Managing Technology

Managing technology. Technological tools such as the internet, the iPhone, iPad, Android Phone, Tablets, and Microsoft Outlook are meant to organize and streamline your life. Not complicated further. They are meant to be servants, not masters. Today, the cell is often called CRACK IN AN ELECTRONIC FORMAT because people become addicted to using them nonstop. They are continually sending and receiving emails and information all day long. This is true for all social media as well. Almost as if they were addicted. They cannot seem to stop themselves by continually referring to their cell phones and using them for instant correspondence. The key to getting control of your cell phone is to turn it off regularly and break the habit of being controlled by the next person who sends you a message, video, or chat. Turn it back on when it\’s convenient to you and respond to messages in your own time.

The internet is another tool that can provide instant information from anywhere in the country or around the world. But you must resist the temptation to build your schedule around the internet. You do not need to get up in the morning and rush to check whether anyone has sent you a message. You do not need to be on the web constantly as if some life or death event is about to take place.

One of my coaching clients, a businessman with divisions in 29 states, found himself on the internet, checking e-mail an average of five hours per day, from the first thing in the morning throughout the day until late in the evening, the time he was spending and handling his message was taking him away from far more important tasks and activities, revenue-generating tasks that he needed to do and causing him tremendous stress. We coached him into using the TRAF system in conjunction with his secretary. He was willing to try anything. He sat down with her and went through the 200 or 300 emails that had accumulated in the last 24 hours. He showed her, first of all, which ones to delete immediately. This quickly eliminated 75 percent of all his emails. He then showed her which emails should be forwarded to members of his staff to handle. He pointed out to her the emails that he had to take action on personally and showed her how to handle the most common questions and requirements. Finally, he showed her which emails she could put into a separate file for him to review later after spending two hours training his secretary and his TRAF method of dealing with emails. She took over his email account and our next coaching session. He told me he was now saving 23 hours per week in dealing with email, with no problems or omissions or negative feedback from his customers and clients. Wow, 23 hours were saved each week. He was able to use that extra 23 hours to more than double his income over the course of the following year.