Rotary Phone Nostalgia
If you frequently type numbers into a computer, a 10-key is an essential productivity tool. But one hobbyist decided to build a less efficient system out of an old rotary telephone.
A video on the website Hackaday.com shows the contraption at work (direct link):
Why are we showing off an old rotary telephone used for text entry on The Methodology Blog? It’s not because this is a brilliant idea that you should try at your own office. Rather, the hack is a good example of lateral thinking. Instead of creating something to increase productivity, this little invention actually decreases productivity.
Figuring out how to do the opposite of what you want sometimes helps to put the problem in clearer perspective. This might be good evidence that what you need instead is something like the following:
At Slaughter Development, we work to encourage clients to think in all directions. If you’re struggling to come up with ways to become more productive, try thinking of ways to become less productive. Great business processes arise when we are open to every possibility. Contact us today to learn more!
Interested in how doing it wrong can lead to doing it right? Watch for our forthcoming book, Failure: The Secret to Success, coming out this Spring!
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March 8th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Little known trivia…when the touch tone phone was invented, Bell Laps inverted the dial pad to be “upside down” from the standard accountant’s 10 key. Their concern….people who were skilled at the 10 key would be able to input the numbers faster than the telephone systems behind the touch tone could deal with them.