For the past week I’ve tossed and turned in bed having dreams where I’m saying “I have too many tools.” I know that means I’m caught in a corner where I’m using a large number of different software, apps, and platforms as I try to stay ahead of students who want to know the best tactics they should consider when becoming employed full time.

Some of my lost sleep happens because I’m confusing myself with a fragmented workflow that is spawned by my constantly switching between different tools, each with its own interface and way of doing things.

I’m taking charge of the situation by breaking down my personal information silos. I need to amalgamate important data that is scattered across different platforms. I need to figure out a way to connect terabytes saved inside OneDrive, Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, YouTube, Spreaker, and Flickr. I need to know that I can get a holistic view of my work by addressing one search window. This means I need to bolt a large language model onto my workspace.

In the context of the book “Competing in the New World of Work,” : Keith FerrazziKian Gohar,and Noel Weyrich discuss the concept of “radical adaptability,” which involves constantly anticipating change and transforming yourself through it. Having too many tools can hinder this process, as it can make it more difficult to adapt quickly and effectively. That’s me, now, and hopefully that’s changing.

My Desktop Tools