Today, technology is one of the most important tools at your disposal to increase your productivity dramatically. But just as technology can improve your productivity, it can also kill it.
Think of technology like a hammer: you can use it to drive a nail or hit your fingers. It all depends on how good you are at managing the tools.
It’s the same with all modern electronics, apps, and appliances. If you (know-how) manage technology, your productivity level increases. If technology manages you and you respond to every notification or email, or you’re not willing to spend time mastering new technologies, your productivity is reduced.
In this blog post, we delve into the concept of technology to improve productivity in your personal and professional life with lots of practical examples. The ability to use technology effectively is ultimately beneficial to both individuals and businesses.
Technology and productivity in business / Technology as an organizational productivity killer
Almost all modern companies are technology companies in one way or another. An organization uses technology to support a variety of activities, including innovation, product management, marketing, sales, customer service, operations, and more.
Being on top of new technology trends like Cloud, AI, IoT, VR, etc. is imperative today.
The most important competitive advantage of any company is its people and teams, which include its technical and digital capabilities. Technical skills are becoming the most important hard skills in addition to domain industry skills and soft skills.
In organizations, productivity can be affected in two main ways:
- Work is poorly organized and instead of working to create value for customers, employees waste time on the Internet or do activities of little value. To avoid this, learn how to become a highly organized manager.
- Employees suffer from low-tech skills due to a lack of training, and as a result, they are slow and confused when using different software solutions.
Technology as an organizational productivity booster
Technology can be one of the biggest productivity boosters for any organization. Of course, it’s not easy to stay on top of all technology trends, but almost every organization needs to stay competitive.
This also means continued investments in new hardware and software as well as in the technical competencies of management and employees.
If used correctly, technology can be one of the biggest drivers of innovation, productivity, and progress in any organization. Here are some illustrations of how:
Example 1: A company can purchase online courses for all its employees and reserve some learning time each month, thereby ensuring that employee efficiency remains sharp.
Example 2: Management efficiency can be significantly improved by using software for various business functions such as Sales (CRM), Finance (ERP), Operations (PM), etc. Including delegation, collaboration, information flow, data integration Is. and so on.
Example 3: With the use of cloud time and attendance and project time recording tools, advanced HR analytics are available to properly manage the workforce and optimize processes such as absence management, staff planning, and payroll processing.
Example 4: An organization with data-driven marketing can use digital analytics to measure the success (conversion) of various digital marketing initiatives.
Example 5: Remote work tools such as online conferencing, online collaboration, chat, and more can be used to provide a more modern and flexible workspace.
And there are hundreds of other cases that show how technology can improve individual and organizational productivity. Technology is like fire; You can cook with this or you can get burned. Make sure you use technology properly in your business.
Technology and productivity in your personal life / Technology as a personal productivity killer
Let’s start with some concrete examples of how technology can kill your productivity:
Example 1: As we all do, you probably love your laptop, tablet, phone, and even your smartwatch and smart TV. But when you have all these cute devices constantly calling and sending you notifications, they distract you from doing really deep work or building deep connections with people.
Example 2: With a single click, you have access to all the knowledge that humans have accumulated, but you use all your cute devices to browse funny cat pictures or daily news on several different web portals.
Example 3: You have a slow computer, full of malware and disorganized folders, and it takes you a decade to find the right file to work with. not good.
Example 4: You spend time with the one you love; They’re telling you something important, but you’re constantly checking social media on your phone, afraid you’ll miss something. It may not seem like it, but the other person feels rejected and ignored. This is how technology can kill your relationships.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. If you don’t let yourself react to every stimulus sent by electronic devices and take a proactive approach to it, technology can be a great productivity enhancer. Let’s take a look at some examples of the bright side of technology.
Technology as a personal productivity enhancer
Here are some scenarios where the use of technology improves productivity:
Example 1: You decide to listen to audiobooks during your travels and your car becomes a university on wheels.
Example 2: You delete all social networks from your phone and install applications to read and watch various online courses. You turn your cell phone into an educational device and maybe even install a new productivity app to help you get better organized.
Example 3: You learn new software that enables you to get your work done faster or provide even more value to your customers. You can learn to code, design, or record videos. With each new skill you acquire, your productivity skyrockets and so do your chances of success.
Example 4: Instead of checking up on “acquaintances” on social networks for hours upon hours, you spend a limited amount of time on them, solely for the purpose of connecting with people from all over the world who you cannot meet in person. You also add different announcement channels, such as personal chat, messaging, video calling, etc., to make your current interpersonal relationships even stronger. And when you’re spending time with someone you care about, you make sure the phone doesn’t interrupt the conversation.
Example 5: You track your freelance work with a project time tracking tool such as My Hours. In this way, you ensure that you use your time wisely and maximize your billable hours.
If you follow the advice in the above cases, the quality of your relationships will improve dramatically and your productivity will also increase, which requires a proactive approach to time and technology management.