Happy start to the brand-spanking new year, friends! TBH, new years can often be both optimistic but also super overwhelming. You’ve got new goals written down, a shiny new fitness routine you’re trying to keep up, a new idea you want to pursue…

All the newness can sometimes feel like too much to carry on your own. I hear you!

And although we’d all love to hire 3 personal assistants and a full time staff to manage our lives, we can’t all be Kim K right? Or can we? haha 

This past year I’ve invested in a lot of things that I feel would make my life more efficient and more manageable, so that I didn’t have to sacrifice the things I want to do. I realized I had been carrying a million notebooks around with me and losing all of my notes from meetings, my shoulder was breaking from carrying my laptop with me everywhere, and I was THAT girl that clumsily fell off the streetcar because I was trying to untangle my earphones from my million devices. But I’m leaving that all behind me this year and focussing on investing in things that are consolidating and solving my problems with fewer items. 

Enter: my must-have tech list for the new year. 

There’s a lot of tech out there and finding the ones best suited for what you need is super important. But when you find that magical mix and a routine to work with them on, man, it really does feel like I’ve got a full time staff helping to support not only my business, but my personal life too. I rounded up the 4 items and categories that I’ve tried and tested and that have really helped me, as well as what I use them for in my daily life. Hopefully it helps to inspire you to invest in your tech for your next big idea, your new goals, or even just to make your workouts more consistent!

Must-Have Tech For Your New Year

I know this sounds obvious and that 99.5% of you already own a smartphone. But what I’ve realized this past year is that investing in the newest version of your smartphone is one of the best investments you can make. Tech companies are constantly revamping and developing their smartphone technology just for you, so upgrading whenever you can and finding one that does it all (without the lag) is truly worth the change. If you think about it, our phones are with us almost 24/7, so when you break it down, it truly is the most important piece of technology on your roster. 

The Samsung Galaxy S9 is in my roster of go-tos for a ton of reasons, but the hero attribute of it all is its camera. For me, so much of my life is dependent on my camera (not only for sharing on social, but also for documenting important moments on the go that I want to leverage). The camera of the Samsung Galaxy S9 honestly makes me consider dropping my professional gear altogether. Its Dual Aperture lens adapts like human eyes so it makes photos look amazing regardless of whether it’s in bright daylight or super lowlight. For my camera lovers out there, this baby has a F1.5 aperture mode! It also has an epic slow-mo function and allows you to make GIFS straight from your phone, but it doesn’t stop there. The camera literally reads for you with real-time translation (perfect for my fellow travellers)! I could go on and on about the camera on this baby, so I’ll stop myself there. 

Learn more about my go-to smartphone here.

This year, I finally put a tablet into my roster of tech. I had been super hesitant before, wondering whether or not I really needed this extra device when my laptop already did most of what I needed a tablet to do. But now that I took the tablet plunge, I don’t think I could ever go back to just using my laptop. This baby is my meeting-must have, my #1 travel companion, and also (admittedly) my best Netflix buddy. 

I have the Samsung Tab S4 that I went in heavy about in a previous blog post in the fall. But after about half of a year of using it, I can firmly say that it has made my life so much easier. I never carry around my laptop with me anymore to meetings (I have the keyboard attachment that basically turns this baby into a laptop with its Dex mode), I doodle my ideas for my business on it (the S Pen is god-sent), and I literally never stream my music, shows, and movies on anything else anymore. Good to note that the battery life on this baby is bomb.com too (and charges super quickly)

Learn more about the tablet I use here.

This past holiday season, a smart watch finally entered into roster. And like most tech, I was curious as to whether it would actually add benefit to my life or if it would just become a shiny new toy I toted around. Let me tell you, it is definitely the prior and I understand full heartedly why people love smart watches. 

One of the things that drew me to the Samsung Galaxy Watch was that it boasted all the features of a smartwatch, while still feeling like an analog watch. I love tech, but I’m also a classics-lover and the style of this watch didn’t make me feel like I was giving up on either. It’s an Always On watch, so you don’t have to press a button to know the time and (depending on how you customize your watch face), it literally looks exactly like some of my favourite watches. Outside of looks, this baby lets me actually keep my phone down (allowing me to receive calls and check messages on the fly). It also literally acts as my assistant, with event reminders, tasks, news updates, and a run down of my day when I need it. But above all, the coolest thing on this baby is its wellness tools. This thing has what feels like the most intuitive personal trainer built right into it. It measures your heart rate AND also trains with you. You literally choose activities and it counts your reps for you as you do them. As I crunch my abs, it literally counts my reps out loud for my (when I do them properly haha). If you get a chance you’ve got to try one of these out, words don’t do it justice. 

Learn more about the smart watch I wear here.

Last but not least, I finally retired my “given to me for free in a swag bag” plug-in corded earphones this year and opted for a bluetooth version. Cheers Mel (you’re only 20 years late to the game haha)

I picked up these AKG N200 Headphones that I love because they hang on my neck when I don’t need them and are super lightweight. They’re made to be minimalistic and with fabric so they’re a lot more comfortable than others of its kind I’ve tried. Despite its portability, it has incredible sound (AKG Signature Sound) that literally makes my music sound so much better and has the battery life of a champ. Little things like customizable ear tips and magnetic buds so that they stay untangled, make these small but mighty babies my new favourites. 

Learn more about my earphones here.

I hope that, whatever your goals are for the new year, that you’re helping to support yourself get to them and that the tech you decide to let enter your life truly adds value to it. Here’s to the tech-assistants in our life that make us feel like badass bosses we were meant to be this year!

Do you have any of my must-have tech gadgets? Which would you pick up first if you don’t?

*** This post was made in generous partnership with Samsung Canada. All thoughts, opinions, and first impressions are my own.