With a little self-drive, curiosity, and perseverance, you will be amazed how some simple daily troubleshooting on your part can help you gain the techknowledge you need to solve many issues yourself.

Think about the multitude of new technologies that have launched during your lifetime and how you felt when you first used them. Remember the first time you used a DVD player? Got your first cell phone? Streamed a movie on your TV? Heard about “cloud” storage solutions? Do you remember how long it took you to get up to speed? I’m guessing your answer is “no.” Today, most of those inventions are probably essential to your everyday life and as simple to use as electricity. My aim is get you to feel as confident as possible to solve other technology snafus.

If you are trying to overcome a frustrating issue, devote some time to identify the exact steps you took to solve the problem. Write down the steps you took in the order you performed them. For example, say a wireless printer won’t print. What actions did you take to fix it? Powered on/off? Shut off you connected computer, etc.? Reset your modem?

Once you’ve written down the order you performed those steps, and the result, you can further tackle the issue by visiting online forums. Just Google the problem, like: “Epson Printer WF-7610 won’t print.” The resulting links will likely include community forums where users had similar issues. Often, step-by-step solutions will be posted. Not only is this an easy fix, but the more you educate yourself through these forums and advise postings, the better you will be able to think through similar issues in the future.

Pedro Pérez is a founding partner of Nuevo Advertising Group and an adjunct professor of Global Brand Strategies at Ringling College of Art and Design. For over 17 years Pedro has offered clients his knowledge and expertise. Pedro has always demonstrated a keen analytical sense combined with a good dose of common sense in crafting digital and online marketing strategies as part of an integrated marketing plan.

Read more at Perez' blog at Nuevo Advertising