Friday, May 13, 2011

Organizing Technology

Sometimes our technology, meant to make life easier, actually provides more cause for stress. (For example, I still can't find a Bluetooth headset I bought and it really irks me!) How many times have you misplaced a cord for your cell phone? Forgot to charge your laptop? Misplaced an earpiece? Relied on technology to work only to have it act up out of your control? Here are a few tips to keep technology from getting the best of you.

Store cords and accessories such as earphones in one place. Have a pouch or other container for all charging cords and ear phones. Carry this pouch with you if tend to mobile-compute or travel frequently.

Get duplicates. I find it helpful to have a charging dock at both my home office and my job workspace so I can charge my phone in either place. It was worth the extra cost to have the cord readily available. You may want to purchase an additional cord to keep in your car or business case.

Reconsider what technology you use. Ask yourself if this piece of equipment is really essential to carry around all day. Do you make use of all the apps on your phone or are you better off with a simple cell phone and basic texting plan? Sometimes we get intrigued by what a smart phone or laptop can offer but get overwhelmed by all the choices. Keep productivity apps to only a few that you will use regularly.

Don't eliminate writing. It's perfectly fine to carry a small notebook and not force yourself to use technology all the time just because it is "popular" to do so. Do what works easiest for you.

Store your technology in no more than three places. Like tip one above, get into the habit of only having three places in your home or office where you would choose keep your phone or laptop. Pick a corner of your desk, a nightstand, or if portable, a waistband pouch. When you slim down the number of places you habitually put something, it's easier to look for the item.

I'm into technology like a lot of people, but I have also found it to be one of the regular sources of frustration. Let technology work FOR you, not against you.
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