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Four Dumb Things I Do Out of Habit (But Plan to Stop)
By Richard Nantel | January 9, 2008
A week ago, I switched to browsing the Web using a portrait- rather than landscape-oriented monitor. Although my new monitor can pivot back and forth between the two orientations, I haven’t moved it back to landscape mode since trying out the Web in vertical format. This is definitely the right orientation for all the reasons I listed in my last post.
This discovery has made me question other dumb things I’ve been doing for no other reason than I’ve always done them that way. Here are four others:
1. Typing
My colleague Gary Woodill turned me onto voice recognition software last year. My brother-in-law, a surgeon, had given me a demo of the same software package a decade ago, and the results were so terrible, I suggested he’d have his medical license revoked if anyone ever saw his dictated medical reports.
Software has come such a long way in a decade, I should have realized the time for voice recognition might now be here.
After going through the requisite “training” period, the software I selected, Dragon Naturally Speaking, works beautifully. I can honestly say that it’s now a much faster and more precise way to input words than typing.
I start up the program when preparing to write a lot of text but sometimes forget to use it for small tasks such as composing e-mail. I need to break the bad habit of typing all the time and need to remember to keep the voice recognition software open all day.
2. Lugging around a laptop
When traveling, or when I just need a change of scenery by heading to Café Marmalade down the street, I’ll take my laptop. Sometimes I can’t get a spot next to an electrical outlet, so I end up swearing when my laptop shuts down after a couple of hours.
If it’s not the anemic battery, it’s the weight that has me cursing. I’ll find myself walking somewhere carrying my laptop and all of its related accessories until my shoulder aches for relief.
Ninety-five percent of the time, all I’m doing is writing or working within a spreadsheet. Is a laptop really the best tool for this? No.
I need to stop reaching for my laptop and take a PDA and a folding keyboard on my next trip. (I don’t think the other coffee shop patrons will want me using my voice recognition software, so here’s a case where typing makes sense.)
The battery for my PDA never seems to die, and the setup weighs almost nothing. Plus, both keyboard and PDA fit into my coat pockets, so my shoulders will thank me.
3. Emailing documents
Old habits die hard. I still often find myself working on a document and sending it by e-mail to someone for revisions or input. I need to be better at remembering to put the information in a wiki or in Google Docs and sending a link instead.
4. Spending time showing someone how to do something without looking to see if the procedure already exists on the Web
The other day, I created a short tutorial to show some team members how to edit their Outlook signature files. Had I been smart, I would have Googled or Youtubed “edit outlook signature” and sent them one of many links.
I think this is a generational thing. I learned to do things on computers by exploring. My 14-year old daughter doesn’t waste her time. She’ll just turn to Google and type “how do I connect to a home network using Vista?”
In an era where answers are ubiquitous, being action-oriented can be a waste of time.
Topics: GTD, Getting things done, Hardware, Learning, Mobile, Monitors, PDA, Productivity, Usability, Voice recognition |
January 9th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I, too, have a second monitor that I have switched to a portrait orientation. It is great for the Web and Word docs, which is what I am displaying most of the time anyway. Your innovative self-process is inspiring (especially #2), and I will be on the lookout for more ways to make things better! ~Nikki
January 9th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
So did you use voice recognition software to write this post?
January 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Cammy: Yes, the post was dictated, not typed. I’ve kept my voice recognition software open all day.
I now want to start navigating my computer using voice commands. This isn’t something I’ve done yet but the software contains those features.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:04 am
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January 10th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Richard…
I can relate to so much of this!
I type so much I’ve forgotten how to sign my name. Seriously, I messed up my own name. I wondered if my lack of a consistent signature would set off some alarms at the bank. Anyway, you’ve convinced me to install that voice recognition software you passed my way…
Re: creating something new that already existed elsewhere…I used to have a flowchart near my desk when I was designing online training at my prior job. It said…check to see that it doesn’t already exist or is inexpensive…one of my first Captivate modules was on file management. Argh. At least I learned how to use Captivate…so not a total loss.
Your last point made me laugh.I put a bagel in the toaster cut side facing in. My daughter told me the cut side should be facing out. She had looked up “bagel” on wikihow earlier in the day when she was trying to find the best (safest) way to cut it. It is her job, of course, as a tween to correct my every move but I thought her method of correction was interesting and spoke to how her generation looks for information.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Hi Richard,
I’m amazed at how YouTube has become a learning tool. It almost rivals Google as the first place to look to learn something.
Tom
January 10th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Janet:
Regarding your daughter’s research into the correct way to toast a bagel:
The old guy in me can’t help wondering about the developmental effect of raising children in a world where answers are available at the click of a button.
What will they do when faced with a question that can’t be Googled? Will they have any desire or ability to persevere and find the answer on their own?
Why back when I was a kid, we used to spend days figuring things out without any sort of repository of answers available (after walking to school up hill both ways, of course.)
Then again, perhaps by then, there will not be any questions that can’t be answered on the Web.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Richard,
I have Dragon Naturally Speaking as well (Standard edition, version 9). I do find it helpful though not perfect for large amounts of text, albeit in need of a careful editing eye afterward.
My typed text needs editing, but not usually for the same reasons.
I’ve had a lot of trouble getting Dragon to obey some commands that seem simple to me (”move to end” is a prime example). I’m not sure what I’ve been doing wrong, though your post tells me I should at least be using the software more.
Any details on which version you have? Perhaps a more sophisticated (as in “expensive”) one than mine might eliminate some of my difficulties.
One unexpected benefit I realized: I often take notes when starting out on a project; I’m addicted to outlining. With Dragon, I can read notes instead of typing them, and that’s especially good for going through a lot of source material quickly.
January 11th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Dave: Thanks for your comment. I’m using version 9 Preferred.
I agree that you need to reread your dictation afterwards to ensure accuracy. But, I don’t see this as extra work since I also need to reread typed text for the same reasons.
It seems that people have had different levels of success with this software. I know one colleague who tried it but abandoned it after a few days. To be frank, he mumbles rather than speaks so I suspect the software had a very tough time with his speaking style.
Here’s another benefit of voice dictation software: I often need to quote something I’ve read in a book or newspaper. I can’t be bothered to have a scanner, so I simply read the text and dictate it.
January 18th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
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