Simon Manley

My WordPress Weblog

Category: Daily Prompt

A daily writing prompt from WordPress


From Filing Cabinets to Scan Tools: How technology changed my job.

Daily writing prompt
How has technology changed your job?

Technology has changed my job quite a bit and in my opinion for the better.

That’s not to say everything is perfect. DEF systems spring to mind straight away. But if you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Now I can plug into a car and read live data from a system to get clues in the form of codes on a screen that gives me direction to fix the fault.

Technology can’t tell me exactly what to fix or how to fix it, you still need to have skills and think about issues.

Also getting information and data necessary to repair cars is much easier now, it’s on the Internet. Yes you have to pay subscriptions for it, but it’s still a huge improvement over how it used to be. I remember having filing cabinets full of data books, constantly going out of date.

Even going to get parts has been made better by technology. Now you go into the parts store with a registration or VIN number and they can look up any part you need. I remember having to get multiples of the same part because it was impossible to figure out which was the correct one.

It was inefficient, frustrating, and completely normal at the time.

So while there are downsides to modern vehicle technology, overall it’s made the job faster, more accurate, and in many ways more interesting.

You just have to keep up.

Saying no is strategy not a negative

Daily writing prompt
How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

I have a real problem saying no. I rarely do it, and it gets me in a bind sometimes.

But going forward as soon as I’m set up again I will be saying no more often. There’ll be a strategy to it but it’s something I have to do for my sake and for the sake of my clients.

The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.

Warren Buffett

Automotive Telepathy

Daily writing prompt
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

Being able to diagnose a car over the phone. Now that’s a skill I’d love to have.

The amount of times I’ve had people call me and ask to tell them what could be wrong with their car just because the check engine light is on.

Or hold their phone to the engine to ask can I hear something, unfortunately all you can really hear is the wind.

But never fear, the technology does now exist to make this kind of scenario possible. So very soon it will be commonplace.

Compliments: A Reflex, Not a Tactic

Daily writing prompt
What was the best compliment you’ve received?

I feel I give more compliments than I receive. That’s not a cry for attention or an invitation for them. I just feel some people will give them and others won’t; I do it without thinking about it if the situation warrants.

Especially in business if I find someone who I’m drawn to because I feel they’re like minded I will always comment on their work or brand.

As I said I do so without thinking, it’s not a tactic – It’s just me.

Because I tend to give compliments on quality workmanship the best compliments I’ve received have always been to do with my work and the services I provide.

Negativity. Block it out.

Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?

Writing posts on the web brings negativity on a regular basis. It’s hard to deal with sometimes. But you have to remember that negativity is not necessarily aimed at you. It’s the person who’s writing it and their frustration at themselves.

I imagine them being in a worse place than me because I have an outlet for my thoughts but they’re scared to show themselves and it’s pent up anger releasing. And what better way to release it than to take it out on a stranger in an anonymous way over the internet.

So the best stratagey? Just let it go, keep busy and hope they find the peace you have. Sounds easy but it takes work to get in that mindset.

Internet is a deep hole

Daily writing prompt
What activities do you lose yourself in?

The Internet is a fantastic resource and I use it to great effect when looking for information or looking up data for jobs I’m working on.

But sometimes it just robs you of your time. I can lose hours there without even realizing it, and often not even finding the answer I’m looking for!

TV and movies binge

Daily writing prompt
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?

I don’t binge new Nextflix or Amazon – or whatever other services are out there now – shows, I’m not up to the minute with all the new content that exists, but I do watch old shows or at least have them on in the background. I know them off by heart. I fall asleep to them. They are just there to kill silence when needed. Is that even rewatching?

Diagnostic View