Despite being in the middle of a long and wildly varying career in technology, I’ve always favoured low-tech solutions to problems. In my line of work that usually means using some low-level technology solution; like, instead of using giant config management tools like Puppet (a real thing), use a simpler ssh-based CM tool like Ansible. The lower level stuff is usually less feature-rich out of the box, but that typically makes it easier to bend to your will. And, it is almost always more resilient because it’s simpler. But my absolute favourite thing isn’t low-tech tech, it’s no-tech solutions altogether.

The basic problem with technology is that much of it is not very good. Technology is just a product manufactured by companies trying to make money. And, just like non-tech products, a lot of it isn’t terribly effective when stacked up against less complicated solutions. Here are some of the most effective, no-tech solutions to real-life problems: