For my birthday, David got me an Apple watch.

Up until a couple of weeks before that, I hadn’t given them a second thought. Actually, if I thought about them at all it might have been along the lines of, “those are silly.” But then I saw someone at work wearing one, and it looked nice. So I did some research, and decided it would be a neat thing to have.

I’ve only had it for a couple of weeks so I’m sure I’m not even using it to its full potential, but so far, it’s pretty great. I wanted to share the reasons I love it so far, in case you’re interested!

I’m LESS connected to my phone.

This was the number one reason I decided to ask for the Apple watch. If you don’t know, it is basically an extension of your phone. You would think that having it on your wrist would make you even more attached, but I find the opposite to be true. You know how when you get a text, you open your phone to read it and then ten minutes later you realize you’re still scrolling Instagram? Well, now when I get a text I can glance at my watch to see what it is without being tempted by all the other apps. I can respond to it on the watch (with a quick text reply or emoji that I can choose, or with an audio that can also dictate to text), or I can dismiss it.

Also, I like to be able to set my phone down in the house and not have to worry about missing an important call or text. Or when I’m out doing errands, I can just leave it in my purse instead of holding it or keeping it in my back pocket (which is a terrible idea anyway because it almost falls out of there every time I go to the bathroom).

A lot of apps ARE accessible on the watch, but they have more limited function so I don’t spend time on them there. For example, I like to get Instagram notifications so I can see what my favorite people post right away, and I can like their photos, but commenting is harder and you can only see the last five or so photos in your feed.

Helpful information at a glance

There are a lot of different choices for the watch face, but I like the modular one pictured above which gives me extra info. Besides the time and date, I love just looking at it to see what the weather is like, and a quick tap gives the forecast. I never gave much thought to the exact time of sunrise and sunset before, but I’m finding it surprisingly helpful! Especially when we are planning our evening, I know just how much time we have to go for a walk or to the park before it will get dark.

You can also choose which apps to have show up when you swipe the home screen. So far other than the standard info, I have my to-do list and calendar connected. Plus, the Commit app gives me a notification on my watch at the time I specify (it’s what I’m using to track my daily tasks like taking vitamins). So handy and helpful.

Reminders to move

The Apple watch has a pretty cool activity app. Although I still wear my Fitbit Flex (mostly because I have to for work to get discounted insurance, and I like the social aspect) it doesn’t give me any reminders (although they do have some models that do). The Apple watch activity app gives you three goals: to stand once an hour for 12 hours, to get 30 minutes of exercise (which includes walking), and to hit your calorie burn goal (you choose the difficulty). It gives you gentle reminders when you’ve been sitting for too long, or when you’re close to hitting a goal. It also has a heart rate monitor that is really accurate: I compared it while using an oxygen saturation monitor at work and they were within 1-2 beats.

So, while the Apple watch is definitely a luxury, it’s one that I’m glad I have. I recommend it as a gift idea, or if you have a mobile plan that lets you pay in installments with no interest. (We have T-Mobile and chose this option; it’s only $14 a month.) It’s so fun and convenient.

Let me know what you think, or if you have any questions!