One of the main complaints I get from my clients about technology is that it’s too complicated.  This can be true in some cases, but for me yesterday, it couldn’t have been more simple.

I called a client who happened to be driving and he asked me to call him back in 15 minutes.  There were a few things I could have done to remind me to call him…

•  Put a reminder post-it on my laptop (btw, I love post-its!…best low tech product ever, especially when used with Sharpies.)

•  Put a note on my digital calendar with a pop-up reminder
•  Use my iPhone timer
•  Tie a string around my finger

I’m out of string, so I went with the timer. ;)  Not only is the timer easy to set, it also gives you a visual countdown and blares when time is up (though you can choose which “blare” you like).

The time frame was short so I wasn’t worried that when the timer went off that I would forget what I was reminding myself to do. Any kind of timer can help keep you focused, but I really I like this iPhone feature.  Is it a reason to go buy an iPhone?  No, but if you have one, why not make the most of it and use as many features as possible? …especially one that’s simple and easy to use?

Of course, things don’t always work as planned.  When I called the client back in 15 minutes, I got his voicemail. =)

Simple and easy…                                                       Do you use a low or high tech timer?

P.S.  My colleague and tech expert, Lauren Halagarda, would probably cringe at notion of putting a task on a calendar. =) As she says in her presentations, calendars are for appointments, not tasks.  She’s right, and if I had a to do or task app with a reminder feature, that would have been another viable option.  I know there are a couple apps out there that can do this, so more on that in a later post.