4 Ways to Use Tech to Strengthen Your Pre-existing Skill Sets

In an increasingly digital world, it’s almost impossible to spend a day without using technology – whether that’s as part of your job or simply setting a reminder which helps you to plan your day. While some may be embarrassed about the amount of time they spend on their smartphone or computer, the time we invest in technology can be used to strengthen our pre-existing skill sets that are utilised away from the screen.

In today’s post, the experts at Learn to Trade are discussing how technology can strengthen these pre-existing skill sets so you can utilise those valuable hours of screen time in day-to-day life. From planning your day with intelligent smartphone apps and time tracking software to strengthening analytical skills through increased exposure to graphs and charts, here’s how technology can strengthen your transferable skills.

Plan your day

Due to the efficiency of technology, simple tasks take just seconds – meaning we often find ourselves packing more into each day and leaving us with extensive ‘to do’ lists. It can be difficult to order your priorities, particularly if you have a few large scale jobs which need completing during the day in question. When faced with this situation, time tracking apps are your best friend.

Time tracking software has become an essential time management tool in most business environments, aiding organisation, efficiency and ultimately allowing you to get more things done in the time you have available. While you may believe that time management software does all of the work for you, tracking apps can also help you build on your pre-existing skill sets yourself.

For example, using your previous time tracking records, you’ll be able to estimate the amount of time required for a task you’ve previously done, or a new task based on how long another took you. Additionally, time tracking software allows you to split your day to make it more manageable – taking breaks when you need them or according to your schedule. This works very effectively for remote workers or for those who are self employed by helping them to keep track of the hours they have worked.

Boost your record keeping skills

Record keeping is now often carried out on spreadsheets, which are becoming an essential component of most office environments. Consequently, entering data has never been easier – with tech at your fingertips, you withhold the capability to turn a table into a pie chart in just a matter of seconds.

Whether you’re an employer or an employee, record keeping is essential to the smooth-running of your day to day job requirements, whether that’s for report writing or analysing weekly working time. While record keeping is often easily overlooked, this transferable skill is essential in almost any business environment.

Strengthen your analytical skills

The world of technology is constantly evolving, meaning we can sometimes find the skills that served us a couple of weeks ago no longer serve us today. By spending more time in front of our screens, we’re evolving and developing our analytical skill sets as we gain increased exposure to data such as graphs, pie charts and tables.

One example is forecasting and report writing. As we gain a greater understanding of what is happening in a sea of data and how we can utilise this to predict future trends and correlations, we strengthen our analytical skills.

Such skills are worthwhile in application to all manner of hobbies or side hustles, one of many being trading. As a trader, you’ll need to analyse the market to know when is the right time to start a trade. Further still, your skill set will need to be optimised to recognise this quickly so that you can stand the best chances of making a profit.

The mathematics involved in trading is often presented in technical charts and patterns, so you’ll need to understand these to develop your trading technique and experience. The most successful traders will be extremely analytically proficient, meaning they can make predictions quickly based on small indicators to aid their profitability.

Improve networking skills

If your brand doesn’t exist on social media, it’s likely it’ll fall behind in favour of its competitors. The same goes for you – with apps such as LinkedIn helping us further our career when we’re not in the office, spending hours on your tablet or smartphone may not be quite as unproductive as you had initially thought.

Social media has revolutionised networking as we previously knew it, with apps being fundamental to creating connections with business contacts and clients – social media has consequently become one of the most valuable places to network. Of course, you’ll need to build up a social presence and post engaging content to find like-minded people and begin to build connections.

Through these apps, we build good online networking etiquette including a sense of responsibility and responding diplomatically to criticism, which in turn strengthens our pre-existing skill sets in both a personal and professional capacity.

Photo by Stephen Dawson on Unsplash

Despite us not always being aware of it, the way that we use tech in our day to day life consistently strengthens our pre-existing skill sets. Whether you’re compiling a report at work or creating a new social media post for your personal page, using technology with a view of self-improvement is the best way to strengthen your pre-existing professional and personal skills.

Author bio:

John James is a content writer for Learn To Trade, the foreign exchange education and learning specialists – offering a range of training courses to help people understand the currency trading market, as well as its opportunities and risks.