Hello there!
I had a habit of ignoring these a lot because quite frankly, I just found them to be annoying.
I still do.
In today’s newsletter, we are going to talk about the unpleasantries of working with technology.
Software Updates. (If you rolled your eyes while reading that just now, I can relate.)
I’m sure you see them on your phone or computer frequently and you probably ignore them as well.
Hey, like Planet Fitness, this is a judgement free zone.
I started ignoring them because every time I got a notification that it’s time for a new update, I feel like I just did an update yesterday. Now, another one?
I think I got so annoyed that I may have toggled my “update automatically” button off at one point on my computer because it interfered with my workflow, and then I would have to restart my computer. What a pain! Let’s just say I forgot to toggle it back on.
Then this past week, my Google Chrome just stopped working. Images were blurry or would not load at all.
Turns out that I needed to update my entire operating system to use the latest version of Google Chrome. I was about two operating system updates behind.
What?
Luckily, I’m in the business of finding solutions to problems, so I researched around the internet and found out that there were other Apple users who were delinquent like me when it came to updating their software.
I was able to find a solution and went to work. I backed up my hard drive which took about 15 hours. That was 15 hours of work time that I will never get back. Poof! Gone with the wind.
While waiting for the backup to complete, I contacted another VA colleague of mine who fortunately, had way more experience than me working with Apple computers. She was able to walk me through the steps to make sure that the Update Automatic toggle was turned on this time. God Bless her!
When running a business, the things that seem burdensome or unnecessary can cost you in the long run if you fail to take care of them in a timely fashion. It’s not worth the risk and these practices can help you stay on track:
1. Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs
When you see those update notifications, don’t put them off. You could be exposing yourself to security issues. When your systems are vulnerable, you make yourself the perfect prey to hackers.
2. Invest the time.
Would you rather lose an hour of working time or fifteen hours? If you don’t have the time, outsource, or delegate those tasks to someone you can trust to take care of it.
3. Be Open to Change
You know when you go to the grocery store to pick up your favorite pasta sauce and you find out that they moved it, and you get all upset with the entire store and the staff? Yep, us humans don’t like change very much.
That’s probably why we are resistant to updating our phones and computers, because that means that we will have to re-learn a new interface and we just can’t have that. But we live in a world of technology, and we must be open to change for us to keep using them safely.
Here’s the bottom line:
As technologies become more advanced, we are going to have to cope with temporary discomfort to mitigate long-term pain.
My computer is back up and running and updated with the most current version of operating system it can support, and have no more compatibility issues with Google Chrome. All is well until I noticed the pop-up that Microsoft Word needs an update. Thankfully, I am a changed woman and I got started on that immediately.
Chuckle for today! 😂
Why did the software update go to therapy? Because it couldn’t handle its issues without crashing!
Shamayne Brown is a virtual assistant and the founder of Camp Virtual Assistance.
She works with solo professionals and small business owners who are ready to invest in their business and need the support that she offers.
She specializes in creating email newsletters as well as other admin and creative design tasks.
Click here to connect on LinkedIn.
Click here to set up a discovery call.
