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20 Ways Successful People Use Tech Differently Than Poor People

Shannon February 5, 2020

Modern technology has become so vital to our society that people from all walks of life are using smartphones and computers. But how does technology plays a role in someone’s success? We all use the same products in all walks of life. ResumeLab has done an in-depth study on how successful people utilize technology in their everyday lives. Everyone has a different interpretation of what “success” means. The survey asked participants to rank their personal satisfaction in different areas of life like their job, relationship, family, and finances in addition to ranking their own success.

So people who were “highly successful” both had society’s objective definition, as well as the participant’s subjective opinion that they had achieved a high level of success in their life. It turns out that “highly successful” people do, in fact, have completely different technology habits than someone who identifies as “unsuccessful” or “moderately successful.” Learning these tips just might help you have a better experience with technology and may even help you improve your own success.

Successful parents limit their child’s time on an iPad. Credit: Burst by Shopify

20. No iPad as a Babysitter

These days you’re likely to see parents pushing a stroller while their child is staring at a phone or an iPad. This is also a common tactic parents use when their kids are getting fussy during a road trip. This is rewarding bad behavior in your child. And instead of helping them cope with real life, you are teaching them to disconnect by staring at a screen.

Technology can help with education, but too much is unhealthy. Credit: Pixabay

Successful people like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs raised their kids in a technology-free household. Even though they both worked in the tech industry, they understood the importance of letting a kid be a kid. Giving children time with electronic devices should be used as a reward for good behavior like getting their chores done. Many parents also give their kids a time limit on the device.

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Successful people know not to send e-mails at night. Credit: Pixabay

19. No Emails Late at Night

In today’s world, we can’t completely unplug from technology, especially if we always have our cellphones by our side. Almost everyone has experienced receiving a work email late at night from a colleague. It can’t be helped if you work with people around the world, and you all live in multiple time zones. But if you both work and live in the same area, you should never send work-related emails in the evening. This comes off as blatant disrespect for someone’s personal time. Successful people are also more likely to ignore their co-workers when they receive an email at home.

Answering working e-mails on the weekend is a big no-no for successful people. Credit: Kaboom Pics

Common sense would tell you not to bother someone when they are trying to relax and enjoy their night. However, statistics have shown that usually, this level of showing respect for a colleague is more common among people who are highly successful. There isn’t a class in “bad tech habits”, so some people never realize they’re being obnoxious until someone points it out to them.

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Successful people clean their desktop on a daily basis. Credit: Kaboom Pics

18. They Clean Their Desktop

Successful people tend to keep their real-life spaces clean. When things are well-organized, it’s a lot easier to function in your everyday life. So it only makes sense that they would be in the habit of cleaning their digital computer desktop, as well. Successful people rarely have with multiple downloaded files and screenshots littering their desktop when they turn on their computers.

Successful people like to stay clean and organized. Credit: Kaboom Pics

According to ResumeLab, a total of 49.7% make it a habit to clean up the clutter on their desktop on a daily basis, in order to keep up with their digital files. An even bigger percentage of successful people clean it at least once a week. They realize that it’s far better to keep up with it immediately instead of running out of space later on and needing to devote hours to cleaning it.

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Successful people try to take regular social media breaks. Credit: Shutterstock

17. Social Media Breaks

Some people are glued to their phones for several hours a day. They look at photos of people who they haven’t talked to in years. Unsuccessful people care more about comparing themselves to others. To many of these people, the idea of deleting their Facebook or Instagram is not an option. They’re also afraid that if they’re not constantly posting, they will be forgotten.

Sometimes it’s best to delete social media for a while. Credit: Shutterstock

Highly successful people are less likely to spend a significant amount of time on social media. They might log in to check their notifications, but they are gone within a few minutes. Life is short and there’s no time to waste absorbed in other people’s lives. If you’re doing well, you’re less likely to compare yourself to others. And the moment that they realize they’re spending too much time online, they will take a break from looking at social media. Many people even go as far as to delete the apps off of their phones for a week or more. Sometimes, disconnecting is the only way to ground yourself in what is important.

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Are you excited every time you get a match? Credit: Shutterstock

16. They’re Less Likely to Use Dating Apps

According to the data gathered by Resume Lab, highly successful people were less likely to use dating apps than those who considered themselves to be unsuccessful. Marriage is linked to having a higher net worth, mainly because of the stability it can provide. Most successful people are already in a relationship and don’t use dating apps.

Sometimes, relationships work out better if you meet in person. Credit: Shutterstock

Another possibility is the fact that dating apps are not actually very good for meeting your soulmate. Sure, we all know at least one person who got married after meeting on one. But this is the minority compared to people who meet each other in real life. Apps only give you a very quick (and shallow) idea of who a person is. Successful people highly value their time and don’t go on dates unless the person has potential.

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Most successful people travel with their tech. Credit: Shutterstock

15. They Travel More With Their Tech

Successful people travel more for both work and pleasure. So they think about how well their technology will travel with them. Obviously, they can’t take a heavy desktop computer with themy. They care about having something lightweight like a Macbook Air or an iPad.

A laptop is easy to carry away with you. Credit: Kaboom Pics

Their phones are more likely to have airline apps and other features meant to help frequent travelers. In the United States, there’s a negative stigma associated with people who travel too often because people are afraid that traveling will interfere with their workflow. But studies have shown that people who travel are actually more productive because they stay on top of their duties leading up to their trip.

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Successful people tend to choose laptops over desktops. Credit: Burst by Shopify

14. They Use Laptops

Out of the survey participants, 83% of highly successful people owned a laptop, while only 57% owned a desktop. Obviously, this adds up to over 100%, so there was an overlap of people who owned both. As we mentioned earlier, successful people tend to travel more, so using a laptop is crucial for their productivity. You’re also more likely to see hard-working motivated people working on their laptop at a cafe or library.

Laptops are easier to take with you. Credit: Kaboom Pics

When asked what type of technology they prefer, successful people said they prefer Apple. So it’s most likely that they own a Macbook Pro or a Macbook Air. The great thing about Apple laptops is that they are such high-quality machines that you can own them for a minimum of five years. They also still work well when you buy them secondhand.

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How long do you stay in the virtual world? Credit: Pixabay

13. They Limit Video Game Time

Plenty of successful people play video games. The younger they are, the more likely you will find the majority of people play some type of game, even if it’s just casually gaming on their phone. Even Elon Musk plays video games and still manages to run Tesla full-time. But would a successful person really invest their time and money into gaming on a regular basis?

If you play over 20 hours per week, it’s too much. Credit: Pixabay

Brands of PC’s like Alienware are popular among hardcore gamers, and people spend more than the cost of a Macbook if it means getting the best graphics for their experience. According to research done by The U.S. Army Mental Health Assessment Team, if you spend under 21 hours per week playing video games, it’s considered a good way to relax. Any more than that, however, had seriously negative repercussions for your life and productivity.

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Some people use Apple Pay to buy things like pizza. Credit: Kaboom Pics

12. They Don’t Store Credit Card Info On Their Phone

When you are first setting up a new iPhone, you are asked if you want to connect your credit card information to Apple Pay. While some claim that it makes their life more convenient, it would seem as though successful people are still wary of trusting this technology. Only 28% of highly successful people keep their credit card information stored on their phones. They would much rather swipe their real credit and debit cards at the store.

Most successful people do not keep payment on their phones. Credit: Kaboom Pics

With so many data breaches happening all the time, it’s understandable why most successful people would be cautious. After all, the more money you have, the more you have to lose. Pro tip: If you want to be extra cautious, consider buying an aluminum wallet. Thieves can use scanners to get your digital information simply by holding a device close to your wallet or purse.

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There are a lot of social media options out there to choose from. Credit: Shutterstock

11. Not Relying On Social Media To Keep Up With Friends

Friendships are important for everyone to maintain if you want a happy, balanced life. No one wants to die alone with piles of money like Ebenezer Scrooge. So when we say successful people don’t keep up with their friends, we mean that they’re not obsessing over social media. Millionaires are actually more likely to call their friends on the phone to have a one-on-one conversation instead of trying to glean that information off of Instagram.

Some people are obsessed with getting “likes”. Credit: Shutterstock

On average, highly successful people only spend 28 minutes per day on social media. Facebook and Instagram were the top platforms to keep up with friends. Less successful people, on the other hand, spent at least an hour more wasting time on social media. They might be more likely to hold a lot of value in how many “likes” their photos get as a form of validation, while successful people feel satisfied with their real-life accomplishments. Not sure how much you spend on your social media? You can access the settings on Instagram and Facebook to see the average time you spend on apps per day.

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Yelpers sometimes feel self-important, and threaten to leave negative reviews. Credit: South Park

10. They’re Not Yelpers

During their survey, ResumeLab asked both successful and unsuccessful people what they spend their time doing online. They gave everyone a huge list of options and then tallied up what some of the most common things that people do on the Internet. It turns out that one of the top responses among low-income people is that 7% of them write reviews online, while less than 1% of highly successful people ever bother to do it. If you have seen South Park, this is reminiscent of the dreaded “Yelpers” who spend their time writing angry critiques of restaurants on Yelp. Basically, they want to feel powerful, but they’re not.

Professional Yelpers take advantage of free food. Credit: South Park

While it’s true that influencers get free meals and products from writing reviews, it takes years of working without pay before you can attain any kind of status. People who write reviews with no financial incentives typically have too much time on their hands. And, honestly, they must not have anything better to do.

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Most successful people check their finances daily. Credit: Kaboom Pics

9. They Use Apps to Manage Their Finances

According to a survey by The Ladders, 36% of Americans claim to check their bank account balance daily on their phones and computers. You can bet your bottom dollar that highly successful people are among that 36%. Most banks will have their own online banking app, so you should be able to check your balance with the touch of a button.

Paying bills online makes life more convenient. Credit: Shutterstock

There are also plenty of finance apps out there like Mint, Acorns, and Every Dollar. These apps help you track your spending so that you can figure out exactly where your money is going. It can also help you make a budget. If you have certain financial goals, they help you plan for it going forward in the future.

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Many successful people use fitness apps to help them keep in shape. Credit: Shutterstock

8. They Use Fitness Apps

Successful people often care about much more than the health of their wallet. They want to live longer and be as fit as humanly possible. Many of them are in the habit of waking up early to run or get to the gym for an hour before they get to work. Studies have proven that three out of every four wealthy people get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day.

Tech can help improve the workout experienced. Credit: Shutterstock

Fitness apps help you keep track of your calories, nutrients, water intake, and workout time. This is especially useful if you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle through weight training. MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, and Apple Health were the top 3 fitness apps mentioned in the ResumeLab study.

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Food delivery services like Uber Eats make life more convenient. Credit: Shutterstock

7. They Use Food Delivery Services

Highly successful people are typically very busy. Even taking the extra 20 minutes to pick up food or cooking a meal could be too much for them to handle. So they use apps like Uber Eats, Postmates, and Grubhub. Statistically speaking, highly successful people are more likely to download these apps compared to unsuccessful people.

If you’re too busy to cook, takeout is a godsend. Credit: Kaboom Pics

In this case, these delivery fees are typically $5, and you usually need to order a minimum of $20 in food. So this can be an expensive habit to get into. Low-income people simply can’t afford to overspend on food.

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Successful people know how to walk away from the Internet. Credit: Kaboom Pics

6. Many Take Extended Internet Breaks

Sometimes, spending too much time on the Internet can be unhealthy. Extended amounts of time spent on social media has also been linked to increased depression. And if you need to be online for work, you’re connected all the time.

It’s okay to put your phone and computer down for a while. Credit: Kaboom Pics

Being online can be a lot of fun. But if you want to have a healthy work-life balance, it’s best to have times where you take a break from technology. This could start out slow, like having a rule that no one can check their phone during dinner time. Or take one day on a weekend to take a walk in nature without your phone.

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Sometimes, the news can be terribly depressing. Credit: Kaboom Pics

5. They Don’t Obsess Over News

There is a fine line between staying informed and obsessing over current events. According to the survey taken by ResumeLab, poor people tended to spend more time per day online reading the news and are less happy as a result. Unfortunately, news stations purposely show terrible news and leave out the good things happening in the world. They are looking for a shock value because it keeps their ratings high. With modern technology, the news is all around us at any waking moment. You no longer need to tune in to the news at 9 pm to see it, because it’s all over our home pages, phones, and social media.

If you spend too much time absorbed in the news online, it can be unhealthy. Credit: Kaboom Pics

Successful people claimed that they don’t go out of their way to spend a significant amount of time reading the daily news. It’s possible to get the highlights from the most important news by scrolling through Twitter. Any more than that can be upsetting if it becomes a continuous part of your daily life.

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Apple products are more popular than Android. Credit: Shutterstock

4. They Choose Apple Over Android

There is an ongoing debate with Apple vs. Android. The major difference is that Android smartphones are typically more affordable than a new iPhone. While Android phones can be great, it can sometimes be frustrating when certain apps are only available on iOS. Apple also allows you to sync your products together, which can help increase your productivity.

Successful people tend to prefer iOS over Android. Credit: Kaboom Pics

So it shouldn’t be too surprising to hear that highly successful people usually gravitate towards iPhones. Nearly 50% of them owned an iPhone, while the rest listed various types of devices. For the past few years, Apple watches and Air Pods were on everyone’s holiday wish list, so you might assume that rich people all ran out to buy them. But it turns out that only 17.2% of successful people reported having Apple watches, and 15% owned Air Pods.

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Successful people love to watch YouTube. Credit: Shutterstock

3. They Watch a Lot of YouTube

According to the study by ResumeLabs, one of the websites viewed most frequently by successful people is YouTube. Anyone with a Smart TV can also access YouTube through an app, so it feels very similar to any other streaming service. Netflix has over 150 million subscribers, which is nearly half of all Americans. In comparison, YouTube has 5 billion views around the world every single day.

YouTube has all kinds of content. Credit: Shutterstock

YouTube is also home to content that would never exist on a mainstream platform. Nearly any question can be answered simply by searching for it. Whether it’s an instructional video on how to build something, product reviews, or educational content, YouTube is filled with information that helps improve your life. The other streaming services typically have fictional television series, sports, or reality TV. That type of content doesn’t necessarily help your life or help solve a problem.

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Many people will work both in notebooks and online. Credit: Kaboom Pics

2. Teamworking Apps

Many successful people who work in an office need to use teamwork apps like Trello, Slack, and Dropbox to connect with their co-workers. They are amazing for getting everyone on the same page for team assignments. On average, highly successful people spend an average of 30 minutes a day on Slack.

There are several teamwork apps that help get your job done. Credit: Kaboom Pics

Another interesting fact about teamwork apps is that successful women are more likely to gravitate towards using Microsoft Office, while successful men are more likely to use G-Suite. The benefit to using G-Suite is that you can share word documents and spreadsheets with your co-workers. It also saves automatically, so there’s no danger of forgetting to save and losing your work, as well as picking up where you left off on another device.

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Podcasts can be a great way to learn new things. Credit: Kaboom Pics

1. Podcasts

Podcasts are an amazing resource for educational information, comedy, and amazing stories. They are essentially listening to a really great conversation between two interesting people. There are podcasts for every subject imaginable, so there should be one for nearly every interest imaginable. Normally, a podcast is one to two hours long.

Many people listen to podcasts while working. Credit: Kaboom Pics

According to statistics, 53% of highly successful people listen to at least one podcast per day. Many people listen to them on their commute to work. They are also great to listen to when you’re cooking, cleaning, or doing anything that is typically just empty time getting things done. By listening to podcasts, you can multitask and use your mind while your body is doing something else.

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