Effective Tech: Let's Get Personal
As we wrap up our series on effective tech, I’d like to pause a moment to look backward on what we’ve discussed and look forward towards what’s next. To a large degree, taking that adjustment time to integrate tech successfully into our workflow is what makes it effective.
Now that you’ve laid a strong organizational foundation, collected the data you need for your tech to run smoothly, and allowed yourself the space to patiently onboard the new tech program or application like you would a new employee, you should be in a place where technical tools relieve you of stress in your work life. These tools give you the space to focus on higher level thinking and filling your own inspiration well and source so that you perform at the highest level.
We’ve laid out a concrete plan to integrate tech that will help us achieve our goals. Notice how a significant portion of this roadmaps is dedicated to planning. I’m a huge advocate of this. As I see it: more planning, less action. Or better yet, a failure to plan is a plan to fail. A better planned strategy will require less work upon implementation. So the additional planning time ultimately saves time and energy when the plan is ready for execution.
This is something I’m working on personally as I look towards the future. I’ve got a good few decades of work before I’m headed to retirement, but I can’t sustain 25 years of running at top speed. I’m looking for ways to streamline. Work smarter, not harder. Achieve more without burning out. When devoting time to planning, I’m also looking at ways to pause intentionally and break down large tasks into smaller, more achievable ones.
It can be really difficult for me to work on a big project and be stuck in the weeds for weeks on end. It can feel like I’ll be there forever and there’s no end in sight. One way I combat this mentally, is to break down a large project into small, miniscule, and daily tasks. I use tech tools, like Asana (for example) to break down my tasks and see if I’m on track to achieve that large goal, even if it’s a lot of small steps away. How do we eat an elephant? One bite at a time y’all. (PSA: Do not eat an elephant. You know better.)
Another thing I’m working on is asking for help. And being specific in my requests. It’s one thing to say, “I’m overwhelmed, help me!” It’s another thing to say, “My plate’s pretty full this week, could you meet for lunch Thursday and catch me up on those three meetings I couldn’t make?” Humans can be pretty helpful when we want to be, but it’s easier for your colleagues (or even your tech!) to assist you if you’re clear about what you need.
And finally, I’m giving myself space to be less critical. I hold myself to a pretty impossibly high standard most days (shocking, I know) and life is long if I’m lucky. I don’t want to spend all my energy giving myself a hard time for the things I “should have done”. Instead, I’ll take another breath, check off one small piece of a large puzzle, and remember that tomorrow’s another day.
What are your goals for the next few months? How are you going to integrate technology into your work life in new ways to help boost your efficiency and productivity? We’ve learned that ultimately, it’s not the technology, but the principles of organization that help you reach your goals. Effective tech depends on you -- not the tech itself. Take time to plan, organize your thoughts, discipline yourself, categorize your time and use technology to assist in accomplishing your goals. You’ve got this.
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As we wrap up our series on effective tech, I’d like to pause a moment to look backward on what we’ve discussed and look forward towards what’s next. To a large degree, taking that adjustment time to integrate tech successfully into our workflow is what makes it effective.