Getting better at what’s now vs what’s next

I find myself fascinated by new ways of doing things. Sometimes more than actually doing things. And that’s both a flaw and a strength, as many strong characteristics are.

In this case, I’m sitting here writing on an iPad Pro, with little Apple Keyboard. I’ve also switched over from Moleskines to Apple Pencil and FiftyThree’s Paper app (I export most things to Evernote for storage, where it’s Optical Character Recognition means it’s all pretty searchable still.)

And so, sometimes I start to think about why. Why is this important to me? In ways, how is it justifiable to take these kinds of gambles while working on projects for other people – instead of cracking on with a MacBook, where you will never hit some of the frustrating cul-de-sacs that exist with new ways of operating.

It strikes me that the answer has similar routes to why we are trying to do things differently with Augur instead of just working for another agency.

In both cases, I’m most interested in being one of the first to get good at how things should be done next, instead of how things are done now. In my mind, the sooner you start to spend your energy overcoming the first hurdles of the next paradigm, the sooner you hit that plateau of productivity.

There is such a thing as too early. Previous iPad experiment fizzled (perhaps this one will too, but the accessories and iOS updates have made an enormous difference.)

I also think you only earn this opportunity to try and get good at “the next thing” if you have managed to reach a solid foundation on the current thing. If you make the bid for rocket science while you’re still learning to walk, it serves no-one.

Here, I can’t help but think of the young marketers emerging today who think being able to run a few Twitter accounts is a great and innovative skillset. It’s interesting how a rooting in traditional disciplines and experience of marketing is becoming a sign in my eyes of the truly promising candidates. Anyone my age or younger can pick up the basics of social now – but the discipline of what *doesn’t* change in marketing is much rarer.

That’s also a suitable bridge for the experience of working on iPad Pro vs MacBook. What doesn’t change: the importance of focus. The power of actually getting things done and moving along over email and admin. Quick, clear communication.

For me, the iPad setup now brings a lot of those to the fore and trims away a lot of the cruft that actually obstructed it.

And that’s something I can only see because I’ve taken the leap and gone all in here. I hope Augur can achieve the same for its team and clients over the coming years.