(This week’s post originally appeared on THWACK.com as a comment during the 2020 December Writing Challenge.)
Over the 30+ years in IT, I’ve become the de-facto tech support option for not only family and close friends, but also my synagogue (and several other synagogues in my area that I *don’t* attend; my kid’s school(s); and a couple of local businesses (ah, the joy of communal living). It quickly became apparent that if I didn’t find a way to jealously (but graciously) protect my time, I’d quickly be stretched past the breaking point, and be of no use to anyone.
The solution I found worked best was to find (and in some cases build) the local tribe of technically saavy folks and share the wealth. We all know we can lean on each other when we’re overwhelmed; We know that – as @KMSigma is fond of saying – “None of us is as smart as all of us.”; and we can create healthy boundaries without leaving those who are technologically needy out in the frozen digital wasteland.