We see dozens of new inventions and resources launched each year, designed to make us more efficient. They are supposed to make our organizations work more smoothly, save us time on assignments that we don’t want to do ourselves, and eventually help us get more accomplished every day. But there comes a question in mind: Is technology making us productive?
The literal efficient capacity of emerging technology and the greater efficiencies they can unlock are what we can think of. In manufacturing, these are better understood; modern technology will help a factory churn out many goods every hour, mainly indisputable.
Unfortunately, not all types of technology, sadly, offer such easy advantages.
Automation
Any mode of automation can make us more productive, but once we find a way to do a task without human intervention, We should put it off our work lists forever and concentrate on other, more fruitful duties. Automation is more complex than this, though.
Communication
The power of technology is relatable to communication. We have experienced a revolution in the ways we communicate. Today we have access to send messages and organize thoughts in several ways.
Phone calls, video chats, instant message services, and other tools are used throughout the day to stay connected with our coworkers. Surely this must make us universally more productive, right? But the reality is more complicated than that.
The number of communication channels available increases our ability to use an efficient mechanism. It also increases our chance of using the “wrong” platform; messages can be lost because the sender used the wrong channel to send it or used an unpolished method to communicate it effectively.
Distractions
Mostly tools serve us distractions, the capacity of a person to concentrate on the job in front of them. In other words, they end up spending more time testing and responding to warnings than they spend doing their “actual” jobs.
Work-Life balance
Think about how technology has impacted our personal lives and work-life balance. It’s not unusual for people to continue sending and receiving emails long into nights and weekends.
Mobile devices have caused our time to slip into work, which increases stress and prevents you from doing your best while you’re on the clock.
Access to Information
Technology has undoubtedly increased our access to information. Now just in a couple of seconds, any person with the internet can let you know about the history of anything.
Moreover, with social media’s help, you can instantly be plugged into the world of current events.
Busyness vs. Productivity
Today we all have mobile devices, and anyone can tell you that they are busier now than they were three years ago or probably five years ago. Have you noticed why is that so? Since innovations develop over more extended periods to keep us involved. All are designed to hold us hooked, from project management platforms to social media applications.
Training and Familiarity With Technology
It’s also worth noting that learning how to use modern technologies takes time, and that time should not be overlooked. To find out how best to use a new app, it might take you an hour or more to experiment, and if you end up replacing this app in the future, that hour may be essentially wasted.
Conclusion
So, are you rendered more efficient by technology, or does it interfere with your productivity? Not so exact is the reaction.
Although technology exposes us to the opportunity to change our lives, if you are going to use these technologies responsibly, it also has significant pitfalls and repercussions that must be considered.
If you think that a new app or instrument is precisely what you need to double your efficiency, take a step back and think about the complexities and possible implications.
