The instructor  was speaking to us about how we transitioned between poses and she urged us to do our best to achieve “economy of energy”.  She explained that one of the goals of our yoga practice is to get from one pose to the next in as few movements as possible and with minimal fuss – or as she put it “without extra stuff”.

Image: Senge

The term economy of  energy stuck with me, and thinking about it afterward, it occurred to me that it’s something we should seek in our use of technology.

I am sometimes shocked by the fact that for many organizations, simple tasks often become mind-bending exercises in complexity and wasted energy.

In some cases its because the wrong systems are in place. Either they are too basic and can’t accomplish the necessary tasks, or they far too complex for the work at hand, making them unwieldy and impractical.

In other instances, the right systems are in place, but the human processes being used to manipulate the systems are unnecessarily complicated.

In my mind, the whole point of using technology tools like databases, spreadsheets, e-mail and even social media is that they allow you to do something with more economy of energy. Think about it:

-It takes less energy to share timely information with 5000 people by using  mailing list software to send a newsletter than it would to send e-mails one by one.

-It takes far less energy to pose a question to  500 people by posting it on Twitter or asking them to comment on a blog post than it would to call them individually and ask the question.

-It takes less energy to type information on 150 payments into an accounting system and batch print checks than it would to hand write them.

-It also so takes less time to find a payment made to some last year by typing their name into a search field in your accounting software, than it would to wade through boxes of paid checks.

See what I mean? Economy of energy.

It can be easy to lose sight of the fact that this is really the reason why we all use technology in our organizations. Or at least it should be.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the technology itself that we make it way more complicated than it has to be.

Sometimes we get so caught up in having the latest and the greatest and in doing what everyone else is doing that we wind up making our jobs even harder.

Sometimes we just get stuck in the old familiar comfort of doing things the way we’ve always done them that we don’t see just how inefficiently we’re working.

If  you think about it, any good  technology tool should allow your organization to accomplish the tasks essential to meeting its goals and fulfilling its mission in the least possible steps and with no “extra stuff”.

My yoga class is 90 minutes long.  Using a little economy in your transitions enables you to save as much energy as possible for the real work of the class – holding the poses.  The more energy you have for them the more you are able to hold the poses with maximum effort, focus and calm.

In the same way, a little economy in the use of your technology tools, will allow you to save as much energy of your the real work of your organization – whatever that might be.  The less time you have to spend fussing with cumbersome processes and tools, the more time and energy you have to do your core work with maximum effort, focus and calm.

So when you’re thinking about investing in technology, make sure that you add “economy of energy” to your list of requirements. Yes it’s important to compare costs and features, – but no matter how good the tool or how reasonable the cost, if its making you use more energy to do your work than is necessary, then it may not be as useful as you think.

I asked her to put the potatoes I had just peeled into a pot – a task which she carried out with great gravity and concentration. When she was done I thanked her for her help, to which she replied:

“I like helping. It’s very fun and I’m doing my job. My job is to be kind and nice and help out.”

Thinking about her lovely philosophy, it occurs  to me that what makes some people wildly successful in the realm of social media is less about their technical expertise and more about their commitment to being helpful. Whether it’s offering advice,  sharing resources or making connections, they too consider it their job to be kind and nice and help out.

I am constantly amazed by this new age of online interaction in which we live. I’m astounded by how easy it is to access the best thinking of smart caring people all over the world, who are unfailingly  generous in sharing their knowledge.

Without ever leaving the house I find myself part of a community of people who in their own unique ways contribute to making a positive impact in their communities, in their sector and in the world. My own knowledge and learning is growing exponentially because of their willingness to share what they know.

People make social media social – and being nice and kind and helpful makes people more likely to appreciate you, respect you and listen to you.

So while there are lots of great tactics and techniques you can and should apply to your use of social media in support of your business or organization, you’ll get a lot further if you remember this golden rule:

Be kind, be nice and help out.