Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: Technology

  • What I’d Change About Modern Society: More Tech for Less Chaos

    What I’d Change About Modern Society: More Tech for Less Chaos

    Modern society is fascinating with all the available tech at our fingertips. It’s a hyper-connected world with endless options and distractions. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in information as a result! If I could change one major thing about modern life, I would use technology to simplify life. Here’s what that could look like.

    A Digital Household Assistant for the Forgetful

    It’s easy to remember the obvious things, like a monthly bill, because you get the monthly reminder, but it’s the less obvious stuff that gets you. Like remembering when to check the flashlight batteries or vacuum behind the fridge. With so many other responsibilities, it’s easy to forget basic maintenance. Imagine feeding an app your household inventory and having it create a custom schedule: reminders to clean your gutters, test smoke detectors, or renew that annual insurance. Set it and forget it!

    The Service Search Revolution

    The last time I needed a home repair, it took hours to comb through pages of reviews and visit multiple websites. I’d like an app that aggregates all reviews from various platforms, including Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc., and provides a concise, reliable summary of the best repair company for the job. It’s like having a savvy, trustworthy friend who did all the research to save you time.

    Unsubscribe Means Unsubscribe

    You give your email once for something you can’t remember, and suddenly you’re getting daily promos and sales pitches from that company. Even worse, some companies make it intentionally difficult to unsubscribe so you have to throw that email into spam. How about a universal email filter tool, something to identify and auto-delete unwanted promotions before they hit your inbox, or block auto-subscriptions at the source, unless explicitly accepted.

    Social Media, But Filtered for You

    Social media is overwhelming. One scroll and you’re hit with mindless cat videos, political rants, and jokes you don’t find funny. Or, worst of all, seeing the same post ten times in one hour. We need a smart filter—a system that lets you curate your feed not just by who you follow, but by topics that interest you. The tech is there—it just needs to be deployed in user-first ways.

    A News Feed That Saves You Time

    If you’re into tech, staying up-to-date on what tech to use is a full-time job. New AI tools, software updates, startups, gadgets—it’s endless. What we need is a smart tech digest that pulls the most relevant, interesting updates based on your preferences and summarizes them weekly according to your needs.

    The End Goal: More Tech, Less Tech-Obsession

    The better we use tech to organize and offload the mental load of daily life, the less time we need to spend using it. Once your systems are in place, your email filters itself, your chores remind you automatically, your tech news comes pre-digested, and your social media is what you want to see.

    What’s left? Free time to take a walk, read a printed book, hang with family, or just enjoy the silence without the nagging feeling you forgot something important—like paying your annual property tax.

    It would be a dream to have tech that works in the background to make life smoother. 

    Daily writing prompt
    What would you change about modern society?
    View all responses

  • More Story Writing Projects

    More Story Writing Projects

    Recently, I’ve been dabbling with turning my writing into videos.

    Here are some stories that my friend and I have worked on. Check them out if the descriptions interest you!

    What was life like before the internet was invented? Watch time 1 minute. Link here.

    Fun ways to set your alarm in the morning. Watch time 30 seconds. Link here.

    Computer glitches we’ve all experienced. Watch time 45 seconds. Link here.

    Android replaces human. Watch time one minute. Link here.

    Sci-Fi android story. Watch time 5 minutes. Link here.

  • 4 Types of Companies for Remote Work

    4 Types of Companies for Remote Work

    Updated from 2023

    Remote work has been around for as long as we’ve had the technology, but 2020 made work from home (WFH) a household word. Now, many startup companies offer remote work as a way to cut operating costs. Without a physical office, expenses are reduced. Remote work also offers many other advantages to certain types of companies. Let’s take a closer look at four types of companies that offer remote work.

    1 Technology Companies

    Technology companies (tech) are great for remote work because they tend to have the latest technology. Tech companies include software development companies, IT companies, companies that sell electronics, artificial intelligence or computers, and website development companies. These companies have the ability for their employees to communicate through virtual meetings and communications applications such as Slack. 

    During the pandemic, tech workers were more easily able to transition to performing work tasks from home, since the majority (if not all) of their tasks were completed using technology. 

    2 Customer Service Companies

    Customer service companies that offer services via online platforms, such as chatbots, are suitable for remote work. Customer service workers must be familiar with technology and have internet access to perform their tasks. Many businesses that hire customer service workers have customers from multiple time zones. To provide 24/7 service to these customers, they hire employees from different time zones to cover a wide range of work shifts. Similar to tech companies, customer service employees can communicate with supervisors or coworkers with communications software.

    3 Education Companies

    Education companies and companies that provide online education are perfect for remote work. These companies provide e-learning platforms for companies and educators. The course content is designed electronically, and IT programming is also handled online. Educators who use these platforms to design courses or offer tutoring work remotely to provide the content. The education is available at any time to anyone anywhere in the world with internet access. This form of education is especially handy for people who work during the day and take courses to upskill at night.

    4 Creative Agencies

    Creative agencies offer remote work for those interested in graphic design, advertising, marketing, and content creation. Work is completed through online collaboration and communication tools. Some agencies hire employees from the same city, while others hire freelancers from other cities in the same country or around the world.

    Key Takeaways

    Work from home has become possible because of the collaborative platforms and communication applications that we now have available to us. Many startups start as remote work companies, saving on the costs of having a physical office. In particular, companies that work with technology, customer service, and education, as well as creative agencies are well suited for remote work.

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  • What Emojis Do You Use to Express Yourself?

    What Emojis Do You Use to Express Yourself?

    Daily writing prompt
    What are your favorite emojis?
    View all responses

    So much of our communication happens online now—texting, emailing, messaging through apps. It’s convenient and quick and you can look back on the conversation if you can’t remember the details (like where and when you’re supposed to meet). But one of the biggest challenges with written messaging is tone. 

    You can’t always tell if someone is joking, being serious, or just confused. That’s where emojis come in handy for clarification. I love using the 🙂 happy face to share good news, 😢 sad face for not-so-great news, and 😂 the laugh emoji when something is very humorous.

    Especially in group chats where you don’t always know everyone well, emojis can clarify your tone of voice. Not everyone uses “LOL” or “hahaha” to show laughter and clarify that you’re in a good mood. In other cultures, people might write “jajaja,” “wwww,” or “hehehe” instead. Emojis are a universal way to show laughter or emotion without needing to explain ourselves as much.

    Even at work, emojis are making their way into our messages and emails. They help show intention, so there’s less room for misinterpretation. A 🙂 with a message adds a friendly tone. 🤔 shows you’re thinking or unsure. 😕 for disappointment or bad news. It makes digital messages feel more human.

    I like to try new emojis, but it depends on the tech. On some devices, scrolling through all the options takes longer. You can also call up an emoji just by typing the word. For example, type “cat”—and the 🐱 emoji pops up. Super convenient!

    Sometimes I wonder if it’s possible to speak in full emoji sentences. It could be faster to type, though that could get confusing fast. Something like: 😅📅⏰➡️☕💻👀🤯 could mean “Woke up today when the alarm went off, so I got coffee, went to work and saw my messages, and felt overwhelmed.” Or it could mean “So embarrassing I forgot to remind myself to go get more coffee. Got an email. Read the news. So shocked I’m awake now.”

    Some people are more advanced—they’re using memes and GIFs, not just emojis to express themselves. I have enough of a challenge just picking emojis that aren’t just faces. I’ll stick to emojis. They’re simple, fun, and expressive enough. 😊

  • 4 Reasons Remote Work Is Challenging

    4 Reasons Remote Work Is Challenging

    Remote work, also called work from home (WFH), has been around since office workers had the technology to do their tasks from anywhere with an internet connection. It’s become more common now to have in-office, hybrid (a mix of in-office and remote work), and remote options for some companies. 

    The perks of remote work are numerous, but the lifestyle isn’t for everyone. The main difference is that WFH easily blurs the lines between work and home life. It’s easy to check work email after you finish a late dinner or throw a load of clothes in the laundry before a meeting starts.

    Remote work also comes with its unique challenges. If you haven’t tried working from home yet, consider these four challenges before you start. If you work from home, what do you think about these challenges with the lifestyle?

    Lack of in-person interaction

    Remote work is perfect for those who love to work without interruption. You can avoid water cooler conversations with coworkers (although you might have them with those you live with). You can work in peace and get what you need done on time. The time you save from your commute is spent on other tasks, instead of sitting in transportation.

    For those who love socializing, you will miss having lunch with a co-worker. You’ll miss the conversations you have whenever you collaborate with a team. You’ll have virtual team meetings, but you must stick to the topic and finish on time before people leave for other meetings.  

    People who are just starting in their careers will find the lack of in-person interaction difficult. You cannot casually walk up to someone to ask for help. You cannot sit with coworkers who have similar jobs during lunch and pick up career tips. To get the support you need, you’ll either send messages to a coworker or schedule a meeting.

    No division between home and work

    Working from home is quite literally working from your home. It may be difficult to draw a distinct line between your home life and work life. A home office with a door can create a physical separation between your two lives, but if your desk is in your living space, such as your kitchen, that distinction is harder to make.

    You may be expected to check your work emails first thing in the morning, as well as last thing in the evening. Remote companies with staff that live across the country function best when people are more flexible about when they work and when they check messages. You may need to be more adamant about your office hours and when you check messages if you want set hours away from work.

    Work may also feel more intrusive because your coworkers have a window into your personal life when you have a virtual meeting. They can see one wall of your home office, and they can hear family in the background. (Although one time a coworker reached into the wall of the virtual background and produced a takeout order delivery.)

    Living where you work has its perks. You don’t have to spend time packing your lunch the night before. No need to figure out what food is good to transport in your lunch bag and convenient to eat in the office. 

    During coffee and lunch breaks, you can be more productive: you can throw a load of dishes in the dishwasher, take out the trash, or pay a phone bill. Best of all, if you have a flexible schedule and if you’re drowsy, it’s easy to take a comfortable nap.

    Lack of support OR too much micromanagement

    When you don’t see your boss on a daily basis, it can be difficult to get the kind of support that you need. Your boss may not be aware that you’re struggling with something at work, or affected by something in your personal life. Unless you speak up, they can’t tell that you’re struggling. If you work in an office, your boss and coworkers see you regularly and are better able to notice if you lack your usual energy. Similarly, if you work in an office, you have a better sense of whether your coworkers are experiencing challenges. For example, if you’re both dealing with unsupportive management, you can support each other. But if you work remotely, you are like an island to yourself. You may not know if a coworker is facing a similar issue as you are.

    Some companies don’t trust their remote workers to do their jobs and set up systems to monitor them. For example, using a camera to check if their worker is at their desk, or tracking mouse clicks to monitor productivity. The issue, of course, is if your job requires you to be creative, do some research, or brainstorm before you start writing. You could be productively thinking away, but your mouse isn’t moving and you’re just staring into space. It may look like you’re not working even though you are.

    Constant need to learn tech skills

    As a remote worker, you’ll encounter tech issues with internet availability, virtual meeting microphone or camera issues, or security access issues with your computer. Some remote companies require you to learn how to use AI programs or collaboration tools. 

    Without someone from the company’s IT department to save you, you’ll need to resort to your own resourcefulness to fix tech issues or learn new tech by watching videos. An IT person won’t show up to provide advice over your shoulder. 

    Key Takeaways

    Does working from home appeal to you? Those who prefer it love the flexible work hours, the short commute, and the relaxed dress code. Those who dislike it hate the isolation, the lack of support, and the blending of home and work life. However, with today’s technology, remote work will continue to be an option in the workplace.

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