Image: Sean Neakums via Creative Commons license
We are nearing the end of March, and with a fourth of the year almost behind us, I think this is a great time to catch up on how I’m doing on my New Year’s resolutions. Not the regular resolutions that I make every year, mind you. The still shrink- wrapped P90X box and the extra long hours I’ve put in at the office serve as painful enough reminders that I’ve failed pretty miserably on those – again.
But this year, I tried something new. I set some very specific tech-related resolutions, and I intended to completely take ownership of accomplishing all of them. How have I done so far? Let’s check the scorecard:
Tech Resolution #1: Clean Up My Inbox
The background: I have a very bad habit of letting emails linger in my inbox. It’s much easier to let them sit there rather than taking action, right? My goal this year was to go from over 1,000 emails in my inbox to under 100 – and to keep it that way every day.
Status update: Whoops. As of the writing of this column, my inbox has 948 emails in it. In my defense, I did get it down to 250 a few weeks ago, but the new emails just keep on coming. They don’t stop! Every day, without warning, like a bad dream, they just keep coming and coming and coming. One thing I can say for certain is that crawling under my desk and lying there in the fetal position has not helped. I’ve given up on this one.
Tech Resolution #2: Take More Pictures of My Family
The background: I’m a terrible picture taker. To clarify, I know how a camera (or phone) works and I know what button to push to take the actual picture. My point is I just don’t do it enough. If you looked at my photo album today, you would be unsure whether I go through six-month cycles of not taking any pictures of my only daughter or if I have multiple kids who look a lot alike.
Status update: I’m definitely taking more pictures, but now I fear that I’ve gone too far overboard to the point that my resolution next year is going to be to take less pictures. I’m now dangerously close to becoming one of those parents. You know, the ones that post pictures of their kids on Facebook in every possible setting: the pumpkin patch, a random field, wearing make-up for the first time (I feel sorry for you, Johnny), at a funeral (trust me, I’ve seen it, and it caused me to remove that friend from my stream). At the very least, as I snap all these photos, I am going to practice the art of posting them in moderation.
Tech Resolution #3: Use My iPhone Less
The background: I’m so attached to my iPhone, my daughter is now asking me when her hand will grow an iPhone too. I just can’t help it. At any moment in time, I feel like I need to check email, read the news, look at people’s baby pictures on Facebook, or make one last, terrible move in Words With Friends.
Status update: I checked my phone three times while proofreading this column. That should tell you everything you need to know. In an attempt to make myself feel better, I have convinced myself that in order to accomplish tech resolutions #1 and #2, it’s okay to not follow through on #3, right? Right?! I guess one out of three isn’t bad.
What are some tech resolutions you’ve made this year? How are you faring?
