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Are Productivity Tools Making Us Stupid?
Do you think that throughout time, people have always forgotten each other’s names within minutes of meeting one another? Or just us?
Before our smartphones had calculators, did people flinch at doing basic calculations on pen and paper, possibly even in their heads?
I have a love-hate relationship with productivity tools that rob us of our capacity to experience deep, creative thinking.
On one hand, these ingenious hacks save us time and effort, making us feel smarter for adopting new ways to get things done quicker.
The other part of me feels like my brain is beginning to atrophy with all these shortcuts.
What use is my brain if we’re outsourcing all the work?
Where’s the fun in that?
Tools Rob Us From Deep Thinking
Eight years ago, I was gearing up to apply for medical school.
In order to attain some work experience in a healthcare setting, it was widely recommended that we spend some time volunteering in a care home for the elderly, so that’s exactly what I did.