Yes, it’s a real problem.
It makes us waste and saves a lot of time. What am I talking about?
Technology.
I know how it feels to waste 2 to 3 hours a day on email.
Author Rolf Dobelli estimates that the cost of an email is equivalent to the price of a letter.
Why?
The increase of spam, the irrelevance of most emails, the fact that it’s easy push everyone to write more. But in the end, you, the receiver, still have to decide what to do with each email, archive, delete or answer it…
Or when you spend several hours polishing a presentation on PowerPoint. The software offers so many options that you get lost in the formatting until you forget the main message. In the corporate, we talk about “death by PowerPoint.”
Photo by Jason Strull on Unsplash
But is it really the technology that hinders our productivity?
In itself, it’s often positive.
A chess player who starts today can play against an opponent of his level at any time. He then has access to a virtual coach who helps him analyze his game and suggests exercises to improve. A few years ago, he would have had to find a club, if he was lucky not too far from his home, find a coach, spend hours building tactical exercises on his schedule…
The complexity of today’s business and our lives force us to have notes everywhere. How to take, organize and find them quickly. Note-taking software is an incredible help.
You can’t stop progress and you certainly shouldn’t, but you can more easily change your habits and make the best of technological tools. And I have a secret that has helped me a lot and that I will share with you 🙂
How to use the tools to reach your goals faster?
Most tools you use should support your thinking, not distract it. When you find them, change only if you have no other choice. The transition and the learning required has a high cost in time and sometimes money.
Let’s say you have to prepare your next important presentation for your new boss. The stakes are high.
My recommendation is to open “Powerpoint” as late as possible.
Powerpoint is a great program. It has so many options that you will never use its full potential. But is it necessary? No
The most important thing is your content and your story. How you arrange it in PowerPoint is the least of your worries. And even if you only master 10% of PowerPoint (like me), your presentation will be 10 times more powerful if your message is clear.
How do I know that?
In 20 years of corporate life, I’ve been promoted 8 times. And at least twice, a presentation made the difference.
The secret?
I use upstream tools that support my thinking. In this case, it’s a note-taking tool and mind-mapping software.
The process :
- I block off a focus time slot (90 min). I make sure that nobody (not even my phone) can distract me.
- I throw all my ideas into the mind-mapping software.
- I organize the structure of the presentation.
- I look for ideas, stories to illustrate my points in the note-taking software.
- I modify/adapt until the flow suits me.
- And only then (often in another blocked time slot) I create the few slides that will support my message.
You can use this type of procedure for any work that implies creativity, thinking, structure, and replace the tools with the one that works best for you.
Where to start?
You can also take advantage of this approach.
- List your tools.
- Select those that support your thinking.
- Use them more often and longer. Spend more time on substance and less on the form.
- Change them only if you have no other options. The time and cost of change are an additional distraction.
Conclusion.
Good marketers have an incredible ability to create new needs for us.
Thinking requires a lot of concentration. A state that our brain tries to escape by searching for distractions (Social networks, PowerPoint format, New software to test).
To implement a new habit, you don’t need the latest application. A cross on a calendar or a simple excel spreadsheet will do, but you need to think about why you want to implement this new habit, how you will do it, the difficulties you will encounter, and how you will work around them…
Prioritize time of reflection and the tools that support it and realize your most exciting dreams.
Related articles:
My productivity system: 5 habits and 5 tools
We Don’t Lack Ideas, We Lack Execution. How Did Tope Awotana Launch Calendly?
How to improve your productivity and creativity with mind mapping?
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