Managing Wants, Needs and Time - can you do it ?
I've done it now.
After being the owner of a variety of mobile phones over the years, which have met their demise by being stolen, lost, put in the washing machine, dropped in the bath and down the toilet, I was sure I was perfectly happy with the basic one that I've been using this past year.
It has the basics - phone calls (why else would I need a phone ?) texts and even has a reasonable camera. But I've got a camera for taking photos, a camcorder for video, a notebook computer which does everything I can think of that a computer does, and a laptop for when I need a bigger screen and keyboard. Why would I need a Samsung Galaxy ? Aren't I just being too materialistic, something that I am quite averse to - usually ?
Well, I think this situation is a bit like when I had a twin tub washing machine years ago when my children were babies. I could do whole loads of washing (including towelling nappies !) in that twin tub, in a couple of hours. What was so good about an automatic one ? I didn't need one. Obviously I found out when I got one. It was the same with a dryer. And central heating. And electric and gas and so on ... and presumably with the wheel.
A year ago I blogged about Twitter on To - witter or not. Now I think about it differently and can see it's power and influence throughout society - 'Arab Spring', NOTW, last summer's riots and so on. Changes and progression in technology are constantly impacting on us as time-saving gadgets and machinery affect us all, even though time can't be "saved" as such (I think, unless someone has found out differently)
We have to differentiate between 'wants' and 'needs', individually and globally and prioritise work and leisure with family and friends and ourselves. We may even find that we have extra time that we didn't know was there. That's time management.
John Rowles sings "If I only had time"
After being the owner of a variety of mobile phones over the years, which have met their demise by being stolen, lost, put in the washing machine, dropped in the bath and down the toilet, I was sure I was perfectly happy with the basic one that I've been using this past year.
It has the basics - phone calls (why else would I need a phone ?) texts and even has a reasonable camera. But I've got a camera for taking photos, a camcorder for video, a notebook computer which does everything I can think of that a computer does, and a laptop for when I need a bigger screen and keyboard. Why would I need a Samsung Galaxy ? Aren't I just being too materialistic, something that I am quite averse to - usually ?
Well, I think this situation is a bit like when I had a twin tub washing machine years ago when my children were babies. I could do whole loads of washing (including towelling nappies !) in that twin tub, in a couple of hours. What was so good about an automatic one ? I didn't need one. Obviously I found out when I got one. It was the same with a dryer. And central heating. And electric and gas and so on ... and presumably with the wheel.
A year ago I blogged about Twitter on To - witter or not. Now I think about it differently and can see it's power and influence throughout society - 'Arab Spring', NOTW, last summer's riots and so on. Changes and progression in technology are constantly impacting on us as time-saving gadgets and machinery affect us all, even though time can't be "saved" as such (I think, unless someone has found out differently)
We have to differentiate between 'wants' and 'needs', individually and globally and prioritise work and leisure with family and friends and ourselves. We may even find that we have extra time that we didn't know was there. That's time management.
John Rowles sings "If I only had time"
Comments
Not at all these gadgets save time (the computer certainly doesn't) but at least we have more variety in how we can waste it.
And mobile phones - my son can do everything on his but I like the old style steam driven variety. When they invent one that can make the tea I might be tempted.