Having worked in the charity sector for over 12 years, I’ve got experience in a fair few areas now. From training and advocacy to projects and volunteer management, there’s some good strings on my metaphorical bow already I reckon. But it turns out I’m now adding IT-helpdesk and engineer into the mix, and its non-negotiable.
The “Nearly New”
Early on I decided to invest in a new laptop. Although a frustratingly big expense early on, it felt the only way to give me confidence to start out, especially given the way our family laptop was determinedly taking early retirement. Also, apparently, non-negotiable. So as a bit of a cost-saving exercise and as a nod towards “buying less new” wherever possible, I opted for a refurbished laptop. Not without the risks, I realised, but I compared prices, technical spec, checked return policies and independent reviews and went for it.
Now, overall, I think it was a good choice. It’s in really good condition, great speeds, reliable, modern and crucially it’s comparable to what I’ve been using for work most recently rather than our old home laptop. But wow, have I been tripped up along the way.
Hello?
So. Picture the scene. Your first ever meeting with a new client, and only the second client you’ve worked with so far in this new freelance world. You agree to a Teams meeting, you prep, you take notes, you remember (for once) to check what’s behind you, you log in, introduce yourself and………….no-one can hear you. Nada. Nothing. You think, you’ve got this, it happens. You check the Teams setting. Nothing. You check the laptop settings. Nothing. You update the *THREE OTHER* people in the meeting (solely there to meet you) in the chat function and resist the urge to panic. You log out. You log back in. Nothing. You try logging in from your phone but the clash between already being logged in on another account sends it into a spin, and you get nowhere there either. The host graciously offers to swap to Zoom. You make them a hero of the republic in your head as you await the invite in your inbox and frantically google “why isn’t my laptop microphone working?????” Google delivers unhelpfully detailed steps that need a day to work through. The Zoom meeting starts. But doesn’t deliver results either. Stress levels peak. The only other option is another laptop – which, finally, does actually work. 20 mins into the meeting. So far, so professional.
At least another two hours of googling, trial and error and roping in my husband in in another room in the house for testing, finally meant we cracked it, although worryingly I’m not sure I’m certain how exactly I did it. But for now, at least, my laptop has a working microphone. Ability to have Teams meetings? Tick.
Computer Still Says No
As if I hadn’t had humiliation and frustration enough, I’ve also recently found that while my laptop speakers work just fine, adding headphones to the mix creates radio silence. Cue another rabbit-holes worth of googling and some very confident assurances from stranger’s articles about “updating sound drives” and I’m near to admitting defeat. Because not only do I really not have a clue what most of them are talking about, but a lot of them casually mention its quite “a thing” for Windows 10. As if I’m meant to feel better. So now I’m caught between the inconvenience of not being able to use headphones or taking the plunge, trusting strangers and being my own IT support. I’ve added it to my list of “things to do” when I’m feeling particularly caffeinated and resilient. Not quite this week when my daughter is suddenly deciding to have 3-hour wide-awake parties overnight.
I Do Want You, I Promise
Now I’ve never set up and run my own website before but I definitely foresaw running a blog and a professional website as reasonably straightforward. A ton of people do it and host providers are keen for business and therefore want to make it as simple as possible. Or so I thought. Being 6 weeks into this blog and unable so far to crack putting a subscribe option in has been a pretty constant source of frustration. It just does not make sense. I don’t know whether I’ve accidentally stumbled across the most complicated host, or design format, or some other mysterious formula that I’ve completely missed but I am stumped. I’ve gone from pillar to post (or help article to YouTube videos) to no avail. All I’ve progressed to is requests for more plug-ins, more payments and more accounts for extras, and I’m starting to lose the plot. Thankfully I’ve remembered a friend’s husband works in the world of website so I think I’m about to call in a beer/BBQ type favour and see if they can save me!
Web Master I am Not
It’s not just subscribing though (please do, by the way, whenever I work the thing out!) – it’s so far pretty much everything to do with the website, even in the basic format I’ve chosen. I’ve paid for a domain and paid for hosting services, and I’m researched and used top recommendations for both. But then at every corner – pay for security, pay for SEO, pay for mail marketing, pay for integrations, you can’t possibly access this functionality without signing up for three more accounts that don’t make a whole lot of sense. Oh, none of this is starting to make sense? Tough. I’m now hugely impressed with anyone who’s got the tenacity to run any kind of website without an IT degree (or back up company) – I feel like most of it is written in a language I don’t understand, every aspect wants more money and none of it is quite delivering what I’m after. I’m clinging on my fingernails. So far I’ve just about got what I need together but I’m now adding “website design/management” to my CPD list for a quieter period in the hope that in quieter (more sleep-filled) times, I’ll be able to see a clearer path through the myriad of options.
Where Am I?
Undoubtedly, one of my greatest challenges at the moment is working out where on earth I’m meant to be/what I’m meant to be doing on any given day. And it’s mostly down to IT (well, I mean, my life admin could do with improvement but let’s focus on IT for a second). I’ve accidentally fallen into the trap of having a personal Outlook inbox and calendar that I’ve started using for freelance work, alongside a Gmail calendar for personal commitments on my Android phone, and a shared family Gmail calendar for kids/school/nursery things. Oh, and some things go on the physical kitchen wall calendar, just to keep us on our toes. I’m constantly at risk of double-booking or missing something. I mean it’s hard enough balancing work commitments, personal commitments and family things (either direct kid things or knowing you having to cover childcare because your partner’s got a commitment), but I feel like my IT isn’t exactly helping. I need synchronicity – way of integrating work, personal and family so that I’ve got half a hope of knowing what I’m doing and where I need to be.
There Must Be a Better Way
I’ve got a nagging feeling, a lot based on seeing glimpses of people doing things a lot better than I am, that there are some amazing IT solutions out there that I’m not utilising. In the same way that I found and fell in love with Doodle years ago as a great way to easily find a date between multiple people, especially ones from different organisations, I realise this was a fair while back. Calendy, for instance, is one I’ve got my eye on. Once I’ve sorted my multiple calendar debacle, it looks like a great way of safely sharing spaces in my diary with external contacts. But there’s a whole world out there of great tools for time tracking, social media management, project management, creativity and design platforms that so far are just lurking on the edge of my conscious. I need some serious focus time to have a little delve into what’s out there, and maybe canvas some options on the most useful ones to start with. I’ll aim to boomerang back with the best ones later on.
The Future Is Digital
I got quite giddy when my laptop first arrived, set up Outlook, Teams, started my OneDrive – thought I was starting out well and had some solid foundations. Turns out mid-conversation with a client that I can’t open PDFs (thankfully my phone can). Gone now are the days of my laptop automatically being populated with the programs that are necessary for day-to-day office life, set up and configured to help me, relatively seamlessly, with my work world. Now seems to be a daily battle not to be caught out by what I didn’t realise I needed to have sorted with my tech. On my long list (that never seems to decrease) on “business admin behind the scenes things” is definitely to spend some quality time fixing some of these daily niggles, to reduce my risk of lobbing my brand new (sorry, new to me) laptop out of the window, as well as improving my overall efficiency. However, I also recognise I’ve now got more freedom to try new solutions and apps because I’m in control of my own little “corporate world”, I just need to up my game to make the most of what’s out there. And hope that the worst of “trip ups” are over, because if there’s anything worse than despairing and realising you need IT specialist, it’s realising that person is apparently also you.