Two Things That You Need to Keep Up With Tech
People sometimes ask me how to “keep up” with the changing technology. This has become more relevant lately, given the rapid momentum of GenAI, but it seems to be a question many people have.
So, here are the two principles you can use if you want to stay abreast. My one caveat is that there is a tremendous amount of pressure to stay current. I think it will be important for all of us to take stock of how technology is rapidly changing and decide how it will fit into our lives, but I’m also against putting pressure on people to “keep up.'
That’s just a little remnant from my days as a Microsoft consultant, where I saw the negative effect that all of the rapid tech changes (and mountain of tech choices) had on educators. It’s only gotten worse.
Anyway, here’s what I tell people who ask:
Principle #1: Be curious and start with the goal in mind.
Every time I see a new piece of software, I wonder how it can make my life better or more optimized. It doesn’t matter how shiny it is, or how many influencers are using it. If I can’t pinpoint an exact need for it in my life, I don’t spend my time on it.
If I come up with a potential use case, I’ll try out a demo or trial of the product. If it’s too convoluted or I spend more than an appropriate amount of time on it before it starts to show promise, I’ll move on. This is most apps.
This process eventually yields a small number of life-changing apps (Omnifocus, Readwise, and Obsidian, to name a few). It ends up worth it.
Principle #2: You can’t break anything.
People always tell me “I’m afraid I’ll mess something up. I’m so tech-illiterate!”
With most of the apps you’ll use these days, you can’t mess anything up. There is always an undo feature, a rollback, or a way to recover your work. It’s not like the old days when if your hard drive crashed, you were left without any option.
So, push tech to its limits. Start with the end in mind. Find ways to optimize so that you have the mental and creative energy to change the world.