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HAVE YOU A smartphone?
Chances are, you have one – and if you do, you probably use it a lot.
Ireland is a tech-savvy country, and that has benefited us in many ways. Apps have simplified life, connected us to our friends and loved ones, enabled us to buy products quickly and easily, and put the whole world at our fingertips.
But sometimes, it can feel like your phone is using you.
And that’s where Live A Better Life comes in: Over four weeks, we’re going to help you look at how you use your smartphone, challenge yourself to new ways of using it (and not using it), tackle the main phone tech stressors, and cultivate a sense of positivity around using your phone.
Will you be transformed into a person who no longer needs a smartphone by the end of it? Don’t worry, that’s not the aim – and for most people, it’s certainly not practical.
Instead, it’s about putting you back in control, so you have a better sense of how you deal with your smartphone, and how to go about changing elements you’re unhappy with.
How it works
Every weekday for the next four weeks, we’ll feature one article on how to Live A Better Life with your phone. There’ll be information, challenges, and even the odd quiz or two for you.
Sign up by email (see below) and each Friday you’ll get an email with the week’s content.
Day One
For the first day of the first week, we’re keeping things simple: All we’re asking you to do is take a quiz on your smartphone use.
Then, you just have to:
If you want, you can write your thoughts down, as a way of reflecting on the process.
But right now, we’re just getting a sense of what that smartphone-you relationship is like.
Factbox:
If you find you’re a heavy user of your phone, you’re not alone.
Recent stats show that over half of Irish smartphone users check their devices in the middle of the night.
Deloitte’s research found that the top three nocturnal smartphone activities include:
In addition, a study from the University of Derby found that smartphones are addictive - and the more you use it, the more addictive the behaviour can be. The average user in this study spent 3.6 hours a day using a device.
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I’d say Coppers was like a ghost town last night.
How do people leave themselves so short of money. I know things are tight but really people can’t wait one day for money is a bit ridiculous.
no it’s not. People would have earmarked yesterday for family food-shopping seeing as their wages were DUE to be paid. I’d wager there were more than a few having beans-on-toast last night.
hmmmm FG (family guy) – I suddenly understand why you feel the way you do.
Family guy
Take mortgages/rent add utilities, loan repayments etc and I’ll bet there are very fes average wage earners who can keep that amount in their current account. Most probably keep a hundred or two, if they can in the current account and anything else left over goes into savings as the banks advise.
Yeah Steve but they don’t all fall due on one day.
Family guy,
For those who do? And there are people who delay payments until pay day, ok they won’t suffer charges but it cocks up their budgeting
So we all get charged with the smallest missed payment or direct debit but the bank missed paying millions of euro in wages “ah sure be grand lads we’ll sort it in the morning”
Charge them back for whatever it costs you to not receive you money.
Ted, Baz
BofI have said they will refund/waive any charges caused by this glitch what about charges raised by other banks. Your employer banks with BofI you with say AIB standing orders, DDMs due out no salary in your bank knowing of the problem kindly allow the payments but charge you will BofI pay these.
On the plus side the bank made a profit this year. Probably because they charge us to put money in to an account which they then loan to someone else for a profit, then charge us to use our own money, all while paying us zero interest.
And charge for missed direct debits and standing orders! Nice lil money earner.
Dave have you only figured how banks work now?
So frustrating when you have worked your arse off for a month (5 weeks in fact) & your money is simply not there! All the plans & bills you have planned go out the window because one of the organizations which cause you to be taxed out of existence can’t get it’s sh*t together.
Blips are inevitable, every now and then.
Happening quite often with BOI happened to me twice this year
I’m not overly paid by any stretch and ok, the argument can be made that it’s only one more day to wait. However, if you’re standing at a checkout with a trolley full of groceries that you can’t pay for it is a pain in the arse. Most of us don’t run our current accounts with a surplus of 2-300 to cover these eventualities! Would be bloody nice if we could!
They obviously overcame whatever funding issue they had that required the withholding of mine and everyone else’s money for 30 or so hours. Traders margin payment due perhaps?
I think in fact, bank of ireland, all customers ‘should’ have been paid yesterday, but thanks.
What a fiasco. Hope the Dept of Finance considers this debacle next time they’re tendering for this payroll contract. This is NOT the first time this has happened.
Being paid a day late – what a life-altering tragedy that is so utterly deserving to be headline news. And those whingebags in Gaza think they have problems?
Not everything has to do with Gaza Damian. Not every news article is related to what’s going in the middle east
It should put things into perspective though Luke. The fact that this is headline news is utterly ridiculous – just my opinion and I respect yours and everyone’s.
I agree with you that this is meaningless and insignificance in comparison to what’s happening in Gaza. You respect me and i’ll respect you ;)
Nobody said it was a life-altering tragedy. Although it might be if the person who was meant to be prepping you for surgery this morning couldn’t get in on time because they had no money for petrol.
That happened a lot this morning I’d say.
@ damian mcevoy agreed the Gaza news is terrible and the loss of life awful however disruption has different levels for individuals and being paid a day late has consequences for different people assisted some one this morning as they had no money to pay for medication that was needed and the individual was so worried, people on minimum payments dont have the luxury of savings or money left in a drawer …i think we should always think before we are so flippant with our comments
Got mine ;)
If you are complaining about this you have a serious problem….
If an overpaid civil service employee averaging €900+ net weekly can’t deal with a 24hr delay in being paid that means you have used up all your paycheck, have no savings and have maxed out all your temporary lines of credit (overdrafts and credit cards).
Either you’re a whiner on the prowl for something ANYTHING in regard to the big bad banks to have a moan about or you’re failing to make adequate provisions for yourself in this world.
Provisions, yep. Make them all the time. I was referring to current accounts. Most people run them tight as they know day to day what they need. The rest normally goes into mortgage budget or savings accounts(if they can). I never suggested it would sink the ship, I did suggest that it was a pain in the arse! Your €900 comment sounds good but you know too well that it’s a far cry from that when the tax man is done with it! Be reasonable Bain
@ Andrew – I’m married to one of those Civil Servant Employees and I can assure you that she isn’t paid €900 an average per week. Do a bit of homework before making an ill informed, lazy comment. Yes there are Senior People being paid that amount but don’t lump all of them in as it’s an easy option. I work in the private sector and like a lot of people working in both sectors, still require both our wages to be paid ON TIME as our mortgage/car/child care and other payments/direct debits are due to be paid today. I know how hard she works and sacrifices she makes for a small fraction of that amount. Do a little research the next time you fell compelled to attack the public sector as a whole!
I do my research right here on the journal… As below average public sector paycheck €899.57 excuse my rounding.
http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/wage-sector-increase-ireland-q1-2014-1490203-May2014/
Brilliant – you’ve quoted the ‘average pay €899 in PUBLIC SERVICE’ line which includes Garda, Army, Teachers Ambulance/Fire, nursing/NCHD with in some of those cases overtime pay etc., but if you could go back and find the average pay for Clerical Officer Grade you would be very surprised at the figure you find. You see, everyone sees the Public Service as a inclusive group of overpaid and under worked people with gold plated Pensions and entitlements with no fear of losing their jobs despite poor performance during the dreaded collapse of our economy and yes they exist and are an awful legacy of the previous and to a certain extent, this government. You know, the girl/guy behind the glass at your bank branch, although an employee of the said bank, during the absolute carnage of 2007/2008, wasn’t in fact to blame or have any responsibility for what went on during that period – but they’re the ones to get it in the neck from the general public also. As I said about your initial comment – lazy!
BTW, I don’t work in the Banking Sector either!
And that total you quoted wasn’t for below average workers pay in the Public Service – read your own example!
It’s 30% above the private sector average and the nature of an ‘average’ is that it includes everyone from multi-million CEO down to minimum wage janitorial staff. I didn’t read your rant, I assume it’s just bitter diatribe that your other half is below average achievement in his/her field.
@ andrew telford are you for real??? really is this what you think? these are not the individual that have had to deal with this…..”..make adequate provisions” you really need to understand what is happening to families, people on treatment ,especially cancer treatments….comments like this really amaze me
@ mick stafford well said and well done for pointing this out , i have two children that are teachers one in a better position than the other ( one in adult ed) and i can tell you they are not on €900 per week or anything like it, one of my sons will not earn again until october and thats if there is hours for him or if the dept ed decides to bring him back before the 1st of november in which case still wont qualify for a contract again this year…..there are very few teachers on this €900 salary and andrew would do well do make sure his facts are correct before he comments
Andrew, firstly I was making a plausible point of fact and that you’re example was for AVERAGE PAY ACROSS ALL SECTORS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE and not Below average pay as you stated. Secondly, don’t think you can come on her and have a go. My wife hasn’t UNDERACHIEVED as you put it and I would be very happy to provide you with my telephone number so we could meet up and discuss this man to man! You see, little people like you think you can do or say what you like behind a keyboard! I didn’t make any part of my comments personal mate!
I literally have almost no idea what you are saying… From what I read you’re trying to make the argument that not achieving the average doesn’t make you below average. That and you clearly don’t understand the nature of what an average is.
But that’s irrelevant… Point is we all face challenges in life, to anyone else this less than a minor inconvenience/set back but apparently if you’re part of civil service and have had admittedly the same privileges granted as other professions over the years…but have never had to make concessions or had any taken away as the world has advanced. You have an emotional melt down at the thought of having to wait an extra few hours for your paycheck.
Feckin’ shower of bankers…!
What’s the big deal happened to our job 3 r 4 times with Bol over the last 3 years first world problem
It is indeed a first world problem, but this is the first world.
What about garth brooks …. Will he be paid …..
…Insisting they should be paid…
That’s like guaranteeing they might be paid. The measure of a company is how they perform when mistakes are made – BOI – you have failed spectacularly.
They “should” but will they ?
have your say