The Simple Tech Tweaks that will Transform Your Career.
“With the convenience and accessibility of tech tools, people often utilize them for entertainment, socializing, or simply finding quick information to satisfy immediate needs. However, it is important to recognize the balance between using these tools for leisure and utilizing them as powerful resources for personal and professional growth.”
Reality is showing us that ‘we can’t live without tech’ is no longer a bold claim but a simple fact. Technology affects all aspects of our lives, especially how we work and pursue our careers. Think about how easy it is now to work for anyone from anywhere, learn a new skill, take a fully accredited course online, and discover novel development opportunities that lead to new career possibilities.
However, technology can also cause a deteriorating career if not intentionally utilized for career growth and development. Particularly, excessive use of tech tools such as scrolling through social media or playing addictive games can increase stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, leading to negative effects on mental health.
That being so, it is crucial to use technology mindfully. I will share three tips from my experience on using technology to boost your career.
1. Use tech to enhance your efficiency and productivity.
You can ‘up’ your productivity game in several ways, and I am not even talking about the advanced and sophisticated things, such as using software to automate repetitive tasks or create workflows and seamlessly manage projects. Although you should try it out too.
I am talking about simple things, such as
A. Using tech to optimize your time: Time is the bark-borne of productivity. Use it well, and you will appreciate every minute. Misuse it, and you always wonder where the days, weeks, and months go. And so time management, which is the conscious effort of allocating time to specific activities in a way that maximizes productivity and minimizes wasted time, is key and something tech can help you practice. Some tools and techniques used to manage time more effectively include Calendar and Scheduling Tools, To-do lists, Time blocking, and Time Tracking Apps. Plenty of material online explains how these tools and more work.
For example, the simplest of these would be the ability to use your phone to manage social media and your overall gadget usage. The biggest obstacle to productivity in our time is our mobile phones and all that comes with them. There are time-limiting functionalities that can help one avoid the risks of spending a lot of time on a mobile phone or specific applications. A practice such as limiting your Whatsapp time with minutes/hours that you have consciously thought about being okay will save you from being a victim of addictive scrolling. Once your blocker comes up informing you that you have reached your time limit, you will have to make a conscious decision to stay or respect your choice and stop and move to do something more productive. I advise you to practice following your own rules; it grows your character.
Time management is crucial for career growth as it helps individuals effectively allocate and utilize their time to accomplish tasks, achieve goals, and enhance productivity.
B. Use tech tools to be more organized. This involves using things such as storing your files, making notes, and documenting processes that you will need to repeat. I am a huge advocate for you not having to memorize things you can note down. Then the mind can be used for more fun things :-)
C. Finally, rather than wasting a lot of time on social media, you can utilize online forums to connect with industry professionals who will push you to do more.
Confession: I recently learned that the more I scroll through LinkedIn and see the great things my peers do, the more I get inspired. I also get ideas on how to grow and enhance my portfolio and build a strong professional network.
Moving on, use these forums to identify and interface with mentors; remember, these platforms have a lot of career advice (sometimes unsolicited and some even misleading, so be ready to consume it carefully), but here, you can meet potential employers and even land your next job opportunity.
2. Use tech to advance and learn new skills.
It’s not news that technology gives us access to vast information and learning resources. On the Web, you can access online learning platforms of all types; with millions of courses, you can access research papers and best practices and avail yourself of industry trends. E-learning has broken the barriers of physical classroom studying, and online certifications are becoming increasingly popular and globally recognized. With lifelong learning being the norm now, you can leverage tech tools to stay competitive in your field.
Search engines such as Google Search have revolutionized how we access information, making the potential for knowledge acquisition virtually limitless. With any word phrase, statement, or query, you can find answers to almost any question, discover facts, explore different perspectives, and delve into various topics of interest. This might look simple; however, there is a tendency to use tools such as search engines or chatbots like Chat GPT for social activities (casual and recreational use) rather than for benefiting one’s career growth and continuous learning. With the convenience and accessibility of these tech tools, people often utilize them for entertainment, socializing, or simply finding quick information to satisfy immediate needs. It is essential to recognize the balance between using these tools for leisure and utilizing them as powerful resources for personal and professional growth. By consciously directing your usage towards career-related research, learning, and skill development, you can harness the full potential of these tools to enhance your knowledge and advance your professional goals.
Next is the possibility of remote work that exposes you to global standards of work and diverse teams. It is incredible how tech has allowed us this exposure and made it possible to pursue career opportunities that might not be available in our locality. Tech, complimented by COVID-19, has broken geographical barriers, creating a global job market and expanding career prospects. So, if you have not, run and start searching and applying for jobs online.
3. Utilize tech to showcase your skills and foster your side hustle.
Rather than spending time on social looking at what others are doing, what if you used social media to showcase what you can do? Tech, via social media, has made it possible for every one of us to be a marketer, and who else to market if not yourself? For example, you can share valuable and engaging content that reflects your expertise, interests, and personality. You can also build your network by following, liking, commenting, and sharing content from other experts or potential clients in your field. Rather than using social media for entertainment, use it to promote yourself. Besides, that is precisely what the people entertaining you are doing.
Furthermore, thanks to technology, side hustles no longer have to be only physical business you physically run after your 8 to 5 office job. Now, you can consult from anywhere after your work hours. Think of what you are already doing, and you can provide the same skill promptly to another organization or individual or even try out a hobby professionally. But even then, you can get leads online for physical side hustles.
These are just a few of the possibilities that tech has made possible; honestly, the sky is the limit. Whether you embrace these as a young professional or not, the world gets more and more competitive thanks to these possibilities that tech has created, and imagine the people you have to compete with in the job world are doing these practices. So be one of them that will stand out and appropriately utilize tech. Remember, tech also has the potential to damage you, so decide before it’s decided for you.
I hope you practice one or two or all of these ways and see what difference it makes in your life.
I have often wished someone had given me timely advice as I joined the professional world. Unfortunately, I did not get it, but I do not want others in my network to face the same challenge. I am eager to share my insights and tips with anyone who might benefit from them.
I hope you enjoy this one!
