Permission To Improve

I just got Dragon NaturallySpeaking dictation software, and it's changed my life. Now, I'm not going to talk about how much I love the ability to speak and have my words recorded, which I do, by the way (if you want to know more about the tool see Steve Backman’s thoughts). Instead, I’m telling you about my new software love to empower you to find your life-changing tool. Productivity is essential for those of us who work at nonprofits, everyone really. Finding something that will help you do your job better and more effectively is absolutely amazing and potentially job-altering. We talk about this at the organizational level all the time, so why don’t we allow ourselves to spend that time personally, especially when it would improve the way we work?  My advice, from someone who has avoided spending this time for years: give yourself a little bit of time to look around and see if there are ways that technology can help you improve the way you do what you do.

What did I do to come to this revelation?  I asked myself, where do I struggle? What are the things I do during the day that I know if I had a little bit of help I could do better? For me it was writing. I write perfectly well, but slowly. I speak quickly and in full sentences however, and my thoughts come out of my mouth much faster, and often more eloquently, than when I type. That made the power of dictation software a no brainer. I wrote this post in about half the time it usually takes me, all thanks to my new best friend.  

Now it’s your turn. What do you that you could do better, faster, more efficiently? Do you struggle with tasks? Is there a tool out there that can help you manage your to do list? What about with time management? Can you find something that will help you stick to your timeline? There are tools out there that can help you in probably any area that you need support. Imagine the impact it could have on your day-to-day work. You’d do it for your organization, why not yourself?

It’s okay, you have permission now. Give yourself a little bit of time to explore and see if there is a solution out there for you. Spending some time upfront to find something that would really make a difference can be hugely worth it. It can change your life, I promise. And when it improves how you work personally, it will improve your organization’s capacity at the same time!