If you are a technology owner, you know this…When technology works, life is great, but when it doesn’t, you can easily find yourself building up extreme levels of frustration quickly. You wouldn’t think that an electronic, metal and plastic device could get a person so worked up, but it happens a lot because of things like; hardware failures, printer drivers that suddenly stop working when they have worked perfectly for months, cryptic computer error messages, random power glitches, software updates that add nice features but break existing functionality, intermittent lockups, unexpected reboots, etc and that’s just a short list. There are many, many more.
The bad news is that if you allow these things to get hold of your emotions, you will get frustrated, no doubt about it. On the other hand though, if you take control of your emotions, technology frustration can be eliminated from your life entirely if you implement these 4 tips:
#1 – Step away from the issue if you feel frustration starting to build up. If you’ve been trying to work on the technology issue for more than 15-20 minutes, stop and step away from it. More than likely your frustration is making the situation worse. Go work on something else, come back later and try again.
#2 – If you can’t figure out the answer to the issue you are having, let google find it. 9 out of 10 times, the answer to your issue is within the first 3-5 google search results. When you find the answer, follow the instructions, be thorough, and don’t get scared. It’s highly unlikely that any one thing you do will irreparably mess things up.
#3 - Stop the negative self-commentary. Things like “I’m so bad a technology”, or “I can never understand this” are often in the vocabulary of those who are struggling. If you’re always telling yourself that you’re bad with technology, you will always be bad with technology. Be nice to yourself.
#4 – Know when to ask for help. I have found that there are many kind knowledgeable people on the internet that are willing to share their technology expertise. I have also discovered that personal friends and or co-workers are very helpful in offering their technology expertise if you reach out to them. Either way, don’t be prideful, ask for help.
How do you eliminate technology frustration from your life? Share your tips and comments!
