Have You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling… for Your Apps?
(gone, gone, gone. whoa, whoa, whoa)
In almost every aspect of life, after awhile, the “new car smell” wears off and once exciting things can feel boring and blah.
Relationships, cars, houses, friends, outfits, hairstyles… even shoes (that’s right, I said it).
Technology is the worst though. There’s something new and shiny at least once a day, if not multiple times a day. It can feel like you need to be changing out your systems and apps weekly to keep up.
The truth is, changing technology that frequently would be worse than just sticking with what you’ve got. Think of it like breaking in a new pair of shoes. Sure, you want to wear them everyday when you first get them, but there’s a period of adjustment before you can really get the full benefit from them.
So what to do? Well, instead of just giving up on what you’ve got because the hot new neighbor looks like a way better choice, try this instead:
Acknowledge what is working well
Most of the time, as human beings, we tend to gloss right over what is actually going well. Squeaky wheel and all that. Taking a moment to assess what is going well can put some “shine” back on the feeling you have about your current systems. And maybe even highlight a competitive advantage or something you can ask current clients about and get some testimonials.
Define exactly what is NOT working well
“This sucks,” and “what a piece of crap” may be accurate reflections of what you are feeling, but as with any relationship, you need more specifics if there’s any hope to fix it. Getting very detailed about what isn’t going well can open your eyes to different approaches or places in your systems that need to be redefined or changed completely. If the feedback is coming from your team, getting specific examples and then reviewing them together can help create the list of improvements that are needed.
Figure out what don’t you know about your current systems
Today I started using a feature of my project management software that has been around for probably quite awhile, but I just had not yet incorporated it into my workflow. That’s right, even I don’t know or use all the features of my software.
Software changes all.the.time. What you think you know about your project management program, smart phone, app or computer might have been accurate at one point, but if that point wasn’t yesterday, there’s probably a lot you don’t know.
To be clear, I’m not suggesting you need to dedicate a portion of your life to keeping up on this. Rather, you can make it a point to check in on “what’s new” every 6 months, or just when you feel like you need a change, assign that task to someone on your team, follow the software creator on social media or subscribe to their blog from Feedly.
Most services have great online help articles and getting started tutorials. Those can be helpful for new team members or as a refresher. Software creators want you to know and use their features, so they do try to regularly communicate about them. If there is a system that is core to your workflow, I suggest getting on their email list so you know when new functionality is available.
There’s always room for improvement with your existing way of doing things. Typically reviewing the good, the bad and the unknown is the best place to start when it begins to feel like things “just aren’t working out.” Even if you still decide to part ways after going through this process, you’ll be better equipped to size up the next candidate.
