Slow-tech.

I don’t get this “wait-in-line-for-days-to-purchase-a-device” business.

It’s not that I’m technology-averse. Over a decade of online content creation would indicate otherwise. I read books on a Kindle as much as I read physical copies (though Kindle has yet to match the glorious smell of fresh ink).

It’s just that I’m a really late adopter. I mean, I refused to get a smartphone until a little over a year ago. For YEARS, I made fun of people who texted, and told people I didn’t text because “I’m not a seventh-grade girl.” (I definitely ate those words.)

It’s not that I always prefer to be low-tech. I’m just more “slow-tech.” I’ll wait a long time before adopting new tools. That way, the early adopters can work out all the bugs for me. I don’t need the newest, latest, greatest. I just want something that works, and sometimes it takes a while for me to be willing to let go of the familiar and try something new.

However, I am trying to become a little more open to tech. For example, it took me a little while, but I started using Evernote about 2 years ago (though it doesn’t seem that long ago). I love it. It’s become my digital brain, storing lists and information that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to recall if my life depended on it. If you don’t use Evernote, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

But thanks to a new book by Tim Challies (which I’ll be reviewing soon on this site), I decided to bite the bullet and take another leap into the 21st century. Until now, my calendar and to-do lists have been mostly paper and pen (or marker, or colored pencil). I bought big monthly desk calendars and week-by-week planners. I had countless scraps of paper to keep track of my tasks (until I started jotting them down as a “note” on my ipod).

Last week, I made the leap. I’m now on Google Calendar and Todoist — two applications that have been recommended and praised by bloggers and productivity gurus and tech geeks alike. (I realize the Venn diagram of those groups is not very broad.) I was a little nervous at first, entrusting my calendar and task lists to the ephemeral zeroes and ones of the interweb. But I have to admit, in the early going, I’m starting to wonder how I functioned without it.

“So much for one day going off-the-grid,” says my beloved wife. And I think she’s right. (Sorry, dear.) I wonder if I’ll ever want to go back to a low-tech option for my scheduling and task lists. At this point, I’m pretty enamored with the easy accessibility of these online platforms.

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That’s really all I’ve got for you today. Nothing profound–just a little bit of geeky giddiness about how technology is actually making my day-to-day go a little more smoothly.

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Your Turn: Are you an early-adopter or a slow-techie? Do you have favorite apps or devices for increasing productivity or helping your life and work function more smoothly? Share your recommendations in the comments below! (But be nice: if things devolve into a pro-Apple/anti-Apple slugfest, I will turn this blog around and drive home, just you watch.)