Confessions of a Tech Junkie's Wife

I get stressed frequently and intensely. I thrive on to-do lists. Sometimes, I even write things that I do but forgot to put on a list just so I can cross it off. I love the satisfaction of crossing off an item because it makes me feel like I am being productive.

However, to-do lists don't take away my stress. They add to it.

I always feel like I'm forgetting something on my list. I make "sub lists" so I can feel organized for my day's goals (i.e. having a master to-do list and then smaller Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lists with the master list's tasks). I wasted a lot of time making lists.

Zach finally intervened. He suggested buying smart phones. For months, I said no because I thought he had an ulterior motive of just wanting to buy a new toy. Eventually, I caved in.

And, wow. It has made a huge, positive difference.

We bought iPhones. I have an application loaded onto my phone called "To Do's." I type in what I need to do in there. What's great about it is that I don't have to worry about losing a piece of paper or always bringing it around with me. My phone is almost always right next to me so if I need to remember something, it is within close distance. I don't have to worry about remembering everything. I also am actually less likely to constantly look at the list because it is not staring me in the face all of the time (like a Post-It note would be by my desk). Yet, I get a lot done using this digital form of organization.

Thanks, tech junkie husband of mine.

For now,
Dana

I liked staying organized by writing things down in my Mortar Board (a day planner book for those non-Boilermaker readers). My idea was to have a calendar printed on the refrigerator, and we would both write down our commitments on it. Zach went along with it for maybe two days before he said he couldn’t handle it. He hated writing things down. He also said that the calendar was worthless if we weren’t at home to look at it. So Zach decided we needed to go digital with our calendar. Of course.

He loves Google Calendar. He set up a calendar for his work appointments and band concerts. Then he showed me how to create calendars. I made two. I created one calendar that is for school and work commitments. My other calendar is more of a “social schedule” that contains dates to meet with people, have friends over for dinner, or go to Indianapolis to visit our families. Then Zach color coordinated all of our calendars. Finally, he made sure they were all synced to our Gmail accounts and iPhones.

At first, I hated it. I couldn’t remember to update it, and I kept writing things down instead. Eventually though, I saw the value of Google calendars. I always had our schedules at my fingertips, thanks to my iPhone. My phone also alerts me 15 minutes before an event happens. I probably would forget things if it didn’t do this!

It’s not fair to act like Zach is always easy to live with because frankly, he is not. Living with a tech junkie creates two main obstacles. Here they are:

1. He spends money. Remember the cash he saved us from being a tech junkie? Well, now he wants to spend all of that saved money on new technologies. Zach is never content because there is always something new being developed. Recently he bought a universal remote. In fairness to him it was a good deal, but I was frustrated --- why do we need to buy a remote to replace remotes we already have? Is it really that difficult to use three remotes instead of one? We didn’t argue about it; we just had a good laugh about our differences. However, sometimes I don’t see the point in some of the technologies that excite him so much, and that can create some tension between us.

2. He gets distracted. As a communication major, I talk a lot. Zach is a great listener --- as long as his iPhone isn’t nearby to distract him. And guess what? His iPhone is NEVER away from him. I caught him sleeping with it under his cheek the other day (which was hilarious; I wish I had gotten a picture of it). Zach is usually so attentive to my rants and raves, but every once in a while, I will catch him checking his e-mail, posting a Tweet, or playing a game on his phone while I’m talking. At that point, I always ask, “What did I just say?” He has become very good at somehow remembering the last 5 words I say even if he is not actually listening. Oh well. He knows it bugs me so he is better about listening now. But when there is a new technology in our apartment, I know he will be distracted. Take for instance the bless-ed new universal remote. He sat in silence for hours reading the manual and programming the remote so it could do all sorts of things. I did not attempt to talk with him then because I knew he was “in the zone.” Being with someone who loves technology means you have to change some of your communication techniques in certain circumstances. Marriage is hard work, but it’s worth it. :)

For now,
Dana