The Incentive of Care: Why Local Owners Work Harder for You

As life goes by, I've noticed that I prefer going to small shops and businesses. Mainly because, whit the right people, small shops and businesses attention tends to feel a lot more personal.

This kind of places tend to do so, because they tend to serve a smaller number of clients and that gives them the chance to actually create personal connections with the people they serve. As such, their service feels more tailored and personal to those who use their services or buy their products. Not only that, the owners of these businesses have a better chance to react to the wants or needs of their clients, making the whole experience feel even more personal.

While the offerings of small shops and business can compete on the number of products or services they can offer, they can compete on offering a more tailored offering to people they serves, making them a better option at times even when they can be a bit more expensive.

Most often than not, also the service that comes along with the experience, or product, you get from them make it worth while since you know that who is at the other side of the counter has an incentive to give you a better deal to keep you coming back. Not only that, when you become a regular the incentive to better serve your needs becomes even greater since your good will and word become the best advertisement they can have. In many ways, the incentive to create a sense of community around them is quite bigger, since that community is what will support them in the long run.

for them, treating their costumers like people is far stronger. Specially since the owners, and employees, tend to make roots at the community they serve because they know they people who live in it because they are their costumers and friends.  While this can be a double edge sword, if it is well managed it can be their biggest strength since it means that their costumers are far more loyal to them since they feel like the business is part of the community and it serves them in some level.

The biggest problem for this businesses if their reluctance to adopt new technologies that could better help them to stay relevant in their communities, like the web, smartphones, and the like. Those who are able to integrate new tech that their clients adopt too, are the ones who become even stronger.

To be honest, the ones I like the most are those small shops and business that adopt those new techs that don't lose that human touch. 

From Dongles to Bluetooth: My Two-Decade Wireless Journey

I've always used wireless tech whenever possible since the early 2000s, when at the time it meant using a dongle to connect your mouse or keyboard wireless to your computer or laptop. On the headphone side of things, I didn't use Bluetooth one since the ones I like were to expensive until about 5 years ago.

But, since I started using Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, and headphone about 4 years ago, they have become my favorite way to connect this kind of peripherals  to my my laptop when I'm use them at the office or home office. When on the go, I mainly bring with me Bluetooth headphone and mouse, the mouse is something I don't always use when I'm at the coffee shop, or bar, working or just browsing the web.

To be honest, Bluetooth peripherals are more than good enough for working, casual gaming, browsing the web, or things along those lines. Specially if you don't like looking at wires on your desk, and want a cleaner desk setup, it makes sense having any of these peripherals, specially since they have come down in price as the Bluetooth has matured, and more people use keyboards, mice, and headphones on their setups.

I don't see them becoming as cheap as their wired counterparts, but with time the price difference won't be that big, and more people will be able to get a workable Bluetooth keyboard or mouse that will be more than good enough for most use cases. Specially on the headphone and mouse category, since most people who use a laptop as their daily driver won't need to have a Bluetooth keyboard at hand, unless they want on for their office, or home office setup. Personally, that is my case, I've a Bluetooth for my hone office and my office, but when I'm any where else I just bring my Bluetooth mouse and headphone with me.

Even if I got a desktop for my any of my offices, I would look for them to have Bluetooth. I don't really want to go back to use dongles, since they take a port away and I rather have those ports available to use for other things, like USB sticks, external hard drives, charge my laptop, or monitors.

As time goes by, I see mobile tech becoming better. Which means that people will be better able to set their setups to their specific needs. Even portable monitors are becoming better and cheaper as time goes by, which is greet for those who like to work with a couple of monitors, or want to connect their smartphone to a bigger display when the task calls for it.

As someone who has rooted for mobile tech to get better, I'm somewhat happy where it is now and hopeful for its future. 

The Hustle Culture Trap

The problem with the hustle culture is that it makes work not just a part of your life , not just a part of it. It is unhealthy to focus just on the hustle, as it is not giving any importance at all.

Yet, it is important to keep a balance between work, rest, and doing other things just because you enjoy doing them. While you can enjoy, even love, what you do to be productive, you can also feel the same way about you do just because you enjoy them just for the sake of doing them.

Jobs are just part of your life, and they are just jobs. The rest of your life outside work is just as important, and worthy of being enjoyed as much as you do your job.

Most importantly , modern tech has made possible to have a better balance. We can be more productive at work, and enjoy our free time more giving us access to find more things that enrich our lives outside it. Sadly, it has been used to try to blur the line between the two. Just because we have always have access to a laptop, or a smartphones, it doesn't mean our time is available to work all the time.

Life is not about the hustle, hustle is just a part of your life. Hustle doesn't mean anything much if you don't give yourself the chance to enjoy what happens outside it.