How to genuinely save time through technology

A common advertisement for technology is that it will save time for its users. Yet we all know reality isn’t so ideal. I have friends whose overtime pay is higher than their base salary, even though they work on versatile desktop computers.

What about the phone, SMS messaging, and email? They make communication more efficient — and thus less time-consuming. Yet a common theme in family-oriented movies is the overworked dad (or mom) who leaves his kids hanging because of a random business call.

In fact, many have argued that technology has left us with less time. Doing more is expected in the corporate world, because of all the tools the average white-collar employee has at his disposal. Yet there is a way we can use technology to reap genuine benefits, so that we have more time for friends, loved ones, and even ourselves.

Photo by Rafael Philip Ocampo

Destroying repetition

The whole premise of technology is that it can automate boring tasks, taking care of tiny details so that its users concentrate on the “big picture.” So turn that principle into reality. Study how you can destroy repetition with the tools you use. Take a look at what you have to do over and over again, and find a way to automate these tasks.

In my former job, I was part of the email marketing department for a top American online retailer. Every week, the team had to build an email newsletter for sending to the company’s clients. We started out crafting every newsletter by hand.

Several newsletters — and mistakes — later, I realized that the underlying structure of all our newsletters were the same. The only things that changed were the promos we advertised to our mailing list, everything else represented a constant pattern. So I created an Excel spreadsheet that automatically built our newsletter for us. All we had to do was enter the promos for that week’s newsletter, and the spreadsheet would take care of the dirty work.

The result: what took us an entire day was compressed into a few minutes. The spreadsheet (perfected with the help of a colleague) sped up our production so much that we were able to concentrate on the big picture. The extra time was used to research and test enhancements that increased the amount of business our newsletters generated, work that was much more engaging than building newsletters. More importantly, we were finally able to leave the office before dinner.

Destroying repetition also works for the simple things. Why repeatedly use the mouse to click on File then Save on your favorite word processor, when pressing Ctrl then S does the same thing in an instant. The point is that if you find yourself doing the same things over and over again, figure out how you can automate those tasks, so that they get done much faster.

This method of maximizing technology does have its limits. You simply can’t automate creative projects such as writing an essay or designing a layout. But that’s the point. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time on tasks that require imagination and problem-solving skills? By destroying repetition, my team was able to concentrate on more important things — and leave the office come dismissal time.