The Web Lifestyle
I went to bed the other day, trying to get some rest since I haven’t been getting much of that lately but it turned out to be impossible. A fire of passion was lit in my mind. The kind of fire that turns your brain into a never ending thinking machine and gives your eyes a look sharper then the edge of a knife. You know that fire.
The concept that transformed my mind into this hurricane of thoughts was a concept by the famous Bill Gates, the so called web lifestyle. I have read about this concept in his book Business @ the Speed of Thought and I find it fascinating.
Gates is, just like Steve Jobs, a great visionary with a habit of accurately predicting the future. In a speech 7 years ago, he stated that “business is going to change more in the next 10 years than it has in the last fifty,” and I believe it already has.
Now more than ever, business is about speed. Speed often seems to walk hand in hand with technological breakthroughs allowing for shorter business processes. Since I am of the new and upcoming generation, technology and speed have been in my life since early ages but many of todays business men and women have not had much experience with technology and therefore I believe that many of them have a problem understanding the importance of it.
Gates writes in his book about something he calls the digital nervous system of a corporation. This digital nervous system is the backbone which allows for information to flow not only inside the corporation but also from the outside. The effectiveness of the nervous system determines the health of the corporation, thus a healthy corporation is one that lets employees and customers access and share information at the speed of thought, with a simple click of a button.
But my thoughts are not about the nervous system. You see, the nervous system relies not only on the corporations ability to provide the features but also on the individuals ability to adapt to the web lifestyle. Now, take another look at those words and let them sink in for a while. Web lifestyle. My interpretation of this concept is seemingly simple; always accessible, always accessing. The tools are all around us, the web infrastructure is greater than ever and the possibilities are endless.
Getting work done fast is many times a direct result of fast information flow, and that is what the web lifestyle is all about. Bringing effectiveness to the people. Going from thoughts to actions in seconds rather than minutes or hours. Cars get faster, internet connections get faster and so do business processes. The future is already here.
The web lifestyle is something I have grown up with and live by. I own a MacBook because of its simplicity and ability to get the job done. 1400 wisely invested dollars that make me accessible through MSN, AIM, Skype, email and so forth. iCal keeps me organized and I have wireless internet connectivity wherever I may go.
But that’s not enough. My .mac account allows me to sync all my data between different devices and access it online, all in a simple manner. My calendars, shared files, contacts, emails and bookmarks are all available for me from anywhere in the world. All this is done automatically without even the need of pushing a button.
Cell phones no longer only makes us accessible by phone 24/7. They also allow us to send and receive emails from anywhere in the world. Smart phones are even better, giving us the ability to do all this but also edit our calendars on the fly, or even compile and read documents. We’ve got all the tools we need.
Paper and pencils are things of the past. Processes that ten years ago took days or even weeks can today be completed in a matter of seconds. It is all about adapting to the web lifestyle.
I am not merely talking about technology here. It’s about information flow and how technology can be used to maximize effectiveness in our every day lives.
We only live until the day we die. Why not make the most of it?
Adapt to the web lifestyle and get more work done in less time.
“The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competition … is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.”
- Bill Gates
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