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5 Online Tools for Connecting in Real Life

Published on January 27, 2016 By Emily. Updated on January 27, 2016

As you may recall, my focus word for 2016 is “connect”.  Though we’re only a month in, I continue to be thrilled with my choice.  I’m sure it is because I’m hyper-aware of it, but it seems like articles about being more connected to others are everywhere, as are invitations from friends to get together and reminders of how important other people are.

connect 2016 graphic

I haven’t decided whether I’ll be doing monthly updates on my goal “progress”, but I wanted to wrap up January with a look into how I’m making connecting part of my routine.  Here’s the thing about choosing a word for the year: it creates an intention, but it doesn’t necessarily cause action.  Something like “lose weight” or “stop smoking” is still vague, but it’s definitely clear what you have to do.  I’ve realized that unless I make specific plans to do something with my yearly words, they’re just nice ideas.

I’ve been working hard to make sure that I really do connect.  Spending too much time staring at my computer has been something that’s kept me from connecting with people as much as I should have in the past, but now I’m trying to harness technology to help me make connections.  I’m using a lot of the tools I’ve used for other purposes, as well as some new ones, to help me make connecting a reality in 2016.

5 Online Tools for Connecting in Real Life

5 Tech Tools for Connecting in Real Life

Canva

I created my “connect” graphic in Canva for my blog post announcing my word choice for the year.  In addition, I also printed out two copies.  One sits on my desk at home, one sits on my desk at work.  Having these visual reminders (that I don’t even need to turn my computer on to see!) puts my goal for the year right in front of me.

Remembering to Connect: Todoist

Last year, I had “strengthen” as a recurring daily item on Todoist (my task management program of choice), though I didn’t do something to strengthen every day.  This year I’ve kept that daily reminder, but I’ve also created some more tasks that help me remember to connect.  I have a weekly reminders on Sundays to check my calendar and send out birthday and anniversary cards for any upcoming in the next week.  I also scheduled a few articles that I found inspiring (like this one and this one) for weeks and months in the future, to bring me back to my January intentions.

Google Calendar

How do I know when all my friends birthdays are?  In addition to having recurring birthday events for those closest to me, I added the birthdays of all my Facebook friends – along with my upcoming Facebook events – to my Google Calendar.  This can be done by going to Events in Facebook and scrolling to the bottom of the right sidebar.  There, you’ll see this text:

image

Copy the link from Upcoming Events or Birthdays by right clicking (or control-clicking, if you’re on a Mac).  Go to your Google Calendar and click on the drop down arrow next to Other Calendars.  Select “Add by URL”, paste the link you copied and click “Add Calendar”.  All your upcoming events and birthdays will automatically be added and updated in your Google Calendar.

Timer App

My last two tools are about managing my time appropriately.  I’ve been using a modified version of the Pomodoro Technique, which has helped me get more done.  When I accomplish all my tasks with time to spare, I’m afforded time to write letters, hang out with my husband, make phone calls or do other things to help me connect.  There are lots of fancy timers out there, but I just use a simple app for my Android phone.

image

TimeStats Chrome Extension

I am kind of obsessed with this browser extension.  It tells you how long you’ve spent on various websites or categories of websites, in addition to showing you a running total of the number of minutes you’ve spent on each site on top of the extension icon on Chrome.  I’ve set kind of arbitrary time limits for my biggest time suck sites (Facebook, email), because I know I’m not usually accomplishing anything there.  Seeing the amount of time wasted forces me to reflect – is it better to spent 45 minutes on Facebook or 45 minutes getting coffee with a friend?  Or, in another case, I spent 20 minutes on Twitter today.  Did I have a decent conversation with my husband?  These are the types of questions I want to be asking myself as I work towards connecting better in 2016.

Related Posts

Connecting and More in Spring 2016
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Check Out My Recipage
Meals Without a Plan
Did you enjoy this post? Share it!

Filed Under: life, tech, technology Tagged With: connect2016, organization

« Highlights: Soups for The 2016 Blizzard
Why Do You Plan? (CSA Menu Plan #49) »

Comments

  1. James Graham says

    January 29, 2016 at 10:11 am

    I sure could use a timer app just about now. It will help me keep a timer on my digital products.

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
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