Think of the quick comedy scene where a guy steps on a rake and bonks himself in the face with a handle. 
Got it? Now ask yourself whether or not you’re bonking yourself with the tech tools in your own business.
For example, do you switch your to-do list software instead of working the list? I do it too. Instead of solving our real problem, which is time management and prioritizing tasks, we get halfway there and change tools.
I’ve done it for decades now. I jump from browser to browser, then fuss with the add-ons. I change my email client software, and re-do the folder instead of answering emails. I go from one blogging solution to another. I change the photo organization software instead of organizing my photos. I’ve even changed the word processing software I was using to fool myself into believing I’d get more done with the new one.
Do you do it? I see it all the time with other people. We’re lying to ourselves, playing with new toys instead of bearing down and making our own systems work. The real problem is discipline and consistency, and instead of solving that, we do just the opposite. We change the tools.
I woke up today with this on my mind because I’ve been preparing for this evening’s Dumb Ways Smart Entrepreneurs Fail in Using Technology, a free webinar for Ramon Ray and his Small Business Technology series. You can register any time before it starts, 5 pm PDT, 8 pm EDT, later today.
(Image: bigstockphoto.com)
Comments
Yes, well all spend a some time organizing instead of working through tasks. The alternative pushed by most leaders seems to be “plan your work, then work your plan.”
I don’t see a little organization and dare I say procrastination as a bad thing in the right context. Sometimes a little delay between tasks allows us to relax for a second and focus on the new thing to do.
This is a difficult problem for me as well. I am reorganizing all my contacts and tasks with new cloud based CRM and project management software and there was no easy way to import all that information to the servers so ended up spending sleepless hours just reorganizing everything around new software.