Catalyst

Posts Tagged ‘computer’

Twenty-five years ago, computers turned my world upside down. The possibilities for easier, more efficient work were endless. Spreadsheets crunched numbers. Desktop publishers (as they were called) made preparing newsletters and flyers a snap (and fun). Word processors allowed words to flow and let me change on a fly. One of my great joys was writing a macro that would compress as many keystrokes into one as possible.

I keep a task list on an IPhone synced to the web so it is available on a laptop, a business center computer, or my desktop. I’m very efficient.

Then why, when you go to my desk, do you find a paper time log? It’s all about the purpose.

While some professions use time logging to determine billable hours for various clients, my use is more mundane–to find out I use my time. I could use a spreadsheet where categories are color-coded and a macro could produce an automated report. It would be easy, efficient . . . and irrelevant.

In my church, our elders want to see a monthly report. It helps them see my work better. It’s an accountability tool.

For that process, I use paper. A few times a day, I take a paper week-at-a-glance planner, enter what I did in the appropriate time block, and repeat as needed. It’s done with a cheap ink pen on paper. On the first day of the month I take a legal pad, write down all the things I did in various categories and then transfer the information to a pre-designed report in my word processor.

Why not let a computer do that? It’s because of what I would lose. They key to using time logs effectively is not the historical archiving of dozens of daily tasks. It’s reflecting on what’s happening in your life.

If I let the computer do the work, I get a pretty report that won’t change my thinking. I need the mental processing, the seeing of tasks, the “ouch” of bad time use.

Imagine the learning lost if I did not have to confront questions such as:

•    Where did I use my time? Was it on important things or did I squander it?
•    What did I neglect?
•    What needs to be eliminated or delegated?
•    What time-wasters grab me by my mental lapels and demand attention?

Einstein observed, “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.” When you take reflection out of life, you learn nothing.

I still use my computer for so many things. But I don’t want it to do my thinking for me.

Are you reflecting on your time? What does it tell you about your life?

Technology is a great tool for losing things!

You keep everything on your flash drive–but which one? (I have four of them.)

You want to work on a presentation for an important meeting. Which computer is it on? Which flash drive?

You arrive at a place you are to speak. You have a powerpoint presentation, but the flash drive you brought is the wrong one? What now?

These scenarios are both realistic and scary. We multiply data and files and just hope we can find it. Over the years, I have learned (the hard way) that you need to have everything at your fingertips. To do that you need tools for fingertip access.

Notes

Everyone keeps up with the bits and pieces of life. It may be a grocery list, websites you want to visit, or some notes on a phone call. The problem with notes is they are easy to make and even easier to lose. As I have said many times, “I wrote it down but forgot.

I manage several wireless networks in my church. Each one has a name and some kind of encryption password. I also have a few websites I manage, each with its own log-in credentials.

I’ve used stand-alone programs but the limitation of computer-dependent is the brick wall. I discovered a website called evernote.com. Evernote lets you clip information from the web or enter data from a keyboard. I have computer shortcuts, essential information, logins, passwords, etc. I can access it from any computer with an internet connection as well as my smartphone. (I use an Apple IPhone and, yes, there’s an app for that!) I always have access to important pieces of information.

Evernote is free at evernote.com

Files

Back in the old days of Windows, something called the “briefcase” existed in which files could be synced to a floppy disk. Unfortunately, you always had to have that disk.

When I’m sitting at a coffee shop with a wireless connection and want to work on a file, what do I do? How do I know that file is the same version in my office as well as my home.

Recently, I discovered Dropbox.com. Once you have set up a free online account, you download Dropbox. Dropbox installs a folder called My Dropbox in your My Documents. When a filed is saved to that folder, it is synced online, and to other computers you have setup with Dropbox. (Currently, I have Dropbox on my work computer, my laptop, and my home computer. You must download and install on each computer.)

With Dropbox, you can work on a file wherever you are it stays up-to-date. (I am writing this post on my office computer, will edit it on my laptop, and post from my home.) Even if you are working at a hotel’s business center, your Dropbox content can be used via the Dropbox website.

Dropbox is free and is platform agnostic (available for PC, Mac, and Linux).

Online Storage

It’s always a good idea to have some form of backup storage off-site. Two that work well are Box.net and Mozy. Both have both space for free or for a monthly fee you can get more storage.

I use Box.net to backup files I might need or that I don’t want to lose to a hard drive crash, or even a fire. I have used it to backup files from my wife’s office computer. (Tech support has told her it is a matter of time before her hard drive bites the dust.)

One other thing…

All systems need two key elements–redundancy and simplicity. For instance, I may have a presentation on a flash drive, but before I leave for a trip, I email it to myself as an attachment. That way I can always get it back. Simplicity is settling on a system. Too many (which means more than one) jumps the odds of data loss.

When you need something, don’t wonder where it is. Make sure it is at your fingertips.

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter experience both a growth in numbers and influence in American society. These electronic tools allow us to stay in touch, learn of others lives, and expose ourselves and others to different ideas.

But the phenomenon is not without risk. As Michael Hyatt has written, “we live in a transparent world.” What you say online is not private. Even if a few   read it, they can forwarded in the blink of an eye to thousands.

It’s a mixed bag. Recently, I was following the sad story of a woman missing who was found murdered by her husband. The compassion of people writing on their Facebook page touched me in special ways.

Sadly, many people approach social media with an adolescent attitude. In the physical world, a ticked-off teenager can yell at his parent, go into his room, and slam the door. The problem is confined within the walls of a home where the tension can be discussed and resolved.  Yet, in the cloud environment, the same temper tantrum brings terrible consequences to relationships. As with many things, it’s hard to put the genie back in the bottle.

If you use social media, you are standing in a public place and speaking in a voice loud enough for others to hear. That means you have to use social media responsibly.  What does that include?

Learn new things. On Twitter and Facebook, I follow astronauts, authors, journalists, and web designers. From each I get new insights into areas in which I have little expeience. I am indebted to them from things I learn everyday.

Contribute to the lives of others. Since social media uses “friend” as a key component, remember the meaning does not change just because you use a keyboard. Friendship contributes to the betterment of both in the relationship. Keep up your part.

Be positive, not negative. If you need to talk to someone face-to-face, do it. Don’t use a post or an email as a dodge for difficult conversations. Posts should inform, encourage, and even entertain.

Evaluate your friends and following lists. Just because you clicked on a button doesn’t make someone your friend. If you are not growing from the relationship, stop following. Remember, those on the other side should make the same evaluate of you..

Don’t use social media as your personal journal. There is a place for getting things off your chest. Put it in a journal or diary where no one can read it. You get the therapeutic value of the release without the collateral damage to others who are the  target or your hurt or pique.

Realize that social media is a megaphone in a crowded mall. Everyone who reads it can forward it, and consider it. If you would not say it aloud in a crowd, don’t put it on your social site. It’s one thing to express an opinion and but its another thing to commit character assassination.

I enjoy Twitter and Facebook. I’ve learned so much. But the oath of Hippocrates should govern: in your healing do no harm.