Mobile Apps: Saviours for the modern-day lifestyle

With dual income families now almost becoming a norm in most metro cities and even in small towns in India, the struggle for achieving a good work-life balance has been taking a toll on most households. While salaries are at an all-time high, so are the expectations from employers and hence the constant stress, even when one is away from work. Even the so called ‘quality time’ with family on weekends is more about completing the household chores, like grocery shopping and laundry, that are difficult to accomplish on a weekday, owing to long work hours. How, then, does one get the time to build a strong bond with the family?

Whether you want to take the kids out for a picnic or step out for a movie date with your wife, time always seems to be a constraint, given our hectic schedules. But thanks to many useful mobile apps that have been launched recently, it’s easy to offload some of the tasks that make our lives cumbersome, thereby making time to create beautiful memories with family and friends.

Mobile commerce and applications are undoubtedly transforming how we live our everyday lives in a positive way. There are hundreds of apps available these days to take care of almost all aspects of our lives. You no longer need to push your cart through aisles in a grocery store over the weekend. Whether you live in a metro or the suburbs, you can get your groceries and vegetables delivered to your doorstep. ‘n-commerce’ (or neighborhood commerce) companies are now making quick deliveries by tying-up with the neighborhood kirana stores. Similar is the case with food delivery. Though food delivery is an age-old phenomenon, until recently, it was only restricted to pizzas or burgers. However, with mobile apps like Foodport, you get various menu options and can get an exotic meal delivered at your doorstep within minutes. Such delivery sites or apps are becoming a boon for working couples, who after a hectic day at work, are too tired to even visit a restaurant, let alone cook something at home.

Similarly, laundry is yet another painful chore that working couples have to deal with, mostly on weekends. This, too, can be handled in just a few clicks with apps like PickMyLaundry. The company picks up, launders and delivers the clothes within just 48 hours, saving one a lot of hassle. Then again, whether you want to book a cab, shop online, send messages to friends or family across the world or manage your finances, apps like MyTaxiIndia, Snapdeal, Whatsapp and MoneySmart can make a world of difference to your life right from the comfort of your home. What’s more, mobile wallets such as Paytm, Airtel Money, m-Pesa etc. have made online transactions over mobile apps absolutely smooth and seamless. Interestingly, these apps are so easy to use that they can be handled even by a ten year old. So, being tech-savvy is not a pre-requisite to be a user!

No wonder mobile apps are becoming so popular with the masses, with new ones being launched in quick succession in the market. A survey by Ericsson Consumer Labs last year revealed that Indians spend three hours a day, on an average, on their smart phones and check their phone over 100 times a day!

While technology has had a tremendous impact on our lives in recent years with many advanced gadgets being developed, no one could have imagined that a simple tool such as a phone will empower us in so many ways, helping us simplify our lives. Proliferation of digital consumer technology has made tedious jobs seamless and quick.

So while you may be apprehensive about saving all those apps on your phone, fearing the amount of storage space that’ll get consumed, the effort is absolutely worth it when you see the value they provide by offering convenience and saving you valuable time that you can now spend doing all the things you love to do together as a family.

While we all are trying hard to maintain work-life balance, these apps are surely doing their bit to make our lives more comfortable… sometimes even allowing us the luxury of being lazy!

So have you found your saviour app yet?