Warning: A computer can cause you to forget how to think for yourself -- if you let it.
I remember the day when I could spell, back when I used to have to open a dictionary. I was never good at math, but I at least I knew my multiplication tables well enough to keep score through a dart game. And while my fingers can still zoom around a keyboard, in the age prior to a computer keyboard's delete button, I used be able to type at least one sentence without making a mistake.
The computer and the calculator are quietly taking over basic skills that I worked hard to master, and it's all because I am allowing my brain to become lazy.
But the trend can be reversed with corrective measures.
Since a freelance writer needs precise word usage to communicate, I've started picking up a dictionary once again. I have observed that I am slowly regaining my ability to spell without the aid of spellcheck. I prefer my hardcover Merriam-Webster to an online dictionary because there is nothing like holding the word in your hand and focusing on it in print. The end result of taking the time to look up a word is that I can see it in my memory and spell it correctly when I need to.
After just a few months, my spellcheck is working less and my brain is working more.
Besides, the computer is not always right. Take for instance the time I didn't react quickly enough before sending an email on which spellcheck changed Rodney's name to Rodent. It was a darn good thing Rodney is a friend and not a client.
So, I strongly believe that skills can and deserve to be recaptured and refined, it just takes a little conscious effort.
What skills would you like to regain? How do you plan to prevent lazy brain?
I remember the day when I could spell, back when I used to have to open a dictionary. I was never good at math, but I at least I knew my multiplication tables well enough to keep score through a dart game. And while my fingers can still zoom around a keyboard, in the age prior to a computer keyboard's delete button, I used be able to type at least one sentence without making a mistake.
The computer and the calculator are quietly taking over basic skills that I worked hard to master, and it's all because I am allowing my brain to become lazy.
But the trend can be reversed with corrective measures.
Since a freelance writer needs precise word usage to communicate, I've started picking up a dictionary once again. I have observed that I am slowly regaining my ability to spell without the aid of spellcheck. I prefer my hardcover Merriam-Webster to an online dictionary because there is nothing like holding the word in your hand and focusing on it in print. The end result of taking the time to look up a word is that I can see it in my memory and spell it correctly when I need to.
After just a few months, my spellcheck is working less and my brain is working more.
Besides, the computer is not always right. Take for instance the time I didn't react quickly enough before sending an email on which spellcheck changed Rodney's name to Rodent. It was a darn good thing Rodney is a friend and not a client.
So, I strongly believe that skills can and deserve to be recaptured and refined, it just takes a little conscious effort.
What skills would you like to regain? How do you plan to prevent lazy brain?
