Whether for business, school, or home, staying organized can sometimes be a challenge. This was true even before our lives got moved to the digital landscape – how many of us tried to organize our DVDs, music, or kitchenware? Now we have files and photos, movies, music and more on our computers. Our phones sometimes contain daunting amounts of data. And we’ve still got that pesky kitchen to sift through.
The good news is that while technology might have added more in our lives to organize, it also gives us a lot of ways to do so. A variety of devices have the capability of helping us keep our lives in order, and odds are high that you already own some of them. They can all communicate with each other to make your life easier, and it’s all thanks to the Internet.
It is not an exaggeration to say the Internet can organize your life. You can use it to:
Many devices in your home or office can help keep it organized. The ones that connect to the Internet can work together to save you time at home or have your workplace working more efficiently. Many of these devices are commonly used.
Directly online are many resources that are connected to our computers and cell phones. These can be invaluable for keeping track of things in your everyday life, as well as the things you want to keep stored.
Businesses use cloud storage as an alternative to the large servers they’d otherwise have to maintain. Cloud storage is easier to network in an office, so many users can access the same files. Online cloud services like Google Drive can also help team members share files with features such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, but cloud-based storage can enable businesses to share files using their own software also.
Online calendars can help busy families coordinate everyone’s schedules, as well as help students and offices keep track of projects and due dates.
Sticky note and notepad apps allow users to share lists and notes via email or text message. These can even be color-coded to organize them more finely.
Online mind maps can help with planning big projects at home or at work by creating a flow chart of related tasks.
Kanban boards and Gantt charts are becoming more popular in both large and small businesses so team members can coordinate project responsibilities, even remotely. These are online project lists that allow users to show the progress on their tasks.
Communication tools, like Slack or Discord, are also very popular. At home, such tools can allow families to communicate from anywhere in real time and in groups. At the office, companies use them to allow employees to talk to one another in general, by department, or by direct message. Conversations in text also act as meeting notes participants can refer to later.
Social media can also help organize, especially for organizations that aren’t businesses, such as clubs and informal groups.
Many colleges and high schools were already offering course programs on the Internet prior to social distancing. Schools for younger students expanded to include online learning, but even as kids return to the classroom, they have been taught skills that use the Internet to enhance learning.
Online students are taught how to use tools to turn in homework, keep track of assignments, and work together in remote groups. Tech-savvy kids are turning in homework that is made up of PowerPoint slides and video presentations. Students of every grade carry these skills into the classroom, preparing them for use of all the rest of our technology as they mature.
We use the Internet for so many things, both business and pleasure, that we often overlook how useful it can be to our everyday lives. By helping us store and transmit data, the Internet can keep our memories, do our shopping, and even remind us when to take a break. We’ve gotten to the point where we can simply tell our smart speakers what we need to do, and where paper records are old-fashioned clutter.