By Debbie Ireland

The rate of change is mind-boggling. As Kurzweil said, we are going to see 20 thousand years of progress this century, compared to 100 years last century! If you think you are tired now – things are only getting faster!

In this blog we will cover:

The exponential growth of technology
The increased pace of our lives
How this impacts us
Coping with this extreme acceleration of change.

Technological change is exponential – look at it this way:

20 years from now, the rate of change will be 4x what it is now. Things will keep accelerating from there, and in 40 years, it will be 16x.

Said differently, for someone who is about 44 today, when they’re 60 in 2040, the rate of paradigm change will be 4x what it is now. They will experience a year of change (by today’s standards) in three months.

For someone who is 10 today, when they’re 60, they’ll experience a year of change in 11 days.
Michael Simmons (2020)

No wonder we are tired! We are fighting to keep up with this pace. Predictions years ago, thought that technology would give us more time. They were wrong. We are instead time poor. People are stressed, overwhelmed, and constantly in a hurry.

This image, put simply, shows change over time and the pace of technological change. Just think! Half a century to adopt the telephone, 8 years for the mobile and then a magnitude of changes in computer hardware, the internet, AI and connectivity like we have never seen before. The Digital Workplace Conference was created specifically to help professionals stay ahead of this curve.

Image Published November 25, 2021 by technoxian

The PACE of our lives is spinning faster and faster

Important life updates become moments of scroll time on social media
We abbreviate messages and speak in acronyms
We shop online with unrealistic expectations
Slow internet speeds frustrate us
So does waiting in line
If videos bore us, we play them on fast speed
Fads/quick fixes and shortcuts are common requests
Fast food, throwaway consumables are the norm
We are spoilt for choice and still demand more

Have we got to the point where the pace of change can’t keep up with our own expectations?

The IMPACTS on us are also higher

Sedentary lifestyle and sleep disruption
FOMO, pressure to stay connected and cyber-bullying on social platforms
Overwhelm and anxiety from the constant need to adapt to new tools
Competition is at its height causing overwork
Increasing rates of anxiety attacks
People bombarded with notifications, information which leads to cognitive stress
Remote work causing home and time pressure

How do we cope with this extreme acceleration of change?

Stay ahead of the curve by compounding your learning

Much like compounding interest, our learning needs to accelerate in line with change. Cumulative learning gives you a competitive edge, in-depth knowledge and skills development and personal growth. It helps you adapt, do your job better, or change course.

We have amazing speakers and workshops at the Digital Workplace Conference Feb 27-28 for all professional roles. This is so you can get ahead of the competition and further develop your skill set.

If you’d like to learn more about what to expect, click here to see what is in store at NZ’s biggest Microsoft 365 conference. Alternatively, you can secure your place at DWC by buying a ticket here.

“When you set aside an hour in your day for deliberate learning, your productivity for the day may decrease, but your productivity over your life skyrockets as your knowledge compounds.”
Michael Simmons

Compounding can also be related to improvement. Make small incremental gains from daily enhancements to what we do. This leads to widespread process improvements, and increased productivity.

Note that it can be as important to quickly find out what “not to do or not bother learning” so you have band-width for the good stuff.

Look at your perspective to help you adapt to change

Where do you focus your energy?

Do you put all your energy into resisting change? Do you look for alternative ways to do things or stay stuck with your head in the sand?

Or

Do you put all that energy into learning? Do you see what is coming as exciting and inspiring? Do you look for ways we can enrich and improve our lives, our work and our productivity? Can you see new opportunities?

It is important to keep an open mind and be flexible to move with change.

Every single day, every project, every relationship, every task – we make a choice.

We can also choose physically how we adapt. I recall during speaker training, that instead of experiencing the butterflies in my tummy as nerves, I could acknowledge they are in fact the same sensation as excitement. Seeing them as excitement changed my perception. It made the presentation something to look forward to.

The same can be said about stress. The symptoms of sweaty hands, a pounding heart and fast breathing could be seen as signs you are not coping. Reframe your thoughts to seeing it as energizing yourself to face the oncoming challenge.