It’s hard to believe that less than ten years ago, I was navigating my way around London with an A to Z — now, of course, there’s an app (or three) for that. Back then, my bag contained little more than a purse, a book and a phone (limited to calls, SMS, and the odd game of Snake).
Go through my bag nowadays and it’s another story: sure, the purse is still there, but it’s now accompanied by a laptop, kindle, and my beloved smart phone (otherwise known as my best friend).
I find it compelling how the way we shop, socialise and address the needs of our everyday lives has been transformed as a result of advances in technology. The fact I can hail a taxi and pay for it with just a few taps has alone been life changing! But it’s definitely made me wonder whether those same advances in tech could actually allow us to live more simply – as well as more easily.
When I found out that Starling would be partnering with Fitbit (making it the first UK bank available to connect to Fitbit Pay), I jumped at the chance to take their Ionic watch for a test-run (pun very much intended). It was the perfect opportunity to see whether the cross pollination of lifestyle products and services could help me to reduce some of the emotional and literal clutter in my life.
So, for 48 hours only, I got rid of my purse (no cards, no cash), laptop and phone and relied solely on my Fitbit Ionic. Here’s what happened: