Overcome your fears of simple office computer tasks

In this fast paced world of technology, it can be daunting and time consuming to keep up with the latest basic computer skills when you have a business to run. But, with a gentle push in the right direction, you can be back on top of your daily workload.

There are many training options to choose from today, and it is worth considering which methods suit you.

You may prefer to learn with practice data instead of your company's live data, with a trainer to support and facilitate through guided exercises. Or you might consider your approach to learning "little and often" - where you can learn a skill, practice it while you work, and build your skills from there.

Sometimes the real benefits come from combining different approaches over a set period of time, to maximise the benefits of training and implementation. Let's look at some of the options available to you.

'Off the job' training methods include instructor-led training, floor walking, roll-outs, closed company and online learning.

E-learning involves getting training material and exercises over the internet. But this may be daunting in itself if you're not fully comfortable with basic computer or internet tasks, and you may end up getting more frustrated than you were to begin with. You may miss having the option to turn to a trainer and say "how do I do that?"

Therefore, for a more tailored approach, you may like to consider one-to-one training or 'drop-in surgery'. This enables you to get specific help on a certain topic from a trainer when you need it most.

Start out simple: go about your work day as normal, but jot down all the computer related tasks in which you think you could improve, or where tasks are very repetitive. For example: perhaps you are spending too much time collaborating sales data from different sources, and calculating future predictions.

Next, spend an hour, or half a day with a trainer asking specific questions, receiving hands-on training. In the example above, a trainer could show you how to use Microsoft Excel to put together a simple formula, using data from multiple data sources.

All that's left is to ensure you use these newly learned methods in your daily routine. Repetition is important in the learning process, so take a little extra time each day to cover what you've learnt. After a while, you won't even think about the new skills you have learnt. And, you can always get more one-to-one training to further advance your knowledge.

With a tailored, one-to-one approach, you can overcome your fears of learning new computer skills and become even more productive in your daily business life.