As an Evernote Certified Consultant, I have come to know the term "The Modern Workspace". Having spent more than 20 years working in an office I was immediately captured by this and have decided to explore exactly what it means.
This will be a multi-part series as I break down exactly what the components of our daily workspace are and how we use them in managing our multitude of tasks, queries and random thoughts generated on a daily basis.
In parts one and two, I will explore the hardware technology we all take for granted. Having worked in the I.T. industry for a long time I have been fortunate enough to play with many toys and have always been on the lookout for the latest gadget.
First up is the Laptop or Desktop computer. Whether we like it or not these machines are still the central computing tool in most of our lives. Windows or Mac they have become the one constant in our daily routines. Most of our work gets done here and when our other devices are not fast enough or the screen not big enough, we turn to our trusty "computer"
As technology progresses, however, the notion of what a computer actually is, becomes blurred. Companies such as Microsoft and Apple have pushed our boundaries of understanding through products such as the Surface Pro or iPad Pro. It is interesting that both push the "Pro" tag as if buying one instantly makes us better at our job.
These devices have almost the same computing capacity of our regular desktops or laptops but have a distinct advantage. Ultimate portability.
The ability to work whenever and wherever we like is one of the biggest changes to the modern workspace we have seen.
Is this ability an advantage? I'm not always so sure.
Almost every productivity expert will tell you that one of the keys to remaining productive on a daily basis is to have a place to work or study that is specifically set up just for that. The manufacturers of these highly portable and magical devices would have us think that sitting on the beach, in a coffee shop (I don't mind that either) or sitting under a tree is the ultimate place to do our most important work.
Common sense would tell us that isn't true. If I were at the beach I'd rather be swimming than typing up a report or reading through my emails.
Maybe the solution and how we can have the best of both worlds is to have that ultra-portable computer, but also have that single workspace where we do our most important work.
My advice is whether you are in an office or at home, keep your desk clean and organised and buy a computer with PRO at the end of it.
Be productive every day.
Neil
