Ultimate productivity: reality or fantasy?

"Absorb what is useful, reject what is useless, add what is specifically your own."
-Bruce Lee

[poster from our senior design project]

As an industrial design student, it seemed that every assignment could be solved with the design of an electronic device that made the consumer's life more productive. At each class review, you would see projects designed to organize your kitchen, track your fitness level, monitor you caloric intake, or keep track of your to do list. Even I was not immune; for our senior thesis project, a friend and I designed a handy gadget to manage your finances from your pocket (or more specifically, your purse!). All of these ideas were merely fantasy--that is, until the iPhone came to play.

As Rob and I contemplated (and saved) for our iPhones over the last couple of months, we rationalized the purchase of $200 phones because they can do so much. Our GPS quit working--an iPhone can give us directions. Our mp3 players are losing their edge--an iPhone can be our music player. We can't keep up with small scraps of paper--an iPhone can save our notes electronically.

As I downloaded apps this weekend, I saw my iPhone as the ultimate productivity tool. Technology was going to whip me into shape. And then Sunday evening, as I downloaded an app to manage my grocery lists, I realized...I'm still going to have to make time to input all of that data. Same with all of those devices we designed in school--an iPhone is really only as productive as I am. If I didn't make pantry lists, exercise logs and budget graphs before, I'm probably not going to with an iPhone either.

I'd say I'm still in the honeymoon phase with my new gadget--but a bit of reality is starting to set in, too. Good thing I'm still in love with the idea of carrying the Internet around with me in my purse! That makes it all worth it!