Location Based Technology
layout: post date: 2022-03-08 11:15:00 -0600 tags: post, leadership, technology category: leadership title: Location-based Technology
One thing I didn't mention yesterday that is worth discussion is the need for multiple technology setups in a multi-location working environment. I have a computer that travels with me, but at each place, I have a USB-C dock for connections and a backup drive; perhaps I would desire more than that in a single setup, but since my time is naturally split, I have stuck with straight-forward and simple.
In reflecting on my own needs and setup as a technologist, I was confronted with the fact that this process of building out spaces is no longer unique, not by a long shot. Anyone who has shifted to hybrid work since the effects of the pandemic have dwindled has effectively experienced this multi-location technology setup phenomenon. So how do we as a technological society confront the challenges inherent in hybrid work (workaholism, a lack of compartmentalization, ecological insensitivity, etc.) while ensuring that we are not simply duplicating office environments for compartmentalization and convenience? But I digress.
For me, an external monitor is mostly unnecessary; I have access to them in each place, but rarely use them. My intent is to focus my time at work to a select few things, not every window, tab, or application I have installed at once. I have noted that as I try to shift to deeper and more focused work, the use of a "real" computer (a laptop or desktop) has even become burdensome at times. We have literally created tools around focusing our brains on single tasks because we are so distractible.
As an aside, I pulled out the iPad Pro recently in order to revisit some of the paradigms attributed to that platform, such as more focused use. As tools on the platform continue to mature and my work shifts more strategic/managerial, I am astounded by how much I am able to get done using iPadOS. The shift to such a platform for my full work life feels truly at hand.
In the end, I am trying to focus less on the tool and more on the work, which is a hard shift to make for me, given that I am so interested in the evolution of computing generally. With the few items I have set up at each location, I am able to do my work effectively. If only people were so easy.