For those of you who think writing is easy, think again…
It’s not, especially when you write as many articles as I have. You forget what you’ve written, what topics you’ve covered, when you wrote them and so things tend to get repetitive.
Guilty as charged.
Just this week I started writing four new posts, but then realized I had written similar articles in the past, so I shoved them aside and started writing this post (hence why I’m a little behind schedule).
To break from the norm, I thought about talking tech and getting the most out of it.
My smartphone (iPhone) has allowed me to get so much more done. No more wasted time at the doctor’s office, no more wondering, wandering around looking for a restaurant my friend has been telling me about, no more scraps of paper with ideas scribbled on, no more wondering if I could get something cheaper on Amazon.
Personally, I recommend the iPhone over Android for its ease of use, but I realize that if you’re looking for bigger screens then Android is the way to go. To each his own.
What I do think is that many people who refuse to join the natural evolution of cell phones are missing out.
The smartphone changes how we live life.
That sounds a little much, but it is not just a communication tool, but a personal encyclopedia, game consul, data tracker and business tool all rolled into one.
So assuming you have a smart phone, let me offer up some tips. (and for those without one, let me try and convince you why it’s worth investing in one)
The main thing is productivity.
We all have friends who seem to make tardiness an art. They just can’t seem to get anywhere on time.
Me, I’m the type of person who likes to get there early. I figure that when people tell me to meet them somewhere at a certain time I assume that it’s for a reason so I try my best not to be late.
Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like this.
It used to bug me to no end when people would show up 40 minutes late and just say “Sorry” when I had been standing out in the cold for ages.These days the first thing I do after about five minutes is shoot an email over to the person I’m supposed to meet to find out what’s going on.
Thankfully, most people write back quickly and let me know where they are.
Now I used to pop into a store nearby and read a magazine or look around at the gadgets they had but today I just whip out my iPhone and do any number of things:
- Make a list of things I need to do for the following day (using NOTES or EVERNOTE allows you to share information with your computer and visa versa…super useful)
- Listen to an audio book / lecture (NO music)
- Catch up on a TV show I’d been meaning to watch (not too much)
- Check the weather for tomorrow (to better plan my day)
- Send emails out to people I’d been meaning to (business or pleasure)
- Fill in our calendar (and set alarms)
- Catching up on FB and LinkedIn (networking heaven)
- Tweet something profound (to keep in touch with your followers)
A few minutes here, a few minutes there and you’d be amazed at how much you can get done.
The thing is we are busier than ever before, but you’d be surprised how many small blocks of 10 minutes or so you have. On the way to lunch, after lunch, during lunch, on the train, in the car, even in the shower (be sure you have a waterproof case).
Ten minutes might not be much, but here’s the thing, 10 minutes here and there does add up.
Imagine if you set aside just three such blocks of time each day, that would be 150 minutes a week (not including weekends) to your better future.
Now a word to the wise, don’t play games. Time is precious which is why I set aside an entire chapter in iSucceed to it.
You can either use your smartphone to design your future, or defeat the evil pigs on Angry Birds, the choice is yours.
Adrian Shepherd