My New Obsession: Simplicity and Automation in Technology

I have spent the past two and a half years going paperless. During that time, I wrote more than 120 posts about my process and the tools I used. I knew I was approaching the end of those posts when I began to find it difficult to come up with new topics to write about. I’d written about everything I had done, and I hesitated to write about those things that I had no direct experience with.

But my urge to write about technology hasn’t waned. Indeed, it has grown over time. And so, you can expect more from me on technology subject, centering around what is my new obsession: simplicity and automation in technology. While I’ll have much more to say on the subject, my basic thinking goes something like this:

There are tons of tools out there that are supposed to make us more productive. In my experience, however, the tools accumulate and the accumulation of tools lends itself to a decrease in production because we’re stymied by the question: which tool do I use for this job?

Consider the word processor/text editor. There are countless varieties of these beasts that all do about the same basic task: they allows to write and store our writing. But which one is the best tool for the job? That will vary by person, but there are probably some elements that you could look at to narrow the scope. Part of it involves what that job is. Are you writing code, or a novel? Email or poetry? There is a balance between functionality and simplicity. You don’t want to have to learn more tools than you need to do the job, but each tool you use needs to be simple enough, but broad enough to do that job effectively.

Then there is the complexity of the tool. A tool like Microsoft Word can do a heck of a lot, but it also can be cumbersome to use, maintain, and because it isn’t focused on a specific task, it can be awkward for some things. On the hand, a basic text editor, like Notepad or TextEdit may be too barebones. Where is the balance?

Automation is another consideration. On a computer, at least, it should be possible to automate any repeatable task. But operating systems tend to muddy the waters. They abstract the interfaces to the point where automation can become difficult, or require intermediary tools that complicate the process. For the best possible automation, it seems to me that the simplest possible tools are required.

I’ve been thinking about these things quite a bit lately, in part because I am trying to simply and automate as much as I can. Automation has the benefit of freeing up time to pursue passions, time that might otherwise be occupied by drudgery, and repeated tasks. Going paperless allows for some automation that I would not have otherwise had. But I think there is more than can be done.

So, I’ll be writing more here about my pursuit at technological simplicity and increased automation, two things that might seem mutually exclusive, but which I think can lead to less time spent in drudgery and more time spent doing the things I really enjoy. Like any experiment, I may end up proving myself wrong. But knowing what I know today, I don’t think so. So if you’re interested in this type of thing, stick around. I’ll be writing more. I don’t have a set schedule right now because I’m still coming up with a framework of how simplicity and automation might work for me. But as I try things out, as I experiment, I’ll write about it, and I encourage and look forward to discussion on what works and what doesn’t.