Just how busy are Australians lately? So busy, in fact, that a 2018 survey done by InterContinental Hotel & Resorts yielded this finding: 32% of Australians consider themselves too preoccupied to think of rest, relaxation, or taking a short holiday.
While that statistic seems worrisome, it does represent the reality we now live in. As the pace of life gets faster, everyday concerns tend to stack up. Alongside regular work schedules, people busy themselves with commuting, driving in traffic, elbowing through big crowds in public places, and lining up for hours for an appointment or two.
Luckily, there are more than a few ways to catch up. There’s a whole network of personal services that Australians can use to their advantage. Tapping into such modernised personal services can help ease logistical burdens, save both time and money, and get users to enjoy what technology is capable of.
If you’re part of this demographic of busy Australians, then you’re likely thinking about where to start. To get you going, here’s a list of personal services to explore, what forms they take, and how you could stand to benefit from them.
Online banking. One innovation that’s won the thankfulness of consumers is digitised banking. It’s now incredibly easy to download mobile apps from particular banks, link a mobile account to your personal account, and complete a variety of transactions even outside of office hours. Moreover, your banks can likely assure you of safety and security while you transact. Minimise your queuing time by patronising your bank’s online app.
Transport. The transport sector has been at the forefront of the ‘10s tech boom. People now refer to an ‘Uberisation’ of culture, after the phenomenal success of the Silicon Valley-based ride sharing service. There are now several alternatives to Uber that are available to Australians; what each have in common is a quick way to get in transit and a breather from the ordeal of driving and parking your own vehicle.
After-hours medical assistance. Another sector that has broadened due to the busy lifestyle of Australians is the health sector. For one, a number of clinics have begun to operate after office hours to adjust to long and irregular work shifts. For another, it is easy to get in contact with an after-hours home doctor if one cannot afford to leave their house to get medical care. This vital accommodation in healthcare services matters very much to parents, as well as those who are busy taking care of elderly relatives.
Food and grocery delivery services. Though food delivery services are technically nothing new, this sector always strives to improve upon the speed, convenience, and quality it can afford its customers. There’s a big chance that your favourite pizza parlour or Chinese restaurant has its own app or has signed up to advertise on a big food delivery marketplace. Better yet, there might be a delivery service for groceries that is already operational in your area. These services ensure that delicious food, fresh produce, and everyday household items are all a call, a click, or a tap away.
Shopping services. Australians also have the option to avoid packed malls or shopping centres by shopping online. They can opt to go to the business’s virtual storefront or browse through various brand offerings on an e-commerce site. Either way, shopping online for clothes, gadgets, and other items is a means to circumvent headache-inducing crowds in shops, snailing lines to the cashier, and long queues to withdraw cash at the ATM.
Virtual assistance. Staffed businesses and individual clients alike now benefit from reasonably-priced virtual assistance services. Virtual assistants can be contracted on freelancing platforms or from reputable outsourced agencies. The tasks a virtual assistant can cover the range from booking appointments to customer service management, to lead generation, and even to social media management. Suffice to say, virtual assistance helps close up a lot of productivity gaps and can help to expand businesses clear the work without spending too much on their overhead.
Travel and accommodation booking apps. Travel is now more accessible than ever to the average Australian, and lots more have taken to the sky for either business or leisure. If travel plans are keeping you busy, then you can take some sweat off by subscribing to the airline, hotel, or hospitality marketplace services. Being on these services may increase your likelihood of netting the most efficient travel plans, saving the most money, and spending the least amount of time worrying about it.
There’s no guarantee that life will get any slower in the next decade. But it is of great comfort to know that, for all the hard work you put in, there’s a support system in place to help you do even better—all while retaining your health, finances, and relationships with those around you.