Reducing my PIM/Knowledge/Writing Tools

Posted by Alexander Deliyannis
Apr 3, 2007 at 08:02 PM

Stephen R. Diamond wrote:

>I find that often using an alternative program can make me aware of a better way of doing things, strategies that can easily enough be implemented in the first program.

I definitely agree; it’s clear that a lot of research on methodologies lies behind the development of many of the tools we discuss here; from Brainstorm to Achieve Planner to B-Liner etc. Using them can often be eye-opening.

>A craftsman who can’t use any mechanical tools would be incompetent. A lawyer who can’t—picking a field I’m familiar with—just gets a secretary or law clerk.

Is it as simple as that I wonder? And who is the actual knowledge worker in this case, the boss or the clerk—or both?

In Greece there is a rather expensive legal database titled Nomos; law offices skilled in its use have a substantial edge over traditional “lawyer/secretary” offices. Of course the state bureaucracy ensures that they all have plenty of work, but the number, scale and complexity of cases they can handle varies greatly.

I have the impression that a knowledge worker, in the modern sense of the word, is not just somebody who applies their own knowledge in their field, but rather someone who, through the use of Information and Communication Technology, can multiply their knowledge efficiency many times over, effectively doing the job of many equally knowledgeable professionals.

Just a thought really; but at least in my line of work, I need to regularly increase the number and scale of projects I can concurrently undertake on my own just to stay competitive; I can’t as yet hire someone to decentralise some of the work to because it’s simply too complex; but I can build my own skills and use those of others (through the applications they have developed) in order to be more productive.

alx