The following article is written by Sophie Davidson in collaboration with T-mobile. -Ed.
As a mom and a business owner, you probably feel like one of those circus jugglers who can keep 20 plates spinning in the air at once. Of course, if the circus performer loses a plate, the only consequence is some broken ceramic, but if you let one of your “plates” fall, you might miss an important deadline, forget to take your child to a checkup or overlook an important email.
In order to stay as organized as possible, “mompreneurs” can use a variety of technology that will support you in both your business and mom-related endeavors. Here are following four ideas:
A Sturdy Phone
To stay on top of all that you need to do, you need more than a tiny, delicate mobile phone with limited features. What will really help you to get through your busy days is a durable and technologically advanced phone. T-Mobile’s new HTC One M9 comes with all of the bells and whistles that you’ve come to expect from a mobile phone — with a durable twist. The phone’s no-gap, all-metal body not only looks amazing, it helps protect the phone from accidental drops. And, if your kids get a hold of it for a few rounds of “Angry Birds” once you are done with your conference call, T-Mobile’s cleverly named “Uh Oh Warranty” lets you replace your phone if your child accidentally breaks it. As a bonus, this premium care plan comes at no extra charge.
The Cozi App
If your daily to-do list is dozens of items long and that itty bitty square on your wall calendar is not big enough for all of your family and work appointments, the Cozi app is perfect for you. The app acts as a master calendar of sorts, helping you to keep track of Dylan’s dentist appointment, Haley’s haircut, and your clients’ numerous meetings, deadlines and projects. Once you download the free Cozi account, all of your family members can add to it from any mobile device or computer, and the schedule will even be sent out to family members’ emails to help remind them what’s coming up. To help you manage and organize all of your appointments, Cozi will let you color code them — this way you can see at a glance that your “red” work projects are due today and your “green” daughter has dance class this evening.
Skype
Busy moms should definitely consider downloading Skype onto their laptops or tablets. If you would like to go over the details of a project with your client and a few vendors or other team members, Skype is a terrific way to hold a virtual meeting and feel like you are connecting with other people visually — not just over the phone. And when your child is clamoring to tell grandma about his latest lost tooth, he can use Skype to not just tell her, but show her the new gap in his smile.
A Surface 3 Tablet
Sure, cell phones are terrific for sending emails and looking up websites. But to really stay on top of your correspondence, a tablet is much more user-friendly — especially when it comes to typing. In addition to being lightweight and portable, a tablet typically features a large keyboard. The Surface 3 from Microsoft has a battery that lasts for hours and a laptop-style typing surface. You can also use the Surface to watch movies and play games with your kids, as well as help them look up information they need for their homework.
There’s no point in going on about how great laptops are, but obviously the convenience comes at the cost of a few tradeoffs. Your legs can get hot and sweaty and if you want to use a mouse, you’re out of luck. Instead of forcing you to find a desk, the Mobile AirDesk brings it to you. Made from bamboo, this slab lets you have the best of both worlds:
