With the proliferation of technology tools, we need to think about both how we work and what could benefit us.\u00a0 Just because the tools exist doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s something that will help us.\u00a0 If you think about how many different ways there are for organizing papers, you can make a comparison \u2013 you can\u2019t use all the different tools for dealing with paper; you need to figure out what you need as well as what will help you.\u00a0 Then that is what you use and appreciate.\u00a0 Tools of technology are no different. As with all tools, the most important consideration is your own needs.<\/p>\n
Some people feel that they need to get the tech tools; they need to be up with the trends or not get lost with all the technology changes bombarding us.\u00a0 I can relate to that \u2013 I was debating about getting a smart phone.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure that it mattered to me \u2013 I have my iPad which serves me so well, yet I couldn\u2019t help but consider adding that skill set to my knowledge base.\u00a0 I\u2019ve known more than one person who felt that they \u201cshould\u201d use the technology.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s eliminate all \u201cshoulds\u201d for getting and using technology.\u00a0 Many people continue to function perfectly well without using any smart devices \u2013 I\u2019m working with someone who doesn\u2019t even own a computer, let alone a basic cell phone or anything else.\u00a0 If on the other hand, you have a need for one (or more) of these tech tools, that\u2019s not a \u201cshould.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s a foundation for getting it \u2013 to fill a need you have.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t about comparing yourself to your kids or your parents, or neighbors or coworkers, etc. nor is about following the trends of the latest thing (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc). It\u2019s about examining your personal needs and identifying a gap that these tools could meet.<\/p>\n
I absolutely adore my iPad and I don\u2019t think there will be a time that I will not find it extremely useful. \u00a0I use it for quite a number of things, having adapted to using it, and now both appreciate its benefits for me and how things have been simplified.\u00a0 Yet, just because it\u2019s a fabulous tool for me, doesn\u2019t mean that it is a good tool for anyone else.\u00a0 It seems that some people think that if the technology exists, everyone should use it.\u00a0 That\u2019s silly and potential wasteful \u2013 of your money, time, and energy.<\/p>\n
One of the potential challenges with all this technology is that there is a learning curve \u2013 the time it takes to both learn and adapt to how it works \u2013 and it continues to change.\u00a0 That isn\u2019t even addressing the huge number of apps available to help meet your needs \u2013 which also require learning and adapting to.\u00a0 And it might mean that you could use additional tools \u2013 I decided to add a stylus to my tool bag for a handwriting app.\u00a0 I\u2019d encourage you to make the most of the tools you choose to incorporate into your life \u2013 remember they are there to benefit your life.<\/p>\n
When technology is used to fulfill a need, it can make our lives easier and help us become more effective in life.\u00a0 I was recently talking to someone about options for using technology and the potential for eliminating the amount of papers.\u00a0 There is a way that she could only use technology; it would require learning a number of new programs and adding steps to her process.\u00a0 I commented that it sounded both too complicated for her and went against her inclinations.\u00a0 From there we moved into talking about some simple ways to use technology that could be relatively easy to implement and would additionally simplify parts of her process.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve found that thinking about these technology options specifically as \u201ctools\u201d it encourages me to think about their usefulness for me \u2013 just as I wouldn\u2019t buy a compound miter saw since I couldn\u2019t and wouldn\u2019t use it.\u00a0 Despite that this technology surrounds us, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that they are tools \u2013 something that\u2019s supposed to make our lives simpler.\u00a0 Yet only for those people who have a need for that tool.<\/p>\n
Is there a need that one of the technology tools would fulfill?\u00a0 This is the most important consideration before you jump in and get anything.\u00a0 Identifying your specific needs can then lead you to which particular tool will be most beneficial for you \u2013 since there are so many.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Technology tools abound in our society yet does that mean we need to get them? It might. Or it might not. It\u2019s important to figure out how it could help you before grabbing the latest thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[10,18,22,15],"class_list":["post-1358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology","tag-behavior","tag-goals","tag-productivity","tag-resources"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7p82c-lU","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1358"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1362,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1358\/revisions\/1362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jenniferlinnig.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}