As we welcome in the New Year, there’s no doubt that many are also welcoming in new habits, goals and achievements. Whether you like to call them New Year's Resolutions or whether they’re simply new standards you’re holding yourself to, nailing the first couple of months can really build the momentum you need to keep them up throughout the year. You don’t have to go at it alone though – there is a great selection of tech items that can help you! That’s why we’ve put together this tech guide on some of the best tech to help you smash your New Year goals and resolutions.
Smash Your Health & Fitness Goals
Many of us go into the new year with the intention of improving our health and fitness. As the year picks-up and life gets busy, most barely make it to March before falling off the bandwagon. Perhaps striving for perfection or big changes over consistency and small improvements is where many go wrong; and perhaps setting simple goals like increasing movement, consistently lowering body fat percentage, and preparing more meals at home might be a better approach. Either way, these are some of our top tech recommendations to keep you on top of your health and fitness goals this year!
Fitness Tracker
If you’re striving to improve your health and fitness this year, a fitness tracker or smart watch might just be the sidekick that you need. Not only will they keep track of your exercise and movement, but many of them will also track other essential areas of your health, such as hydration, sleep cycles, heart rate, and more. Some even have built-in personal trainers and workouts to help push you that little bit further.
One of our most popular fitness trackers is the Fitbit Charge series. It’s an advanced fitness tracker that can really help you take charge of your fitness and redefine your routine. You can set personal goals and track your workouts using 20 different exercise modes; and it also includes heart-rate monitoring, built-in GPS, SpO2 tracking, sleep tracking, stress management, and more. If you’re after a super affordable entry-level fitness tracker, check out the Mi Smart Band 8 which offers great value and all the necessary features! Or if you want all the bells and whistles including a bunch of smart features, a smartwatch such as the Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch might be the best choice for you.
If you want to weigh up some more options, check out our Top Fitness Trackers and Top Smart Watch guides while you're at it.
Smart Scale
If you’re looking to bulk up or slim down, there’s more to it than just the number on the scale. First, it’s more important to take note of how you feel and how your clothes fit; but secondly, if you want to have the best idea of your progress, it pays to know how your body fat percentage and muscle mass amongst other things are tracking along.
The Xiaomi Body Composition Smart Scale is a great tool for this. Not only does it measure your body weight, but it also measures 13 precise data points that provide an accurate picture of your body composition and health and fitness. These include: BMI, body fat, muscle mass, bone mass, protein, visceral fat, basal metabolism, water weight, health score, and more. To access this data, you’ll need to use the Mi Fit app which will combine all of your health data (including from other products such as the Mi Smart Band 8) in one place.
Rice Cooker
Our diet plays a massive part in our health and fitness and a rice cooker can make food prep so much quicker and easier. It’s pretty hard to mess up a batch of rice when using one and the best part is, you can set it and walk away, knowing you’ll come back to perfectly cooked rice with little effort on your part.
The Panasonic 5 Cup Rice Cooker will help you make perfectly textured, great tasting rice every time. It has 16 versatile auto menu modes to help you cook white rice, brown rice, quinoa, jasmine rice, sticky rice, porridge, and more! There’s even a slow cooking and steaming option, making it a perfectly versatile meal prep appliance. If you’ve got a big household to cook for or a large amount of rice to prep, there’s also a 10 Cup Rice Cooker which might suit you better.
Unleash Your Creativity
Life isn’t always about the hustle and the grind and if we make room for it, we all have some level of creative genius inside of us waiting to get out. If one of your new year goals is to unleash your creative side, begin that fun project you’ve been thinking about for months (or years), or pick up a creative hobby, these items could help you to do just that.
Camera
If you’re ready to explore your creative side through photography or creating videos, then a new camera might be on the horizon for you. There’s a great range of affordable DSLRs that are perfect for entry-level photographers, such as the Canon EOS 1500D, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, you can get yourself an entry-level mirrorless camera like Canon’s EOS R100 or Sony Alpha A6400 (lens not included). Mirrorless cameras have quickly gained popularity in recent years due to their rapidly improving technology, and smaller and lighter bodies. If you have a larger budget, check out our take on the Best Mirrorless Cameras. If you’re just buying your first camera, don’t forget to add an SD card so you can start snapping pictures straight away.
If you’re not ready to take the plunge on a camera, don’t worry. You don’t need a DSLR or Mirrorless camera to start getting creative with photo and video, especially if you have a smartphone that comes with a high-quality camera system. Some of them, such as the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, even have built-in stabilisation and cinematic features that will make your videos look smooth and crisp. If your phone doesn’t have that or you want to take the shots up a level, pair it with one of DJI’s Osmo Mobile Gimbal Stabilisers.
Microphone
A good microphone is a must-have for anyone who’s serious about quality when it comes to creating videos or recording podcasts or music. The flesh of your content could be on point, but if your audio quality isn’t at the same level, it could really take away from it all. If you’re looking to record audio for podcasts or voice over, BLUE’s Yeti Nano Premium USB Microphone is a great microphone to get you started. With two proprietary mic capsules specifically tuned to give your voice exceptional presence and detail, it records with crystal clarity. Plus, Yeti Nano supports high-quality 24-bit/48kHz recording, so you can give your content the production value it deserves. For a professional grade option, check out the BLUE Yeti Microphone.
If you’re creating video content, RODE’s VideoMicro II is a great compact option. No battery is required and you simply need to plug it into the audio jack on your camera. It has a furry windshield cover to reduce noise, however, this may not be enough in windier conditions. If you have a higher budget, the RODE VideoMic is our top pick. It’s not only super effective at picking up the sound you need thanks to the barrel-canceling pickup, but it has greater clarity and much better noise reduction. Built-in attenuation, a foam windshield, and a high-pass filter switch helps to eliminate ambiance and noise, resulting in better sound in wind and noisy environments.
Wacom Tablet
If you’d like to improve your digital art or give it a go, a good graphics tablet will help you edit, draw and create with ease. It can make the entire process feel far more natural so you can stay immersed in the flow of creativity. The Wacom Intuos range is an affordable option that’s perfect for those who are just starting out or want to try it out before making a bigger purchase. It comes in a Small, Medium and Large option to suit your needs. The Wacom Intuos Pro range is another great choice for those who are looking to upgrade from their previous tablet. We recommend reading our article about the Best Graphics Tablets and Tools for Digital Creatives to get a better idea of what the best tablet might be for you.
Boost Your Knowledge or Productivity
In a distracted world, it's easy to forget what our minds are capable of and what we are capable of achieving. With some focus, dedication, and the right tools however, we can get back on track and unlock more of our potential. While much of this will come from better habits and practices, there is certainly an array of very useful tech that can help to expand your knowledge and improve your productivity.
eReader
Whether you’re simply striving to read more books or whether your intention is to learn more this year, an eReader such as Kindle’s Paperwhite will serve you well. Super lightweight at just 208g, you’ll be able to take hundreds of books with you wherever you go, letting you fit in some reading whenever you have the chance. If you don’t like the idea of reading from a screen, don’t worry, the Kindle Paperwhite doesn’t feel like the average tablet or phone screen on your eyes. In fact, it feels like you’re looking at a real book page, only it’s on a screen. The 300 ppi glare-free display reads like real paper, even in bright sunlight. Plus, unlike a regular book, you get the added perk of an adjustable warm light and auto-adjusting front light, so you can read day or night (even with the lights out!).
The amount you invest in your Kindle will come back to you in the long run (or quite quickly if you read a lot) when you consider how much cheaper Kindle eBooks are compared to physical copies. Plus, it’s better for the environment too! The Kindle Paperwhite provides up to 10 weeks of battery life on a single charge, and is charging via USB-C or a compatible Qi wireless charger. If you like the idea of being able to annotate and write notes as your read eBooks, consider picking up a Kindle Scribe or Kobo Elipsa 2E.
Standing Desk
If you tend to feel a bit sluggish after lunch or in the late afternoon, you’ll likely see a drop in your productivity levels. Continuing to sit for the next few hours certainly doesn’t help and if anything, only makes it worse. That’s where height adjustable desks can help! With the push of a button, most standing desks can transform within seconds, enabling you to switch to a standing position while you work. Not only can this give your productivity levels a boost but it has various health benefits too! Loctek has a great range of standing desks to suit various budgets and needs - check out some of their options below.
Apple iPad
The Apple iPad is filled with features and apps that can aid your productivity, especially when paired with the Apple Pencil. You can take notes as if you’re writing on a notepad and get ahead with to-do lists, planning and note-taking. Regardless of where you are on your iPad, you can easily bring up Quick Note to quickly jot down a thought and add links, providing an easy way to get exactly back to what you were looking at. Notes also has ways to organise, categorise, collaborate and capture information, adding a new layer of efficiency to working with your notes. Additionally, features like Split View and Slide Over create an intuitive multi-tasking experience that makes working from a tablet easier to use and more powerful.
The Apple iPad also has great tools that can help you focus and limit distractions. For example, the ‘Focus’ feature filters notifications based on what you’re doing and you can even create customised ‘Focus’ settings to suit various scenarios. There are so many ways to boost your productivity with the iPad, especially once you make use of the incredible range of third-party productivity apps available on the App store. Not sure which iPad is best for you? Check out our article on the Best iPad to Buy.
Chromebook
Chromebooks are a great choice for learning and studying on-the-go thanks to their lightweight and compact form factor. They're also much more affordable than laptops so don't require a big monetary investment! While they're not made for heavy application or multimedia usage, if online research, note-taking, reading documents, planning your schedule, and checking emails is on your agenda, a Chromebook is perfect for you. They feature the Chrome OS, giving you access to a rich library of apps on Google Play, including the Microsoft Office suite. Plus, they have a long battery-life that is made to last an entire school or work day! Check out our Top Chromebook recommendations here, with options for every budget!
Keep Things Clean and Organised
Sometimes we also need to focus on the mundane things in order to get ahead. Some things, such as cleaning and organising, may appear to have small impacts at first but they can easily have a knock-on effect into other areas of life. Having a clean and uncluttered environment for example, is more conducive to a focused and productive workflow. Additionally, setting up systems to keep things organised at the beginning of the year, can save you time fussing around and getting distracted later on.
Robot Vacuum
Don’t you wish you could keep your home clean without doing any actual cleaning? The good news is that you can (to a degree) with a robot vacuum! Wiping down the bench tops, putting the dishes away, folding the laundry, and cleaning the toilet/shower- that’s all on you. But a robot vacuum can take care of your floors with ease, leaving them spick and span every day of the week!
Some of the latest robot vacuums such as the Roborock Q7 Max has serious processing power and precision laser navigating, allowing it to map out your home with ease. From there, it can clean one room, multiple rooms, or even your entire house with just a few taps on your phone or a press of a button. You can even schedule them to start cleaning at certain times. Modern robot vacuums also include a mopping function, so they can mop your hardwood floors and tiles too. While to some people, they might sound gimmicky at first, robot vacuums are astonishingly effective and efficient and if you aren’t sold, you’ll quickly change your mind once you see one in action.
Smart Assistant
You probably thought having an assistant wasn’t possible for you either… The good news is that you can and this one doesn’t cost you a years salary. If you opt for a smart assistant, you can get one such as the Amazon Echo Dot (features Alexa Smart Assistant) for less than $100. If you want our top pick, it’s the Google Nest Hub (uses Google Assistant). With the Nest Hub, all it takes is a simple tap or voice command to have your assistant do your bidding for you. It can turn on the lights*, lock the doors*, turn of the thermostat*, set a timer or an alarm, keep you on schedule, play music, answer your questions, and so much more! You can even use it to broadcast messages to all Nest speakers and displays around the home. The Nest Hub is always on-call when you need it but it also respects your privacy. You can turn off the mic at any time with the mic switch, and you can easily clear your Google Assistant history whenever you want. If you’re an Apple user, you might prefer the Apple HomePod Mini. Check out our 'Smarten Up Your Home With a Smart Assistant' article to figure out which smart assistant is best for you.
* With compatible smart devices.
Cable Management
Keep your workspace clean and uncluttered with various cable management tools. While setting these up may take a small initial time investment, they’ll save you time and energy in the long run when you don’t have to deal with messy, tangled cables that can be a real eyesore. Some good tools to have in your arsenal include cable ties, a box cord organiser, cable combs, cable clips, and maybe even some velcro strips.
Make Your Life Easier (Bonus)
To finish this off, let's talk about how you can make your life easier this year with seemingly boring additions that can actually make a big difference. These tech items can make your day-to-day tasks easier, save you time and effort, and keep things flowing. They’re probably items you’ve put off buying because you’ve got a way that works, even though it might be 10x longer and more of a chore; but chances are that once you add these items, you’ll think, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?”
Are you someone who has a roundabout process of transferring photos from your camera to your laptop, when you could just buy an SD card reader? Or do you stick to using cables to connect devices to your PC (and/or mess around with multiple devices), when you could just buy a Bluetooth adapter? Perhaps you painstakingly search for YouTube videos or streaming services on your TV remote, when a Chromecast or a streaming box would be much more efficient? The scenarios go on!
This year, don’t forget to value your time and energy, and consider removing unnecessary resistance from your life with some simple tech additions. These are some of our top picks for this category but you probably already have some of your own ideas in mind!
We hope this tech guide was helpful and gave you some ideas on using tech to support your goals! Of course, this guide only scratches the surface of what's available. Head over to PB Tech to shop our full range of tech items!
