Getting frustrated trying to learn new things!

Its hard to learn new things if your focus is elsewhere, if your are worried and tired - its probably just having too much on your plate at once. is there a friend who can go through each thing with you bit by bit?

Oh yes I am just the same. I just cannot get to grips with lots of modern techno stuff. Sometimes I just won't try because it makes me feel so useless. My husband uses U tube. He types in "how to set up my printer/ camera or what ever. He says it gives him step by step instructions that are visual. I think suebailey is probably right. If your already anxious or tired things just seem worse. My biggest problem is the techno speak my team leader uses and expects us to understand. oh dear it causes me real stress to the point of stopping me sleeping. He bombards us with it e-mail after e-mail.

Can I suggest that you enjoy learn what you need to know and no more. I worked as a professional photographer for 10 years at the latter end of my career, but there were many things on my camera that I did not need to use, so I did not clutter my brain up with it all. Even if your camera is all-singing, all-dancing there will be an auto setting that you can use. I would suggest that this is what you should do and spend several months with just that setting. As you get more confident, you can add in other options that you might use.

It sounds as though she has bought you a digital SLR (one that you can change lenses) and to be honest they are a complete pain for the sort of photography that you are likely to want to do. If that is the case, then make sure that the lens can be altered (usually by twisting) to take both close-ups and wide angle (distant). If not - you need a different lens that has that capacity. As to the tripod, you really only need this if you are taking photos in very low light, in order to stop the camera shaking (when there is little light the aperture is open a long time and can pick up your shaking hand!). The alternative is to stick the flash on.

Please get it out of the box, and look in the instructions for the easiest auto setting and get snapping! Just don't read it all - work on a need to know basis.

I don't even think it's an age issue - everything's so complicated these days, and changes so fast! If you haven't hit the ground running (i.e. at 5 or so) it's very hard to catch up...

I have that problem with my camera. I have one that says no camera-shake, which I tend to use on automatic, but my husband had a more complicated one, which I intend to master. My son says I should teach my grandson photography as part of his home schooling. We have hundreds of pictures of trains at the moment. I need to learn about macro photos to take photos of plants with him. That'll take a while. It's just that I do not want to let a good camera go to waste.

mishap is spot on - don't try and learn what you won't need! The other thing is that it is much easier to learn by someone showing you in person, rather than trying to work it out from the dreaded manuals. If there isn't anyone (NOT family!) who could do so, you might be able to find a class in a local college or U3A.

DS1 's mantra is RTFM. Read The F***ing Manual. I find that does work for a lot of things combined with googling the problem. But I do sympathise. Mr P very generously bought me an iMac as a retirement present. At that point I was still working full time, my Dad had just died and I was struggling with grief and paperwork.Plus supporting DD and DGS in many ways. I was less than grateful and it sat in the box because I just couldn't cope with another thing. However when things were calmer I took it out of the box and gradually sorted it out. Love my iMac now but at the time I could have cheerfully hurled it out of the door.
Moral is be kind to yourself Bikergran. Do as much as you can cope with at the time and Only what is essential. Not age but too much going on in your life

You are definitely not the only one Bikergran.

iPhones, iPads, iPods. These technical doofers are marvellous things but God does my head nip trying to remember 'everything' they do. What doesn't help matters for me is there is no instruction book as all info is online and by the time I have read how to do something then go back into where I started, I have forgotten half of what was written.

I do wish I had started learning this when I was 5 instead of 45!

Agus I think they start learning at 2 now. My youngest GC can find her way around my iPad and my Kindle Fire.

You need to get a printer, Argus. Believe me, it's much easier to make sense of the instructions when you can read them on paper while having a reviving cup of tea!

Yes, but make sure it's an Air printer if using and iPad.

I just gave my new laptop to DD and she gave it back up and running windows 8.
I only know how to do the things I want too on any of my devices. I'm on my second lumina I don't even know the model and am still surprised when having a fiddle to find 'Oh, I didn't know it did that'

Icy, my husband died two years ago. He knew how to use his camera, but as his illness got worse, we bought an antishake easy shoot and point one. But he could not teach me to use his by then. I agree with you, Agus, about online instruction books. So many pages to print, and they all refer you to somewhere else. Then you go and lose the CDrom that they are on.

I have a b....y air printer too. More technology! . Pages of instructions!

Went to buy a new colour cartridge for my printer today, and they did not have one, in the three shops I looked in. Does it mean my printer is now too old. I actually have two, which take the same cartridges.

mishap purple and all..yes you are right! think we try to pack our brains with too much at one given time,mishap yes I will put it back on auto and conquer that first lol think I am running before I am walking, I have managed to top up my new phone, but 2 bundles for txt and calls so far so good (only took me 3 hrs) lol.oh the joy of techy...lol.take care everyone and enjoy your new toys

It is impossible to learn how to use something just from the manual. You have to have the Thing on your hand and try out each move in practice so that you are not afraid to press buttons. You will end up with a hundred photos of your feet and the ceiling, but you can always delete them.

Printing out the manual is a great idea. Then you can take a coloured highlighter to mark the bits that you will be referring back to most often, and write remarks all over it.

And don't try to do all the advanced stuff until you have used it to do the simplest manoeuvres for weeks. Learn slowly, if you try to learn fast you will forget fast.

Unless you are my OH- he is meticulous and very patient- and will work it all out, bit by bit- any machines, technology, fancy computer stuff, cameras, you name it. Personally I just look at the first paragraph and throw the book away in a rage. I just don't get it. Mind you, I'd love OH to put as much determination and enthusiasm about DIY- but that is just not going to happen!!!

I am actually very good at learning 'some' new things- I have a good ear for songs and music, and I learn languages very easily- still today.

Horses for courses. OH and I are totally complementary- chalk and cheese- but somehow, it works.

Like your OH Granjura, DH will study a manual cover to cover. I open it on a need to know basis. I have print outs for the items mentioned and keep,them in a plastic folder, 1 folder per machine.

I am not a slow learner but I find that some of the terminology is a whole new language.

One thing that annoys me is,when I ask DH to explain something, he starts off with, it's simple ........yes of course it's simple when you know what you are doing and DH explaining anything is not done in simple terms plus, he throws in another couple of,options

I remember back in the 60's when we had a 'reel to reel' tape recorder. My father thought it magic and never mastered how to use it. In comparison to technology today there was nothing to it and I reckon I could still set one up.
I am definately on a need to know basis but the trouble is I can work something out but the next time I want to do it I have forgotten. I even have to go into Tesco and get one of the staff to put another £10 on my phone. This has only happened twice in the last 7 years so I do have a small excuse !

I`m not alone once again I`m not alone oh thank you all so much I am trying to conquer putting photos from my camera onto my laptop and then the really hard part onto FaceBook and have been in despair - went to a class in the Library but as my laptop is Windows 8 nobody knew what to do. I did work away at it and thought I mastered then there was a catastropic 2 events within a few weeks of each other and everything I had learned or worked out has flitted out the window and last week tried to get my head around it all once again no luck.

I had not considered that this blockage could be related to having far to much on my mind. I feel tonight much more relaxed - thank you all - all round

Oh Crikey Windows 8 Sparkygran even my son out law who is an IT prof hates Windows 8 with a passion. But you too have had too much on your mind to have space for tetchy stuff
durhamjen Have you tried googling code number of cartridge you need? I always buy mine own line now and they have vast stocks. Also usually cheaper and quick free delivery. If it doesn't appear anywhere, you may well have very old printer. I was told that many companies no longer replace cartridges but simply buy new printers, so they always have reliable printers! What a wasteful economy we live in

Of course I meant techy stuff. I hate autocorrect!

It does make you tetchy though.