So how do you choose the right tech for your course?
A lot of course creators get stuck when it comes to choosing tech for their courses. And I get it – there are so many different systems and programs available, it’s hard to choose. I feel exactly the same when I stand in the biscuit (aka cookie) aisle of my local supermarket. Too many delicious choices.
And it’s a very real thing. When there are too many options, we feel anxious or overwhelmed and feeling this way can impede our ability to make any decisions. So, if you’re feeling stuck it’s probably due to decision fatigue.
The more choices you have to make, the more difficult it gets to make a decision – and with course creation, there are many decisions to be made. The main symptoms of decision fatigue are avoidance, procrastination, indecision and impulsivity. Which explains why I end up with 5 boxes of different types of biscuits in my trolley instead of just one – I can’t choose, so I impulsively grab the first 5 that catch my eye (at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).
Not only are there too many choices in course creation, but to compound the problem, the options that are available have complicated and vague information on their websites. Making it difficult to compare “apples with apples”. So, you end up trying to compare apples with bananas and oranges instead. Which just causes confusion, so you don’t make any choices.
So now that you know the struggle is real (and you’re not alone) how do you choose the right tech for your course? Here are three ways to overcome course tech decision fatigue.
#1 Limit your options
One way to overcome decision fatigue is to simplify your options so you have fewer decisions to make. Want to buy a microphone to record your course videos? Go to Amazon and select the top three with the best reviews that are in your price range. That way you only have to make a decision between three options instead of 100s. And if you end up with something you aren’t happy with – return it and choose the next one on your list. Or if it’s a program you need to decide on, like a video editor, for example, Google video editors and then pick the top three Google suggestions and give them a try. Most software/apps have free versions or trial periods so you can test them out before you buy.
#2 Sleep on it
Don’t be like me in the biscuit aisle and buy impulsively. Do some research and limit your choices as per tip #1 – then sleep on it. Research shows that the best time to make decisions is in the morning. So, if you sleep on it – you’ll make a more accurate and appropriate choice in the morning. We tend to get worse at making choices throughout the day and by evening our decisions may be more impulsive, so avoid making big decisions when you’re tired or hungry.
#3 Stop second-guessing yourself
Once you’ve limited your options, slept on it and made a choice, be happy with that choice. Don’t waste energy worrying about whether or not it was the ‘best’ choice. You made the best decision at that moment with what you knew – rehashing your decision and second-guessing yourself will just keep you stuck when you should be moving forward.
So even though there are hundreds of tech options available, and you can research different choices endlessly, it doesn’t mean you should.
Sometimes all you’ve got to do is pick something and run with it. What’s the worst thing that can happen? That you have to ask for a refund or return a product?