5 Online Tools that Will Make Life Easier

The Internet is many things. A massive media platform. A bottomless pit of bizarre sub-cultures. A treasure trove of information (not all of it accurate). And a revolutionary tool for living in the 21^st century. From Uber and Airbnb to Google and Facebook, there is no doubt that the Internet has transformed the way that we live, interact with others, conduct business, and consume information. If you cut through the clutter, you will find online tools to make your life easier, more convenient, and more efficient. If you don’t know where to start, might we recommend that you start with these tools?

1. G Suite

Bill Gates and Microsoft became giants of the computer age because of Microsoft Office. There was a point in time when the software was a universal presence in households and businesses across the world. In 2016, much of these same software programs can be found for free, and the best is arguably Google’s G Suite. With Gmail, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, and Google Drive, G Suite has all of the tools you need to manage your personal life or business life. And it’s completely free – simply sign up for Gmail today.

2. Unroll.Me

More often than not, it is our inboxes that are filled with junk mail these days, not our mailboxes. To cut through the clutter in your email inbox, you may want to use a tool like Unroll.Me. This simple application lets you instantly see a complete list of your subscription emails, as well as unsubscribe from the email messages that you don’t want. Getting rid of the clutter in your inbox will not only save you minutes each day, it might help lower your stress too. Every little bit helps, after all.

3. AnyList

For busy families, shopping for groceries can be an exercise in futility. Did you buy that one particular cereal that your son requested? Did your spouse forget to pick up the milk and eggs? It seems that no matter what, someone is always left disappointed when the food finally arrives home. AnyList is an application that aims to solve this problem by making it easy to create and share grocery lists with others. With AnyList, you can let your spouse know what to buy without having to text him or her an out-of-focus picture of your indecipherable handwritten note!

4. ForRent (and Sortly)

Finding a place to live, even under the best of circumstances, is often a hassle. Thankfully, there are a number of online tools that make the process much easier than it used to be. If you are planning on moving, use these tools and discover for yourself the benefits they can provide. For example, if you are looking at apartments for rent in NYC, sites like ForRent can help you filter through hundreds, if not thousands of options, quickly and easily. You can then organize your belongings with apps like Sortly to help make the moving process less painful. When it comes to moving, online tools are your friends.

5. Roadify

If you, your spouse, or your teenage children use public transportation to get around, an application like Roadify can help eliminate some of the unknowns. One of the biggest hassles with public transportation is that you’re never quite certain when the next bus or train will arrive. Roadify aggregates and distributes transit arrival data in real time so that riders can easily find out what’s going on. Whether you’re at the station or walking to it, you can have a general idea of what your schedule looks like.

The Tools Are Out There. Why Not Use Them?

Believe it or not, the Internet is more than cat videos and animated GIFs. There are countless applications, websites, and online platforms that can make your life easier, more convenient, more efficient, or more fun. You likely know about the obvious ones. We all use online mapping tools to get around, and travel websites to book our airfare. The tools above may be less familiar to you, but are no less helpful. Give them a try and see for yourself.