Take advantage of advances in Technology

Last week's tip:

Having a little time for ourselves early in the day is good way to start the day. 

Reminder:

Did you try getting up a little early and create more time for yourself?

This week's Tip:

Keep learning continuously so that you are 'efficient' in handling technology. 

Action items:

There is nothing more frustrating than realizing that we have been doing a task very inefficiently. All technology advances are helping us to be more efficient and productive. If you analyze each and every technology change you will find that basic motivation behind that has been to improve the way things are done, make life more convenient and enjoyable. 

A few years back I was playing with my TV remote control and found the TV turned on when I pressed a channel number. I have owned that remote control for more than two years and never realized I can turn on the TV just by pressing a required TV channel. e.g. If I wanted to turn on channel 9 on my TV, I used first press POWER button and then press 9. Instead I came to know that by pressing 9 on remote I can achieve both. 

I realized that my mistake has been not going through the "TV manual". Some one has taken efforts build a productivity feature and document that and we don't even realize the feature is there. 

There have lot more such experiences where I had to learn from others a better way of handling a repetitive task. I now make it a point to go through manuals after I purchase so that I understand all the features and use them. This applies to all equipment that come with a manual.  

Coming to Computer Software, I signed up with a few e-mail newsletters which offer tips, ask others how they handle a problem and sometimes even watching others using a software we realize there are some shortcuts which we are not aware of.  

I also make it a point to tell others when I found a better way to become organized or improve my productivity. 

I also make it a point to go through What's new section of Help a new software provides which helps me understand features better. 

Over next week, gather all the "User Manuals" you have and start going through them. 

Summary

Every gadget and tool you use will have some useful features which can make you more efficient. Try and explore them and become more efficient.

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