Being a professional communicator who specializes in marketing in the digital space, people often think that I’m a “techie” or that everything I do is purely digital. This, my friends, is not true. If you are having computer issues, I can Google a solution for you but I probably don’t know how to fix it. I also don’t have all of the latest and greatest gadgets and there are reasons for all of my choices. Here are a few of the old school tools that I use:
Notebooks: I think there is something very special about writing down your ideas (with your favourite pen) in your notebook. I love having a favourite pen (usually of the inky kind). I love meeting with a client and jotting down ideas. I love having a burst of inspiration and writing it down. I also LOVE writing list. I have a notebook that is dedicated to my daily task lists. I’ve tried to make all of this digital but I wasn’t a fan. I love having notebooks full of lists, notes, and solid ideas that I have written down by hand.
Books: No one wants to get sand on their iPad or Kindle, amiright? I’m not a super avid reader but I do like to read and usually have a few books on the go at once. I love the feeling of picking up a book and flipping each page over as I finish it. I love the way books look and smell. I love that I can take a book with me to the beach and know that I won’t have trouble reading in the sun. I sometimes read magazines on my iPad but not books. The experience of reading a book, for me, includes a physical book.
Watch: Okay, I think the Apple watch is f^cking cool! However, I think my Ripcurl watch, which is an old-school-ish clock, is petty cool too! My job requires me to be connected for a lot of the day and so it’s nice to have a sassy piece of jewellery that tells me the time (and date). Part of the reason I wear a watch is so that I can keep an eye on the time without having to look at my phone. Sometimes looking at my phone sucks me down a rabbit hole of social media and I don’t always have time for that.
Picking up the phone: Nothing beats an old-fashioned conversation with your friends, family or clients. This is why it’s important to me to pick up the phone and have a chat. As efficient as texting and emailing can be, nothing beats picking up the phone. When was the last time you called a friend?
There are a lot of cool things that have been invented that help make things easier for us in life. I love using my iCal for meetings and appointments and Siri for helping me Google those weird questions that pop into my head. I also email myself little ideas throughout the day…which then go into a notebook when I’m back at my desk. What digital/AI tools do you use and what old-school business tools do you still use?
