In this series we are looking at different ways to manage our time or to "Make the Most of Each Minute".
Invest in Technology
Technology has an incredible potential for helping you make the most of your time. It wasn’t that long ago that getting information took weeks because you had to call a company or write a letter and then wait for it to arrive in the mail. Now you can get most common information online quickly and easily.
The downside of technology is that people generally are really bad at
figuring out what saves them time and what costs them time. I think
BlackBerrys are good examples of this. Many of the people who use
them, think they are getting more done because they are busier, but in
truth they are typing away on a small keyboard messages that take 2 to
3 times as long to compose than they would at their desktop computer.
I’m not against BlackBerrys. They can be great productivity
tools–especially when you are doing a lot of traveling, but they can
also waste a lot of time if you aren’t careful how you use them.
Another common problem with technology is the learning curve. People
tend to under-estimate how long it will take to really learn how to use
a new piece of technology. The typewriter was a great technological
achievement over handwriting, but it was really only helpful to people
who put the time into learning how to type. Think about how long it
took you to learn to type at 60 wpm. It was a serious investment of
time. When you get a new cell phone, navigation system, laptop, etc.
you need to expect to really invest time in learning how to use it.
You don’t necessarily need to learn how to use every single feature,
but you should at least read through the manual so you know the
capabilities that are possible.
Not everything has a good technological solution. For example: PDAs are great, but they don’t
surpass a notebook for everything. Don’t use technology that slows you
down just for the sake of using technology. Use technology to save
time.
I agree. I see too many people with PDA’s or blackberries while they have no use for it.
My friend has a PDA as well, and although the internet connection is needed sometimes, the time needed to look something up surpasses the time needed to ask the question by phone due to the small keyboard, slow connection and the pda’s screen resolution (few sites look decent).
Totally agree. On the time wasting side, I’ve had to go back to a paper notebook for certain tasks during my day. The reason is so I don’t get distracted and therefore non-productive while working on my computer.
In corporate America BlackBerries and PDAs are sometimes more of a status symbol. If you are issued one of these it shows that you are important. As a result, you have a bunch of people running around with electronic devices who don’t really have a clue how to best use them, but they use them to show how important they are.
The newest and latest technology is always a pleasure to have; and I have my share of them too. However, it is a fact that when you write something down, it uses both sides of your brain and you are better able to remember it. Technology offers speed and alarms to set reminders but the brain God gave us surpasses anything that will ever be invented. Understand how it works and then find out what technology can best use the tool we have been given.
I’ve studied a lot about this lately and learned this is scientifically correct. Writing something out increases your memory of it better than if you type it or just click a button to enter it on a PDA. our advances in technology are not all make the best use of the intel God gave each of us. Even schools don’t do this anymore. I think we’re missing the boat in many ways. Connie