I read a great blog this morning called "Dealing with Information Overload" by Mimi Foster.
Oh I feel her pain! I had a technology overload day just yesterday and I am still recovering.
This week I have been learning to use my iPad to integrate a virtual office. I can show houses, fill out a contract for Mr and Mrs Buyer right there in the kitchen of their dream home. They can then sign the offer directly on my iPad and I can email it to the listing agent and Voila! No paper, no problems and I am out the door to my next meeting.
.....that is IF the stars align and the technology gods grant me the perfect day (which yesterday they did not).
In the morning I wasted 3 hrs trying to get a 30 pages offer efaxed to me from my client who was at work and not savvy with the fax machine. My husband upon finding me almost in tears asked me why I did not just get in my car and drive 20 minutes to her office for a real signature.
Then later that afternoon while showing houses my iPad 3G service was not working so my client and I (and her 2 kids) headed over to Starbucks for some free wi-fi. But of course I could not get the connection to stay on (techie girl sitting nearby was kind enough to inform me her iPad 1 gets spotty service at Starbucks as well). So I ran next door to the yogurt shop to download my docs.
And since I am fairly new at using all these new iPad apps (which someday I hope will make all my efficiency dreams come true) I stayed up until 1:00 am and figured it all out. Well, more or less.
In Mimi's blog she mentioned a survey taken in the 1950's wherein people were asked what life would be like in the year 2000 when computers did all of our work. The majority wondered what they would do with all of their free time.
I started my real estate career in that same year-2000. I rarely checked my email account or used the internet then. I bought my first cell phone in the year 2000 with only 100 minutes per month. Nobody ever called me unless they really needed me (even the kids knew only to call if they were bleeding or on fire).
I had such FREEDOM!!
Eleven years later I am attached to my iPhone, my iPad, my Macbook and my iMac (yes I have a love of all things Apple). I am on one of these devices 75% of my waking hours (and possibly even in my sleep).
It seems to me the more technology available to us the more that is expected of us. Sometimes I long for those days when I could sit and have an uninterrupted conversation with a good friend or enjoy reading more than one page of a favorite novel.
Each year in June I take a 9 day vacation to a remote lake in AZ. My phone/internet only works out in the center of this large lake. Once per day we take our ski boat out and anchor once we see all 4 bars light up on our cell phones and for 30 minutes we "re-connect" with our real lives and businesses.
As technology advances I know someday our houseboat on the lake will be equipped with every internet connectivity possible and I will be tempted to spend my entire vacation working instead of relaxing.
Until then, I shall enjoy my 9 days of technology-free relaxation.
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