This post is presented by Dashlane.
It’s safe to say that most of us could do with a little less screen time. In our daily lives, it’s easy to lose track of the cumulative staring that takes place. That’s a particular problem when we’re traveling — after all, the more time spent on your phone, the less time spent in the moment.
Plenty of apps and tools will tracking, and help you reduce, screen time. But one simple life hack few consider is using a password manager.
Time adds up
The tricky thing about screen time is that so much of it adds up at the margins. A momentary glance here, a second spent typing there. Eventually, hours accrue, and you lose time you never even noticed spending.
Entering, retrieving and changing passwords can consume tons of time. However, it doesn’t have to. Here’s where a password manager comes in. For us, it’s Dashlane, the official password manager of Cult of Mac.
Once Dashlane is installed on your device, you can log into any site or service automatically. All you ever have to do is remember a single master password. Imagine all the time you’ve spent typing or retyping a password, or going through the process of receiving and following a password-reset link. That can add up to hours of needless time spent squinting and tapping at the screen — especially if you’re avoiding the single stupidest mistake you can make when it comes to passwords. By setting up a password manager, you can cut out all that time — not to mention making your accounts more secure in the process.
Bonus: The passwords Dashlane comes up with (and seamlessly keeps track of) are a lot more secure than any you’d think up (and be able to remember) on your own.
Less screen, more security
If you want to minimize the time you spend using your device or worrying about security, a password manager like Dashlane satisfies both desires. Even better, in the case of Dashlane, premium users get a VPN service. That means anonymous browsing activity, and access to geo-restriced sites and services when traveling.
You don’t need to pay to use Dashlane, though. It’s available for free on one device. For syncing across devices, a Dashlane subscription comes out to about $5 a month (billed annually at $59.99 a year). Considering the flexibility the service offers, that’s definitely what we’d suggest.
Whatever you want to pay, reducing screen time and adding a meaningful layer of security are worth doing. It might not have occurred to you, but using a password manager is a great way to go about it.
Price: Free, with premium subscription options
Download from Dashlane: Get a free 30-day trial of Dashlane Premium
