I was comfortable growing up in the 1990’s because technology was simple enough then. At the rate that technology advances, I’m fearful we’ll all be living in space ships by sometime next week -I’m not really cool with that. I don’t own a cell phone, I’ve never sent a text message (other than the occasional disasterous attempt on someone else’s phone), I try not to get on Facebook too often, and I couldn’t tell you the first thing about websites like Twitter or Google Plus.
I think my apathy towards technology hurts me in some ways, but assists me in others. I may not be able to pound out a text message in under a minute, but I know not to use hashtags while writing research papers. I may not be able to post a decent blog entry, but I can hold a conversation with people in person fairly well.
My point is, for my job I have to be familiar with some forms of technology, but I do have the opportunity to create my own “work flow technique,” as my boss calls it. I appreciate the fact that no one minds that I avoid Excel like the plague. I like the good ol’ technique of writing stuff down on paper and being able to make notes in the margins and circle things and…I don’t know, other stuff that would take me too long to learn about on a computer. The fact that I’m blogging right now is actually slowly killing me on the inside, but alas, I (word)press on.
Half of my job is hosting KNOM’s Morning Show and the other half is working as the Production Director. Most of the time when I read something on the air that I’ve dug up that I hope will be entertaining, I’m reading it off of a scrap piece of paper that I have in front of me. If someone else is guest hosting the show, I’m normally jotting down notes as they speak, so I know where to steer the conversation next. I rarely use a computer.
On the production side of things, I like to organize the tasks I need to complete in multiple ways. I use a chart, folders, a notepad, post-its and random sheets of paper that hang out around my desk as back-ups.
Here’s a candid photo Kelly Brabec took of me a few months ago. I had placed two pieces of paper over my laptop and was studying what I had to do next. I basically use my computer as a stand for holding paper.
This is one of the many reasons I love working at KNOM. Everyone is a little different, and you’re accepted for who you are.
