles. Sending electrical impulses to your body, the suit can make you feel touch, impact, and a range of temperatures. It can be used to train professionals in various fields, diagnose and treat patients, or play video games.

 

  1. Fitbit Versa 3

 

Fitbit has gone mainstream, and the Versa 3 watch delivers what we expect from Fitbit – and more. It tracks your sleep pattern, breathing, pulse, blood pressure, counts your steps, and displays time. While smart rings like Prevention Circul+ focus on the health aspect of your well-being, Fitbit is all about fitness. (Although if you crave a next-gen tech experience, you might want to wait for a couple of months for Versa 4.)

 

  1. HIS Wireless Wearable Finger Mouse

 

HIS does exactly what it says on the tin: a wireless controller you can wear on your finger. Its uses are not limited to computers, however, and you can have it act as a pointer or remote controller. You don’t even have to move your wrist, just the index finger.



The showcase above is no way conclusive, and if you look closely, you can find examples of wearable technology pretty much everywhere.

 

  • health and well-being
  • fitness
  • sports
  • technology and office work
  • entertainment
  • business
  • content creation

Every year more and more people use wearables daily. The chips are getting smaller. The materials get cheaper – and more reliable.


Your productivity is our mission. If you want to know more about how Senstone approaches wearable technology, visit the homepage.

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25 Best Productivity Quotes for Work and Life

In case you’d like get motivated, we have hand-picked 25 productivity quotes from people who achieved success in their field. We believe just a few words at the right time can go a long way when it comes to productivity and inspiration.

 

So here it is: 25 quotes by the people who changed the world, each and every one revealing the secret to their productivity.

 

  1. Out of clutter, find simplicity.

Albert Einstein, physicist

 

  1. Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.

Anne Lamont, writer and productivity expert

 

  1. Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States

 

  1. The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.

Steven Pressfield, author

 

  1. Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.

Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company

 

  1. The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

Stephen Covey, educator and entrepreneur

 

  1. Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

Aristotle, philosopher

 

  1. Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.

Dale Carnegie, writer and lecturer

 

  1. It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.

Nathan W. Morris, productivity and business coach, author

 

  1. Every day that I procrastinate, every day that I sit stagnant in fear, every day that I fail to better myself, someone else out there with the same goals and dreams as me is doing the exact opposite.

Noel DeJesus, author and combat veteran

 

  1. No work is insignificant.

Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activist

 

  1. You don’t actually do a project; you can only do action steps related to it. When enough of the right action steps have been taken, some situation will have been created that matches your initial picture of the outcome closely enough that you can call it “done”.

David Allen, prolific author and productivity consult

 

  1. What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50%.

Susan Cain, writer and lecturer

 

  1. Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.

Rudyard Kipling, author

 

  1. Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.

Roy T. Bennett, author

 

  1. Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

Jim Ryun, athlete and politician

 

  1. Every champion was once a contender that didn’t give up.

Gabby Douglas, Olympic champion in gymnastics

 

  1. If you’re alive, you’re a creative person.

Elizabeth Gilbert, journalist

 

  1. The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.

Bruce Lee, actor and martial artist

 

  1. Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.

Louis Pasteur, chemist and microbiologist

 

  1. The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States

 

  1. Nothing will work unless you do.

Maya Angelou, author and activist

 

  1. If you’re going through hell, keep going.

Winston Churchill, politician and writer

 

  1. The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity.

Tom Peters, business management expert

 

  1. The big secret in life is that there is no secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.

Oprah Winfrey, talk show host and producer

 

As you can see, focus and effort are essential for productivity. We hope these quotes have given you the motivation to create something amazing.

 

This page was brought to you by Senstone. To learn more about productivity in the age of distractions, check out our homepage.

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Social Media vs. Productivity

Unpopular opinion: you can have a Facebook account and get things done. Productivity should not come at the cost of deleting social media.

 

Use social media and stay productive: is it even possible?

 

It seems these days, people are sharing strong sentiments about social media platforms – either love or cancel them. At least that’s what you see across the internet, which many believe is a true reflection of the real world – but wait a second. Is it?

 

First and foremost, a social media platform is a tool. Like any other instrument, people can use it to build or destroy – or both simultaneously. 

 

Secondly, social media can create community and bring joy. At the same time, they can also be detrimental to productivity and mental health. As you can see, it’s complicated.

 

Before participating on a social media platform, think about your intentions and define the purpose of your engagement. Does this platform serve your needs? Furthermore, can it support your goals without setting you back?

 

Social media can create connections

Social media can impede productivity
  • Keep in touch with family, friends, and co-workers
  • Shrink attention span and heighten ADHD
  • Connect with people from other environments
  • Distract you from your purpose with notifications
  • Create a front-row seat to the public opinion
  • Drive anxiety and depression
  • Entertain
  • Fuel procrastination from participating in real life

 

The platform designers build distractions into the user experience. A single notification can disrupt the deep focus needed for productivity. For example, when scrolling Facebook, each post distracts from the previous one. Moreover, automated content moves at warp speed, which forces us to multi-task to stay engaged. This gives the social media platform control of tired minds and drives behavior, therefore it’s not good for your brain (to say the least).

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

 

In 2016 Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University, published a game-changing book, entitled “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.” Newport describes digital minimalism as a philosophy of technology used when users focus their online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support the things they value while happily missing out on everything else.

 

How can we apply digital minimalism to our lives to digitally detox – even a little, increase productivity, and enjoy social media?

 

  • Sacrifice the “anxious” digital entertainment. Social media uses gamification for you to “play” the platform by jumping between tags, headlines, cat photos, alerts, laughter, pain, fear, joy, anger, and invisibility.

 

  • Unsubscribe! Go through your list of subscriptions, because it’s ‘Marie Kondo’ time!  

 

  • Calendar your social media viewing and sending. Many websites and apps provide the option to schedule posts and updates.

 

  • Turn off Notifications (all the way or almost). Social media now lets audiences control notifications. In the app settings, select which type of notifications to allow and which type to trash. Then choose the times of day to receive notifications.  

 

  • Imagine unrelated clicks are paid.  Finally, our lifehack of the day: imagine you buy every idle click for $5, while the “free” clicks are reserved for your job. It is an excellent technique because, with it, you can see your priorities clear as day. Are you ready to pay $5 to watch a 10-seconds-long cat video? Do you want to like a funny GIF that bad?

 

To sum up, increasing productivity in the age of integrated work and personal life requires the intentional use of social media. With intention, feel the results of digitally detoxing when leaving behind social media anxiety.

 

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