We live in a time of unparalleled busyness — and every minute of the day is important to us. The good news is, technology is keeping pace with that trend, and it’s empowering us to make the most of the ways in which we work and play

Read on for our roundup of some the best technology ideas we’ve seen in recent months and years — all of them innovative tools that put minutes and hours back into our days.

1. No more sitting in traffic like a caveman

Thanks to the rise of the Global Positioning System — GPS, to anyone without a PhD — and its ability to work on our mobile devices, we don’t have to fumble around with cumbersome maps or awkwardly ask for directions at a gas station. But now there’s been yet another development in travel tech that helps us get where we’re going in a timely manner. With Waze, drivers share real-time traffic delays — accidents, traffic jams, police locations and more — so that you can successfully avoid them. Praise technology! How did we ever survive without it? Read more…