Stretching Out of Technological Complacency

I'm a paper lover, but this journal/notes app for the iPad may have won me over

A LOVE FOR PAPER AND COLOUR

I love paper. I have five different notebooks on my desk as I type plus a stack of old school index cards I use for everyday planning.

I love coloured pens and have an elaborate system of changing up the colour I use to write my to-do's for the day, cross them off and jot down any other to-do's for the following day. I usually rotate three or four colours through the system, following a specific order that's not to be broken.

I seem to process information better when I write it down by hand vs. capturing it through a keyboard. I haven't been in any rush to adopt any new fandangled technology, smartphones or tablets to help me improve productivity, I haven't seen the need to.

ENTER THE iPAD

Enter the iPad. Hubby surprised me with one for my birthday and thanks to an insightful conversation with a kindred scribbler who's already made the switch, I'm ready to give it a try.

I just need to set myself up for success by:

1. choosing only a few aspects of my current system to experiment with (brainstorming and note-taking, though I may dabble in daily planning) vs. trying to overhaul everything at once,
2. getting the right tools (a fancy schmancy stylus pen and a flexible writing recognition app*), and
3. committing to using them for a given period of time so I can say I've given it an honest try (the next four weeks).

I tried out the tools yesterday for the first time and it was love at first write. I think I actually squealed with delight at the first scribble.

I usually abide by "if it ain't broke then don't fix it", but sometimes experimenting with different ways of doing things can be fun. Sometimes lightly stretching for stretching's sake can be just what we need to shake us out of complacency.

In my case, technological complacency.

* I'm not getting any money by linking to this specific app or stylus pen. They just happened to be the first tools I experimented with and I like them!

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are there any new tools you'd like to try in your work, but hesitate because it's a stretch out of your normal working habits? What if you experimented with it for a week, two weeks or a month just to see if it fits? Are there any complementary tools or resources that would help make it easier?

Less Control, More Trust

part of a work in progress on the art table,

painting is often a good way to quiet my mind and connect to my Higher Power

"Letting go of my insistence for immediate gratification, I relax into the better working-out of details and dimensions hidden from my view."

~ Julia Cameron, Prayers to the Great Creator

This past weekend I erased my whiteboard full of plans and to-do's to make room for Ms Cameron's words above. When I physically cringed at the first swipe of the eraser I realized just how much I needed them in full view.

These days my insistence for immediate gratification is high and my ability to relax into the better working-out of details by something bigger than myself - the Universe, my Higher Power, whatever you want to call it - is low. I'm not trusting, I'm trying to control. A lot. Frankly it's draining.

Though my chest tightens at the thought, it's time to loosen the grip. A little less control, a little more trust.

Thank you Ms Cameron for the reminder.

~~~

Are there parts of your life that could benefit from a bit of letting go? How do you feel about loosening your grip and seeing how things unfold?