Old School versus New School

We are living in the digital age, no doubt about it. Instead of meeting up, we email. Instead of calling, we text. Our cell phones are our lives because they house our emails, our contacts, our calendars, and for most of us, our alarm clocks. Any writing we do nowadays tends to be done on a computer instead of with actual pen and paper.

While technology has given us a lot to be thankful for, are the latest gadgets always the best option or are some old school methods better suited for your life style? In this day and age, not using the newest technology can make you seem out-of-date, but sometimes “old school” methods just work better.

Here are some tried and true old low-tech methods that could help you increase productivity:

Post-Its: While having reminders on your phone is convenient, it’s easy to silence them when they go off and then forget all about them. A Post-It, however, is a constant reminder stuck right where you need it! Nothing beats the satisfaction of physically throwing away that little sticky note once you’ve completed your task.

A landline: When you have your own business, connectivity is everything. While having a cell phone for your business can be an easy and portable solution, think how easily you can misplace one phone! Having a landline for your business is a safe and reliable, plus it helps you keep your work at work. There are now internet based landlines like Ooma, which let you make all calls for free, but since it runs off the internet it’s still less reliable than a traditional landline. As a mom who’s always in fear of my kids not being able to reach me in an emergency, a traditional landline is the best choice for home and work.

Checks: We live in a world of online banking, PayPal, and electronic transfers. Deciding which is right for your business takes some research. Sometimes online banking can make it a little too easy to send money to the wrong person and then you’re stuck dealing with customer service representatives for the next few days. Taking the time to actually write a check decreases the chance of mistakenly writing the wrong name down, while physically handing it to the person allows for the face-to-face contact that is necessary to grow your business relationships.

Call Log Memo Pad: Having an electronic call log can be a great time saver, until you accidentally hit the wrong button and delete the entire thing. Studies have shown that taking the time to write something down helps solidify that piece of information into your memory. So, physically keeping a call log can actually help you remember the call in the first place.

What do you think of these “old school” business practices? Do you use any of them in your day-to-day life? When building your own business, it’s important to find habits that work best for you. It’s important to remember that not everything needs to be the most technologically advanced; instead it just needs to work for you and your business. So, next time you’re documenting an appointment, have no shame when you take out a pen and paper!