How To Stay Current in Digital – In a Way That Keeps You Sane

Staying current in digital does not mean you need to set up a TikTok account and start practising the latest trending dance moves in the mirror. I don’t ‘do’ socials. I am not active on Instagram (aside from the occasional photo of my cats – and what else does a grid need, anyway?) and I rarely post my thoughts on Twitter. Does that mean that everyone like me is ‘out of touch?’ No, actually.

I think a lot of people can identify with me on this; with feeling like you must be active on every single platform, especially if you work in the digital world, but those efforts feel can forced, hollow, and quite frankly draining. We’ve all read the reports about what social media exposure can do to your mental health.

I make it my business – literally – to keep abreast of the latest innovations in technology. As a digital expert, I don’t engage with certain platforms, but I do make a concerted effort to understand how they work, and how they impact brands, communities, and individuals. I choose to invest my time in researching and getting information from subject matter experts inside and outside of my network, to expand my knowledge of new dimensions in the digital sphere and complex areas such as the metaverse, blockchain, crypto, and NFTs.

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It comes down to something that remains at the core of my being: curiosity. Here are some ways I nurture that quality with a view to staying current, without needing to be an IG influencer:

• Reach out to your network

Talk to all of those interesting connections in your feed. Most recently, I picked the brains of one of mine who runs a paid marketing agency, and another who runs their own SEO agency. I make it a point to ply them with drinks once every so often so that I can really do a deep dive on certain topics, because they are the experts (and it helps that they are good fun too). It’s also good to stay close to friends who are at every point in the start-up journey – they experience new challenges all the time and sometimes I can help, sometimes I can’t, but it’s always useful, for both of us, to talk things through.

Do ask those burning questions. Don’t be afraid of looking silly. Do surround yourself with people who don’t mind sharing their knowledge. These conversations might even lead to a second career. More and more people I know are embarking upon them, including a good friend of mine who has launched a new career helping brands understand all things web3.?Branching out and staying curious might just see you discover your next or ‘true’ calling.

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• Discover authors to follow

I follow various authors on Medium, covering a range of industries and topics. Sami Abdullah, for example, works at a VC firm in the States and focuses on SaaS metrics, and I find the way he writes really interesting. Scott Phillips, founder of Rise Art is another; he writes a lot about NFTs, and recently posted a brilliantly insightful article about his exploration into the blockchain that I have referred to many times.

• Take jobs that force you to learn more

That doesn’t mean you should apply for things you have no expertise or experience in or try to secure a role under false pretences; it simply means you should consistently challenge yourself to learn more. I got a fantastic piece of advice years ago from Luke Mayhew, who suggested that I could learn a lot by joining the Audit Committee of the Tate Enterprises board. The Committee was kind enough to accommodate me and I learn so much each time we meet.?It’s made me a more effective Board member for sure.?

• Stay close to start-ups

They are at the bleeding edge. I’m currently an investor and advisor for Sook and an investor in Duel. They’re very different business models, focused on very different goals and industries, and it helps to keep things fresh. Thankfully, CEOs have been kind enough to let me be a part of the circle, and stay close to their businesses in a way that I may not have otherwise been able to. I make a point of capitalising on that so I constantly have a foot in the game, and I really try to learn as much as I can about what they're learning.

• Invest in Section4

Section4 is a group of seminars designed to equip curious, ambitious thinkers with all the know-how to excel, and make business education more accessible to everyone. Its seminars act as deep dives into a particular subject matter area and feature award-winning professors and thought leaders who bring real-world insights to diverse groups all hungry to learn, myself included.?

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The Tech Spec

Interesting tech I’ve seen this month:

• RocketBooks – A low-cost, high-tech tool that allows you to write what you want using a special pen and notebook and then upload it to the cloud using a QR code (supporting studies that prove that writing information down helps you to learn and better remember information).
• Popplet – A visual thinking tool that lets you use interactive mind maps to sketch relationships between notes and multimedia research material.
• Evernote – An old favourite, and a tool I would be lost without. Evernote helps you to capture and arrange ideas, to tackle any project with your notes, tasks and schedule all in one place.
• Todoist – A personal checklist application that syncs across digital platforms and apps like Google and Dropbox, via the cloud.

Written by Gabrielle Hase.

CEO of?Soleberry Advisory?and digital Non-Executive Director. I want to help solve the problem of the lack of appropriate female and digital skills and perspectives at the board table.?

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