Get your company to buy you an Apple Watch!

What company wouldn’t invest £299 on an insightful afternoon training course to boost your productivity?

Efficiency and memory, specifically in my work place are two of the key factors of success and a diary plays a large part in this; whether you have an old school, leather bound journal and fountain pen like my colleague Dave, or integrate your life into a cloud based calendar system.

I am the latter, regularly having 10-15 “events” each day which are delayed, brought forward or cancelled more often than stuck too. I needed a system to provide a non-intrusive reminder for each call or meeting I arranged and the ability to change these on the fly, as and when needed.

With this efficiency in mind, there is also pressure to be available at every given moment and react to new leads, despite the time of day. My inbox receives 150-300 emails per day, some are urgent and others will go straight in the “trash”. Trying to fit as much into one day as possible and not miss an opportunity, I religiously check my emails up until I go to bed and the first thing I check in the morning are my emails. I know this might shock some people who won’t even consider working past 6 o’clock, but for many of my colleagues; not so much.

I needed a system which would provide non-intrusive updates, especially at home, but also limit the desire to reply to every email, unless it is absolutely necessary. It’s not that I am necessarily lazy; I am just a big believer that technology is the answer to making life as easy as possible. It should lead to greater efficiency and comfort of current tasks.

I’ve long awaited the announcement and release of the Apple Watch, and having received mine two weeks ago, I’ve seen the subtle benefits it has had during my work day and when I’m at home.

When I’ve been asked what it does, the first thing I say is that it makes my life a little easier and makes keeping on top of work better. I don’t think I’ll be getting reimbursed for my purchase just yet, but 6-12 months from now, it will not surprise me at all to see them becoming as essential as company cars, laptops, phones and tablets………or even the odd afternoon training course.

CHRIS MOFFATT

SENIOR CONSULTANT