It is terrific to learn to love all your technology can do so you do not have to reinvent the wheel. I am a big believer in the power of technology, that is no secret. I enjoy my gadgets. As a busy woman with a lot of things to do both personally and professionally each day, I need to find ways to get more done in less time and to be efficient in how I allocate and spend my time. I am fortunate that I can use technology to help me in my efforts to work smarter instead of merely working harder.
I talk to people all the time about how they “do it all.” By that I mean we talk about how you get done all our personal and professional to do items.
I have heard all kinds of methods:
- one friend keeps notebooks where she writes down all her plans and then re-writes them each day so they are on a new sheet of paper
- one friend keeps lots of little post it notes all over, she does fine until a post it notes falls of the wall or her computer or gets left behind when she leaves the house
- another friend keeps a paper which she carries everywhere until she leaves it in a cab or locked in the office over the weekend
These friends all amaze me. They are smart women who own smart phones that they refuse to use for the smart purpose of keeping their lives organized. Although these ladies have their systems, and complain about how inefficient they are and that they need to do something better. These ladies are similar to many people in that they want to be organized but cannot find it in their hearts to use an organizing system created by some technology geek somewhere. Instead they want to invent something new and exciting with notebooks, sticky paper and staples. They are re-inventing the wheel and I do not know why.
What if instead of trying to reinvent the wheel these ladies embraced the year 2013 and began using the technology they are already carting around to make their lives easier? What if they started being smart with their smart phones, laptops and computers? It is nice to hold onto tradition and to stick to tried and true methods. However, there comes a time in each life when you must admit that a new thing has come along that is better at doing a task than your old method. There comes a time in each life when one must realize that she must not reinvent the wheel, but instead she should embrace technology and use someone else’s invention to make her life better. So the question for you this terrific day is, are you re-inventing the wheel instead of using existing technology to make your life better?
I can tell you this isn’t limited to your lady friends, my guy friends are the same way. “They should make something that…” Uh, friend – your smartphone does that… Embrace technology!
Figure out what you are afraid of and start using a method, no excuses, just use the system.
I’ve been writing on sticky notes …. and then typing them into my calendar app :/ I also purchased a daily planner earlier this year but still haven’t used it :/ :/ lol I don’t know what is wrong with me
This post is all about me and Evernote. It is everything that I need, but I keep pushing off using it. That’s crazy. I’m going to start using it consistently. THanks for the push!
You are right about fear! It is crippling. There comes a time when we have to suck it up and keep moving even though we are afraid.
I think most people don’t want to change because they are afraid. Afraid they won’t be able to understand it. Afraid they won’t be able to keep up with it when it changes. Afraid it may malfunction or break leaving them in a lurch, just plain afraid. They come from the school that says, I will deal with the devil I know that the one I don’t. Fear is the culprit because these are smart women. I know for me several years ago, my life cried out for a personal organizer and I just would not change because of fear. When I finally made the leap to a Blackberry, that was all she wrote. You can’t stop me now!!!