Use the Force, Luke…or…Technophobes United?

Colleen MacLeod commented in “In Something Even Better Than Microsoft Briefcase?” that:

Gosh, I feel so technologically challenged. I need to get organized, but I can’t seem to get a handle on using technology to do it.

My answer at that time was:

Technology is supposed to help you, not overwhelm you. First things first. What’s your most pressing organizational problem? Find a technological solution for that (there’s usually one around), and go from there.

This post is the longer answer I promised at the time, and it’s not just directed toward Colleen.

Because I seem to be an über techno-user geek (and gadgets and applications really do make my heart pitter-patter), I run across of a lot people who either blanche or look at me sideways and mutter something about not having time. And it’s not just people of my mum’s generation who do it. Even my husband, bless him, who has had a Blackberry Curve for over two years, has still yet to install the desktop software, and didn’t know he had Documents to Go pre-installed…and got belligerent when I asked him if he knew what Documents to Go really was, so I didn’t push it any further.

It could be that people don’t have time to learn how to use the technology they have, or even have time to acquire the technology in the first place (which is ironic when you realize that if you spend the time to learn this stuff it saves you oodles of time in the long run, but still…). Some people actively resist technology, and these people are, I suspect, the ones that have learned, somewhere in the past, that they’re somehow technology klutzes or something. They had an early experience where they couldn’t work a cellphone, or a remote and, perhaps, a more advanced user nearby sniggered, and that was it — the die was cast. They’ve approached every other piece of technology ever since with trepidation and fear, and because of their mindset, naturally screwed up, and further convinced themselves that they and technology were bad bedmates. And so the technophobia set in further.

Which is a pity.

If you’re just time pressured, of an older generation that thinks technology belongs to the young, a genuine technophobe, or just a technoklutz, there’s hope.

First off:

Technology really is supposed to help you. You’re not supposed to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by it. Certainly, you’re not supposed to feel challenged or guilty because you’re not using it!

So relax and take a deep breath. If you’re at a point in life right now where you’re getting through your day quite happily using a Day-Timer and a notebook, more power to you. Stick with it, and don’t be guilted into screwing up a system that works for you because some smart mouthed Aussie on a blog says you should be using the latest Portable Apps and a PDA.

In fact, although I haven’t said anything yet, I’ve been quietly working on an Anchored Authors version of the classic Day-Timer series that authors can download and print out for their Day-Timer folders. Once I’ve tweaked it to my satisfaction, I’ll upload it for everyone to access.

I am a geek and anal to the nth degree, but I’m not gung-ho on technology for the sake of technology. I use it because it helps, and only because it helps. I’ve discarded plenty of programs, applications and hardware that don’t provide any real assistance. I’ve also dropped back to paper when the technology doesn’t cut it.

For some people, paper works best. If you truly think you’re one of them, then stick with paper. But don’t just declare yourself a paper person because it’s easier than pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, because technology really can make your life so much easier.

Second:

Technology, used right, really can be of enormous help.

It was first invented to rid humans of the pain-in-the-ass repetitious chores that needed to be done over and over. Word processing is the first obvious one that was replaced. Just think of all that repetitive typing we no longer need to do! Switchboard operators were soon to go.

Think back to all the dull, mind-numbing jobs people used to do that aren’t done by people any more, and you can see where technology is changing our lives. Counting money. Rotary dialing. Long lines at the bank on Friday night. Carrying wads of cash at all.

Put it on a more personal level:

Hand balancing your cheque book.
Writing out your to-do list every day.
Keeping your calendar up to date by hand.
Scribbling in a notebook at lunchtime, and having to transcribe those notes when you get home.
Getting a call from your agent one morning. “Quick, quick, I had a call from Random House, they want the full MS of your Dog Day Afternoon, but with the heroine changed to ‘Cindy’ instead of ‘Sandy’!” and you having to say, “Sure, I’ll change it tonight and mail it to you tomorrow…..” when, with the help of technology, you mighthave said: “Give me five minutes and I’ll email you the PDF….”

Yeah, I’m laying it on a bit thick and heavy to make a point. The publishing world is embracing the net, and the readers are already pretty much hanging out there permanently. The readers get nearly all their information about the books they want to read there, even if they don’t actually buy the books there (yet). And in the next few years, there’ll be a slow but steady shift from bricks & mortar store book-buying over to internet bookstore-buying as Amazon’s Kindle, and Barnes&Noble’s Fictionwise eReader make it too much of a bother for readers to surf the book store on their Kindle/handheld then go into a book store to buy the book. They’ll surf & buy on the handheld, and bricks & mortar stores will swiftly decline as the number of handheld readers climb.

So even if you eschew technology for your own organizational purposes, for the sake of your career, you may have to grasp the nettle anyway.

Embracing Technology…one step at a time

So where to you start?

As a writer, I’m assuming you’ve already got a computer at home on which to write your manuscripts. If you haven’t, that’s your first priority. Everything springs from there. Put that at the top of your list. Make it a desktop – you get more bang for your bucks, and powerful desktop computers are ridiculously cheap these days. From personal experience, I advise you to get as much computer as you can afford at the time. It’s worth it. And also get as big a screen as you can afford. You’ll spend a lot of time staring at it.

While you’re there, spend money on a legitimate and up to date version of Microsoft Office. You’ll also get your money’s worth out of this. (See Microsoft Outlook for Writers — 7 Tailored Uses.)

For now, that’s probably as big a step as you should take. Spend some time getting used to it. There’s a lot of doodads and do-hickeys on that thing. Set it up to suit you and your work arrangements.

If you’ve already got the computer, the next step for anchored authors is one of two things:

Taking it with you

Start where it hurts most

Taking It With You

If you’re already relatively organized and feel like you’re on top of your day, then move on to figuring out how to “take it with you.” This is some version of carrying the electronic files and details of your writing career with you to your day job and elsewhere as you move through your day, so that you can work on it in the fringes and margins and small wedges that open up, plus the planned slices that you have scheduled. It also allows you to respond to opportunities appropriately — such as your agent’s frantic call for a full manuscript at a moment’s notice – and if you think these things don’t happen often in the slow moving publishing world, you’re wrong.

The range and variety of ways of “taking it with you” are beyond the scope of this post. There’s PDA, hand-held’s, USB-sticks, and an endless and ever-changing list of applications to go with them, and every combination of them, too. On this blog, I talk about staying mobile a lot, so just combing through the archives will give you a sense of some of the pros and cons of the different versions.

Here’s my current arrangement:

Blackberry Storm for email and Outlook information, web surfing, and reading. It has Documents to Go on it, and I’m in the process of acquiring a folding universal keyboard for it, so it will become a useful device for writing on the go.
32Gb USB stick with Portable Apps + SyncToy for manuscripts and file handling between computers.

Start Where it Hurts Most

This is a natural evolution process very similar to the way technology itself developed.

However, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your own disorganization, then it’s possible that technology will let you down if you expect it to do everything including feed the cats. As I tried to explain, above, technology is very good at doing the repetitive, monotonous stuff, but where thought and anticipation is required, you — the brain — will actually need to step in and steer occasionally.

So if you don’t expect technology to do more than it can do, and set it up properly in the first place, it performs brilliantly, reliably, and you can walk away and let it get on with its job.

So…where does your life hurt most? Where does your disorganization cause you the most frustration and bother? At what point in the day do you want to stamp your foot and do a Scarlett O’Hara? Where are the tear-the-hair-out moments?

Think about that for a moment.

Here’s another question. Is there any tasks, chores, or routines in your life that you keep finding yourself doing over and over again?

There are probably technological applications and/or hardware available that will solve the issues you are having, or that could do the tasks that you keep doing.

You’ll have to do some research to find out what technology you need. The first time will be the hardest, but slowly, knowing what technology is out there to do the job for you will become easier.

It’s possible you already own the software that could do it, and that you merely need to tweak or tailor it to do the job for you (always look to already-owned software first!)

This is how you use technology to help organize your life. You identify a point where it hurts, and how technology might help fix it. If there’s a solution, you adopt it, and move onto the next point of pain.

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Please note: I said “you use technology to help organize your life.” Technology is an aid, not a panacea. If you’re disorganized because you can’t get yourself out of bed in the morning, you can acquire more computer chips than Bill Gates, but you’re still going to be a slob who won’t get out of bed in the morning.

Grabbing for technology and hoping it’ll give you a dose of self-discipline won’t work. Well, it’ll work for about five days. Then you’ll be back to hugging your pillow. I speak from experience. I know what does work, but you won’t like the answer, so I’ll save that for another post, when you’re feeling more peppy and upbeat. ;)

First appeared on Anchored Authors in April/May, 2009

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