Here’s an interesting thought to consider: how important is good, up-to-date technology to doing good work?

I think that if you tell yourself you need a certain computer before you can start a project, you’re a) kidding yourself and b) never going to start. The computer industry is designed in such a way that you are never content with what you have, because your up-to-date technology is never up-to-date for long.

I considered mentioning a few exceptions where you do need up-to-date technology to get the job done. I thought through the list: animation, music… Hmm. Then I realized there are no exceptions, unless you create them; I recorded over 250 demo recordings over the span of two years on an underpowered Mac mini without any decent audio equipment and not a lot of storage space, and before I went Mac, a very old PC that could barely run Adobe Audition (which, by the way, no self-respecting musician uses).

But this isn’t about whether you need technology to do good work, because you don’t. This is about whether updated technology is an important factor in determining how well and how quickly you can do work.

As a writer at one of the web’s most popular productivity blogs, I am seeing this attitude more and more:

People are obsessed with the notion that better technology will get more of your stuff done. That’s stupid! Technology is distracting and makes us less productive. Cut my internet cable and give me Lotus Agenda*!

*Which I am not knocking, partially because I have never used it. Partially because there are some very tech-savvy people who I respect a lot that think it’s great. Hi, dad!

You probably expect me to nod along with this group of people who hate new technology, especially given my rants about digital task lists being bad for productivity (they’re not actually bad, and they can work if you manage them right, but they’re not optimal and productivity is about optimization). I actually think that, while you should never, ever use lack of technology as an excuse to ditch your work, better tech definitely means better work, done faster.

  • Better tech means better processors and better memory, which means your computer runs faster. Less time waiting for things to happen.
  • Better tech means more storage space, so you can spend less time getting your data to shed pounds and more time adding to the weight.
  • Better tech means more reliable tech, which means less time waiting for repairs or losing whole chunks of data or even years of work.

And the list goes on and on.

One of the most famous examples, partly because it’s a fact confirmed by reputable studies, is that more screen space means more productivity. The screen space can come in the form of bigger monitors or more monitors; heck, Al Gore uses three 30” displays chained together and he gets more done in a day than most people do in a month.

There is a growing trend to treat technology like a big interference in our lives, like something that’s not helping us get more done. Like something we should regret ever became an integral part of our lives.

Bullshit. Show me how much you get done if I give you a notepad and pen and cut off your internet connection. Sure, there will be less distractions, but that’s not a problem with technology—that’s a problem with the user’s inability to focus. Distraction is present in every environment.

The fact is that you will get nowhere near as much done. You cannot write as fast as you can type, unless you’re a beginning typist. You cannot access important information or do any form of research anywhere near as quickly, and any in-depth research will probably involve getting in the car and driving. And every minute in the car is more money spent on gas than you’d spend on electricity using your computer all day long.

So the little club of vocal people who are telling us that technology is ruining our productivity need to shut up for a while and reassess. Simple logic seems to indicate the opposite, and if doubling my screen real estate helps me get more done in a day, I’ll be damned if I don’t do exactly that.

Updated technology is definitely important to doing productive work. You don’t need it to do work, but if you want to grab the absolute most out of each day, it’s a huge factor to consider.

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