“If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.”

-Gail Sheehy

Many of our clients ask me how I keep up with all the changes in technology that happen every minute. They want to know if I spend hours upon end online keeping up with the digital tornado that keeps the world of blogs, podcasts and online communities swirling together.

They are often shocked by my reply. The answer is I don’t try to keep up. I never have and I never will. I’d be crazy to think that I could.

Does that mean I don’t pay attention to advancements and developments in my industry at all? Heck, no. Then I wouldn’t be an expert.

If it sounds like I’m sitting on the fence, that’s about right; only I wouldn’t call it a fence (because I think fence-sitters are dilly-dalliers), I’d call it walking a fine line between being overly obsessed and comfortably in-the-know.

So, how DO I keep up with technology and, more importantly, how can you? The best way is to use strategy and structure. How can strategy and structure help you keep up with an amorphous, blob like technology?

Strategy

Make a master plan that includes how and how often you will address staying current with technology. Depending on your industry, maybe once a quarter you sit down and read a handful of trade publications or industry newsletters. Maybe once a month you offer to take your favorite technology expert out to lunch in exchange for light banter and guidance on where to focus your attention. Maybe it’s a teleclass or a webinar about the latest technology. Whatever it is for you, figure out your strategy – your how and how often.

Structure

Whatever your strategy is take the next step and fit it into your schedule (which, if you’re going to be successful, should be structured). Don’t just say you’re going to spend an hour each month learning about technology – block time off in your calendar and locate and register for a course you can take every month.

What works for me?

Every Tuesday and Thursday (again, this is my industry), I take a chunk of time to get caught up with the blogosphere. I only focus on online and social media technologies. I don’t know much about hardware, software or networking anymore because this is not a core service that we offer our clients. It’s taken me awhile to find this rhythm and I couldn’t be more pleased when people ask me about computer networking to say, “I don’t know.”

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Lena West is the Chief Strategist at xynoMedia, a New York-based firm that helps companies develop social media marketing plans as well as build blogs, podcasts and online communities. You can read her Entrepreneur Magazine blog here: http://techforward.entrepreneur.com/