Arghh! I’ve just had a frustrating few days being hampered by technology!! Does this ever happen to you?
Sure, I resist learning new technology…I’m of a, ahem, “certain age” where it doesn’t seem that much fun to learn about new platforms, apps, or ways of doing things. Heck, if I’m honest, I NEVER really liked to learn new technology.
I resisted moving from my Blackberry to an iPhone. I have a newer MacBook, but I really like using my 2013 model. I don’t WANT to use Google Docs…can’t I just send you a text or an email?
Does anyone feel me out there or am I just being stubborn, old and grumpy about it all?!
I mean, seriously.
They talk about technology making life go so much smoother, but does it, really? I mean if it takes me all morning to straighten out a Zoom issue or 3 days to set up a new texting platform, doesn’t it take time away from my REAL business of talking to people?
I just spent 90 minutes setting up my Clubhouse account…sheesh!
All kidding aside, I do get flummoxed by technology, but I also know that many of the things that I get set up, fixed or trouble shot, end up saving me time in the future and I just need to have patience and persist…and ask for help.
There are 3 things I’m going to share with you that might help you if you end up with a few days like mine.
First: The easiest solution is often the best solution. I know from personal experience that when I try to find a “more elegant” fix to a problem, often it’s not necessarily the best fix.
Jake and I go live on Facebook together once per week and when FB started making that more difficult, we decided to buy some software that allowed us to do it, not realizing that all along, we could have been using Zoom, a platform we were already paying for, to live stream. Took us a few months, dollars needlessly spent and lots of frustration.
Second: there is usually a learning opportunity in the experience. In trying to figure this out, we learned how to go live on Instagram at the same time as Facebook. We learned to not fall into Facebook’s trap of trying to get us to switch our fan page to their “new and improved” (NOT) version and we learned that there are some other options out there if we decide to switch, down the road.
All good things to learn!
Third: I’m learning to just breathe and get that this kind of stuff is all just part of being an entrepreneur and rolling with it is key. Also, getting “out ahead of it” mentally by taking breaks, even when I think I can’t lose my place in line for tech help. Making sure that I’m taking care of myself physically by eating right, getting outside for a walk or even doing some yoga while I’m on hold.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you either need to be able to hire people to do all of this for you (that’s not always a great solution, either…trust me!) or learn to do bits of it yourself.
If you haven’t read “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations” by Thomas Friedman, I highly recommend it. In it, he exposes the tectonic movements that are reshaping the world today and explains how to get the most out of them and cushion their worst impacts.
If you’d like some help in navigating the twisty path of technology, especially regarding moving more of your business online, you might appreciate our crash course in online marketing.
Just to sum up our 3 steps to free yourself from technology frustration:
- Realize that the easiest solution is probably the best solution.
- Recognize the learning opportunities that come along with solving the challenge.
- Remember to breathe and realize that this is all part of being an entrepreneur.
Congratulations! You’re a real, live entrepreneur!
