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Become Tech Savvy Series

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Deconstructing how to use technology with confidence and ease

Foundation:

Strategy:

Backing up & password management

Navigating software

Updating & optimizing your devices

Wireless carriers & cellular usage

What

This series offers a unique system of mastery to become tech savvy, which we define as the ability to use technology with confidence, ease, and minimal frustration.

Who

This guide is designed for anyone who wants to become tech savvy, no matter your age, experience, background, or current skills. This is also a great resource to share and reference if you’re helping someone else.

Why Become Tech Savvy?

To make creating, sharing, playing, and working efficient and fun. Every day our lives are more intertwined with technology. From printing pictures to ordering food to staying in touch with family, technology is everywhere. Also, being tech savvy can repay you many times over in time savings, which allows you to focus more energy on your priorities and helps you enjoy life more.

How is this different?

Most tech resources are dense manual style books, isloated Q&A’s, or how-tos, which can help you learn a specific task, but are not efficient and effective ways to master the overall skill of using tech with confidence and ease. As Derek Sivers says, “If information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.” Having the right mindset, changing unhelpful beliefs, and having an efficient and effective strategy for your learning is what will unlock your success. Here’s why you can really become tech savvy with our free guide:

  • Growth mindset: A productive mindset is the greatest factor in your success. We’ve never seen any other tech resource discuss this.
  • Transform unhelpful beliefs into useful ones: Learn how to start telling helpful stories about yourself, your abilities, and goals instead of limiting ones.
  • 80/20 Principle: Jumpstart your progress by learning what 20% of things to focus on to give you 80% of the results.
  • A strategy that works: Get results as we deconstruct the why-tos and how-tos. We’ll show you the best ways to build your experience and exposure and implement deliberate practice.

To read this series chronologically, scroll to the bottom and work to the top

How to track and manage cellular data

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First time checking out this series? You may get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Last week we focused on deconstructing the complicated nature of the wireless carrier world and today we’re going to dive deeper into how to track and manage your cellular data usage.


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How to pick the best wireless carrier

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Become Tech Savvy

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Choosing the best wireless carrier for your needs can be an overwhelming and challenging task. Between the carriers battling with commercials and marketing, fine print, plans always changing, limited-time offers, and a shift away from smartphone subsidies you can spend a lot of time sorting it all out.

In today’s article we’re going to take a look at deconstructing the complicated nature of the wireless carrier world and providing concrete steps you can use to make sure you’re getting the best service at the best price for your needs. Skip to the ‘Do This’ section at the bottom if you want to get right to next steps.


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How to update software on iPhone and iPad

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How to approach updating software on iPhone and iPad

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Staying up to date with software can sometimes be a confusing and frustrating task, but fortunately it’s a more straight forward process with iOS than compared with macOS.

First, let’s define some of the vocabulary we’ll be using. Software can refer to both the applications (apps) or the operating system (iOS) for your iPhone or iPad. We’ll define apps as computer software designed and written to fulfill a particular purpose.


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How to speed up a slow iPhone or iPad

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Become Tech Savvy

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Much like we discussed last week about Macs, one of the great things about the iPhone and iPad is that they often last a long time (although users typically update iPhones more frequently than iPads and Macs). While this is a hallmark feature of a quality product, your iPhone or iPad performance may also decrease the longer you own it.


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How to speed up a slow Mac

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First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

One of the best things about a Mac is that they often last a long time. While this is a great feature of a quality product, your Mac’s performance may also decrease the longer you own it. And even if you have a new or relatively new Mac you’ll likely find some value in the tips below.


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How to update software on your Mac

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Become Tech Savvy

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Staying up to date with software can sometimes be a confusing and frustrating task, these issues are usually caused by the various ways that different software is designed to update and where it was installed from. The good news is that Apple is continually improving how updates happen. With its latest operating system, macOS Sierra, there are some sharp features to make updating software more smooth and seamless. This won’t apply in all instances, but still helps provide an overall improved user experience.


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How to navigate macOS with ease

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Become Tech Savvy

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Last week we covered building confidence and ease with iPhone and iPad navigation by dialing in to five different features and how they work. We’ll do the same today looking at macOS (previously known as OS X) which is Apple’s operating system for Macs.


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How to navigate iOS with ease

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First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning, however you can also use the series overview if you’d like to go buffet style.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Now that we’ve got the priorities of backing up your information and password management addressed it’s time to focus on becoming more confident in the everyday use of your devices. In today’s post we’re going to focus on the iOS user interface.

If you’re not already familiar, iOS is the operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Apple is often known for having the most friendly and easy to use mobile operating system on the market. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a learning curve or that everything is obvious.


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How to save your data manually with iPhone, iPad, and Mac

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First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning and checking out the series overview.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Up until now we’ve addressed the foundation of becoming tech savvy with how to get in the right state of mind and transforming limiting beliefs. For strategy we’ve naturally tackled the two most important priorities first, getting automatic backups in place and getting a handle on password management (part 1, part 2, and part 3).

Before we move on to other topics like the best ways to navigate a user interface (UI) or shortcuts in macOS and iOS I want to wrap up the first portion of this series with a focus on how to save your information manually.


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How to use iCloud Keychain and common concerns

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First time checking out the Tech Savvy series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning and checking out the series overview.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

In our previous article we took a look at how to get started with password management using 1Password. Today we’ll look at using Apple’s iCloud Keychain, and answering some of your common password management concerns.


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How to implement and benefit from password management software

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Become Tech Savvy

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning and checking out the series overview. In our previous article we took a look at how to approach and manage passwords. Today we’ll jump into applying those ideas with 1Password.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this series is designed as a resource you can share with those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

In last week’s post, Michael went into a high-level overview on the importance of password management and preparing to implement a strategy. A lot of the frustration with password management stems from how overwhelming it can feel to get started. With so many usernames, passwords, sites, and accounts out there, the prospect of organizing it all can seem like climbing a mountain.

So while there is a decent amount of work to get things going, it will pay big dividends in time savings and reduced frustration. We’ll help you see this is really doable by breaking down the process step by step.


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How to approach and manage passwords

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First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting at the beginning and here is the series overview. The previous article in this series is How to set up automatic backups in macOS and iOS.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this is designed as a resource you can give to those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

A big benefit of our hyper connected world is that we have access to almost any service or system almost anywhere in the world. Because we can access accounts and information without being physically present, unique identification is required for internet accounts. With the large amount of unique accounts most people have, it quickly becomes clear why password management is one of the biggest frustrations people face with technology; there is a lot of information, it changes, and is often simliar but different from account to account.

Like having a solid backup strategy (which we covered last week), implementing a good password management plan allows you to save time, stay more secure, and worry less. This will allow you to focus your time on what’s important and also position yourself to continue building your tech skills. In this article we’ll address how to approach password management, the what, why, and good software options.


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How to set up automatic backups for iPhone, iPad, Mac

Become Tech Savvy hero image

First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting with the first article and here is the series overview.

Note for regular readers, the already tech savvy, and IT professionals: this is designed as a resource you can give to those you are helping or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

So far we’ve covered why you can and should be tech savvy, how to get in the right state of mind, and how to transform your limiting beliefs and set some stakes as you work towards the goal of using technology with confidence and ease. These aspects are the hidden forces that hold us back from achievement, so with all of them addressed we’re all set to move forward with our strategy.

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Become Tech Savvy: Transforming limiting beliefs and setting stakes

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First time checking out this series? You’ll get the most value by starting with the first article. Also, here is the series overview.

Note for the already tech savvy, IT professionals, and regular readers: this is designed as a resource as you help others or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

Now that you’ve got the hang of operating in the positive state of a growth mindset, let’s look at how the stories we repeat shape us.

Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny. -Gandhi

This quote paints a clear picture that it’s the small thoughts and words we repeat day in and day out that create our habits and actions, which in turn create the results we see after a year, decade, and our lifetimes.

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If you truly want to become tech savvy, you’ll need this…

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If this is your first time reading this series you’ll get the most value by starting with the first article. Note for the already tech savvy, IT professionals, and our regular readers: this is designed as a resource as you help others or for those looking to become tech savvy on their own.

Background, Expectations, & Best Practices

The foundation and most important factor in becoming tech savvy (or learning anything) is your mindset. Research shows that people with a growth mindset are more likely to achieve success in part because they believe they can. Alternately, people with a fixed mindset, who believe they can only achieve according to ingrained talent or aptitude are more likely to give up on their goals.

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Why you can and should become tech savvy

Become Tech Savvy hero image

Become Tech Savvy is a series designed for anyone who wants to learn how to use technology with confidence, ease, and minimal frustration, as well as those who want to help someone else with technology. No matter your age, experience, background, or current skills, this series will provide a unique strategy for mastery.

For the already tech savvy and IT folks, this will be a helpful resource to share while supporting others as we’ll deconstruct the big barriers that keep people from becoming tech savvy. Follow along for why anyone can and should become tech savvy and why this series is unique.

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