Surface Ripples

Doing Without (All My) Tech

I recently tried an experiment: I went for a 2 ½-day trip for a family wedding and didn’t take my iPad or laptop. I took only my iPhone and my Kindle e-reader.

 The goal was to see how much I had come to rely on (or worse still, addicted to) having at least a tablet computer as well as my iPhone 24/7.

The result? I noticed that, on a leisure trip, I still found myself reaching for my iPad to read emails and social media even though I could read them on my iPhone. The smaller screen meant I took longer to read emails or posts.

I decided to take only iPhone and e-reader as my plans were to spend most of the trip with family and friends, not working. Given that I arrived at the wedding destination on Thursday evening and left early Sunday morning, I felt that I could manage without “full tech”. If I really needed to answer an “urgent” email, I could do so at a pinch. Of course, typing on a smart phone soft keyboard is nowhere near the same as on a laptop keyboard or a full-size desktop keyboard. Big deal. I managed. I used voice recognition as much as I could.

Was I able to manage? Just. I knew that, within 2 1/2 days, I would return to my tablet and laptop with all that lovely screen real estate! The main revelation to me was that I had just become so used to (or in need of) larger screens as I advance in years.  What I also noticed, though, was that because I was using a smaller screen, I started engaging less with tech and paying more attention to people and my surroundings.

We’re all so addicted to our technology that we now can’t imagine life without it. Think of the panic we feel when we can’t find our smartphone. As a matter of principle and efficiency, I always back up my iPhone to my laptop, and I’m considering biting the proverbial bullet and spending money on iCloud storage for the same purpose. This will mean that, at least, should I lose my iPhone or decide to purchase a new one, I can simply restore all data to the new machine from my iCloud backup and not have to rely on plugging it into my desktop or laptop.

As business leaders, we need to look at how reliant we are on technology. At what point could it become a liability?  There’s no question that it generally makes us more effective and efficient. The downside is that we become so reliant on it that, in the event of a disaster, without backups of everything stored in our computers, our business could be ruined overnight. This is what hackers target. They know they can bring a business down simply by hijacking its data or removing it and storing it in another storage area. The only way for that business to recover its data is to pay a ransom to the cyber kidnappers.  Who needs to download a virus or malware nowadays (unless it’s to extract the data for ransom)?

I’m not advocating that we return to the days of pen and paper, although I know plenty of people who still like paper copies of emails, contracts and other documents as opposed to storing them online or in the cloud. The point of cloud storage is that it provides us with what should be unbreakable, secure file storage, freeing up office space of r more productive uses.

How do you mix and match your technology with “old-fashioned” pen, and paper? Do you have offsite backups? Do you have a plan in place in the event that you lose your data from your main place of work? As hacking methods become more common, these will be more necessary in the future.

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website  provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. 

Labels: Productivity, Strategy

posted by William Martin @ 19:05