Any keyboard in my home or work office would probably tell me to slow down and take a break once in a while. I know for sure my keyboard will want me to leave it alone so it could sleep on occasion. I’m sure some of your keyboards out there are secretly thanking you for that special silicone protector to shield its keys from food and crumbs that spill more than 5x a day.
I find myself always online researching and reading or getting my daily news or finding my next sales prospect regardless of the hours of the day. In an era of technology and social media, the internet provides a plethora of resources for us to use at home or at work. But remember, what we type and search for tells a lot about who we are, where we work and how we work on a daily basis. Because I’m in sales and I work for an HR Systems consulting firm, my searches primarily center around software vendors and professionals in that space that I can possibly reach out to and connect with. With that same token it also gives me the ability to find my competitors and work on ways to target their customers.
Almost every aspect of any business, in any location of any size relies on computers to help run daily tasks that are essential for business operations. My keyboard can definitely share my process for generating leads to creating a pipeline to following up with internal and external customers. It can even demonstrate to the second how often I edit and change my mind before I send email correspondences. My keyboard is essentially my work confidant who not only listens, but lets me do all the dictating and typing while it quietly sits there translating every key stroke without bias or judgment.
With that same tool, however, it can also show how inefficient we can be or how non-productive we can be as we watch random youtube videos or sports clips throughout the day. If everyone had a “keyboard profile”, they would know exactly who we are, what our hobbies are, what we like to eat and what celebrity we have a crush on this month. Not to say there’s anything wrong with how we use our computers, tablets or smart phones today but finding a balance between personal and work related activities is what will keep your keyboard from saying “you can’t imagine how overused my DELETE key is!”
Just remember, if your keyboard could talk, how comfortable would you be with its story?
Written By: May Huffer | mhuffer@hrchitect.com