Technology cannot make you better, but you can.
We all know the definition of productivity, all anchoring around “getting shit done”. There are countless blogs and posts about effective habits and how to be more productive and they often highlight an app to do just that. I have tried just about every app and trick listed on countless blogs on how to be productive utilizing technology. Yet I have come to the declaration that technology does not make you better.
Technology is a crafty beast that seduces even the most focused person into reading, posting and sharing the most random content from the depths of their front pages. Between Facebook, Reddit, Feedly and all the other data aggregate websites available, we get lost in the information overload and then we realize it’s been 3 hours of reading, sharing, posting and exploring. While I am a huge proponent of aimless internet surfing (I always end up with an insane amount of tabs open) but when facing a task that needs to be completed, I often find myself stuck with endless data but no solution.
Technology Won’t make you better…that’s your job.
Just as you wouldn’t use a crescent wrench to drill a hole, decide what technology to use to solve a specific problem. The simple truth is that technology is a tool that can make tasks more efficient but it cannot make you better, but you can. How do you become better you ask? It all begins with setting attainable goals, developing a plan to meet those goals and reassessing as you move forward to ensure our plans are meeting the expected outcome.
As a Technologist, I consistently seek out articles about technology and how it impacts our everyday lives and I was fooled into thinking, this new app, device or service can make me better. Over time I’ve come to the realization that technology can’t simply make you “better”, there is more to that statement, “Better at what?”. What specifically was I expecting this technology to make me better at? Which drove me to reevaluate my technology choices and what I expected from it.
Fast Company has an amazing article highlighting 9 simple tips you can use to be productive, I’ve recapped them below:
1. Use A Timer (or Cell phone)
A lot a reasonable amount of time to complete online or offline tasks. There are plenty of Tech Apps focused around Time Management or Timing for repeatable tasks. Focus Booster is a great example.
2. Block Distracting Websites
This is a great tip, choose to avoid distracting websites to maintain your productivity but you could also use browser extensions, they’re readily available and can block distracting websites for a set amount of time. This is a very strong method of blocking notably distracting websites. (For Mac check out Self Control, and for PC try Cold Turkey)
3. Focus on 3 tasks at a time
Focusing on 3 items at a time can prevent an sensation of being overwhelmed. I prefer to keep a notebook with my tasks for the day, but there are many many apps that help with task management (Wunderlist and Remember The Milk just to name a few).
4. Productive Procrastination
If you are a creative professional myself, we thrive off of creative procrastination. Allowing your brain time to tackle a problem while you take a run, walk the dog, pick up your dry cleaning — still being productive but this allows your brain time to ponder the problem and once you return, you might be surprised with the amount of clarity is achieved.
5. Set a specific time to check and answer emails.
This is truly a great idea and it helps me to focus on the task at hand. If you have a list of three items to accomplish, focusing on answering every email as soon as it arrives can become a distraction from the days goals.
6. Create a Wall Calendar of Repetition
Creating a visual (often physical) reminder of a sequence of successfully completed tasks can assist in developing new habits.
7. Set a mini reward system for tedious tasks.
Revel in small victories, If you have 500 emails a day to review and respond to, once you complete the task for the day, reward yourself with your favorite treat, be it cake or celery. Do small things to honor your commitment and decision to persevere.
8. Get your Most important task finished first thing in the morning.
Out of the three items and try to focus on completing that task as early as possible. There is a substantial feeling of accomplishment when a task is completed early in the morning, How does that adage go “The early bird catches the worm”. We all have worms to catch, so do it as early as you can.
9. Know Thyself
Focus on your own patterns and use them to your advantage. For me, I feel most productive at 6am, I still do not know why, but if there is a particularly difficult task I will choose to do it at 6am as I know I have roughly an hour and a half of pure focusing power.
“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.”
-Thomas J. Watson
Once I realized the amount of time I spend aimlessly online reviewing content online, I often ask myself, “What could I have accomplished either online or offline?” I have since begun the process of streamlining myself to only the technology that aligns with my goals, I have learned that Reddit is not for me — as I am too easily distracted, I have begun to use Clearly (by Evernote) to make reading articles easier and I stay away from Buzzfeed when focused on being productive in achieving my personal and career oriented goals.
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”
–Pablo Picasso
We have the power to achieve the goals that we set out for ourselves and Technology and innovation serve as tools that allow us to meet those goals. Ask yourself the next time you reach for any piece of technology “What is my goal, and how will this make me better”, the results will give you a better grasp on how technology is an amazing tool of productivity if used correctly.
