Analogue Ways to Get Excited About Your Tech

When people hear that I design websites and set up digital systems, they often assume I'm always looking for the latest app or shiny new piece of software.

The truth is, some of my best ideas start nowhere near a screen.

Before I begin designing a website, mapping out a sales funnel or improving a client's systems, I'll often reach for a notebook, a handful of sticky notes or my whiteboard. There's something about stepping away from technology that helps me think more clearly about how it should work.

It might sound a little backwards, but I've found that the best way to get excited about your tech is to start with something completely analogue.

Why stepping away from the screen helps

Modern technology is brilliant, but it can also be noisy. Between emails, notifications, browser tabs and endless choices of software, it's easy to become overwhelmed before you've even started.

A blank sheet of paper is different. It doesn't interrupt you or tempt you to check your inbox. It simply gives you the space to think.

When you're looking at your business as a whole, that's often exactly what you need. Once you've worked out the problem on paper, choosing the right technology becomes much simpler.

My favourite analogue tools

Over the years, I've realised I have a small collection of trusty tools that appear in almost every project.

A notebook

Almost every website or systems project begins with handwritten notes. I'll scribble ideas, sketch page layouts, draw arrows between concepts and cross things out as I go. It isn't pretty, but it doesn't need to be.

Writing things down by hand slows my thinking just enough to organise my thoughts, and I often spot ideas that I would have missed if I'd gone straight to my computer.

Sticky notes

If I'm planning a website structure, customer journey or sales funnel, sticky notes are my secret weapon.

Each page or step gets its own note, and I can move them around until everything flows naturally. It's much easier than rearranging boxes on a screen, and there's something surprisingly satisfying about physically moving ideas into place.

A whiteboard

Whenever I feel stuck, I head for my whiteboard.

I'll draw boxes, arrows and rough diagrams to work out how different parts of a business connect together. Most of the drawings would probably only make sense to me, but that's the beauty of them—they don't have to be perfect. They're simply a way of thinking out loud.

My bullet journal

I'm also a big fan of bullet journaling. Not because mine looks beautiful (it definitely doesn't!), but because it helps me separate thinking from doing.

Everything starts there. Ideas, reminders and rough plans all get captured on paper first. Once I've decided what actually needs to happen, I move the relevant tasks into my digital systems where they'll be scheduled, tracked or automated.

For me, paper is where I think. Technology is where I take action.

Don't choose the software first

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make is choosing software before they've worked out what they actually need.

It's easy to think the next app will solve everything. Before long, you've signed up for a CRM, an email marketing platform, a project management tool, a scheduling app and several pieces of software to connect them all together.

But if you haven't planned the process first, you're often just creating a more complicated version of the same problem.

I've found that spending half an hour with a notebook usually saves hours of trying to make the wrong software fit.

Technology should make life simpler

People sometimes think I'm anti-tech because I talk so much about keeping things simple.

I'm really not.

I love technology when it's working well. I love finding ways to automate repetitive tasks, simplify workflows and remove unnecessary admin. That's exactly what I help my clients do.

The difference is that I don't believe technology should be the starting point. It should be the tool that supports a well-thought-out plan.

If you're feeling frustrated with your technology at the moment, don't immediately assume you need another app or a completely new system.

Instead, make yourself a cup of tea, grab a notebook and give yourself permission to think away from the screen for a while.

Sketch your ideas. Write down your process. Ask yourself what's actually causing the frustration.

You might discover that the answer isn't more technology at all. It's a little more clarity.

And once you've got that, the right tech suddenly becomes much easier to choose.