HomeAuthor InterviewsInterview with Dr. Nitin Paranjape

Interview with Dr. Nitin Paranjape

Dr. Nitin Paranjape is the author of Efficiency Best Practices for Microsoft 365, we got the chance to sit down with him and find out more about his experience of writing with Packt.

Q: What is/are your specialist tech area(s)?

Dr.Nitin: Microsoft 365

Q: How did you become an author for Packt? Tell us about your journey. What was your motivation for writing this book?

Dr.Nitin : A typical user is not an expert in any app. Despite that they are expected to be efficient and productive. I wanted to help all users by making them aware about the most important available features. That is why I thought of writing the book.

Q: What kind of research did you do, and how long did you spend researching before beginning the book?

Dr.Nitin : I did not do any specific research for this book. I have been working on Microsoft platform for over 30 years. Products have changed, user needs have changed, technology has changed. But one thing remains constant. Most people do not even know about the features available in the apps they use. There is a huge and ever-widening gap between available features and awareness about those features. Nobody is proactively trying to bridge the gap. That is the objective of this book. Help users understand what is available so that they can find their needs behind the features.

Q: Did you face any challenges during the writing process? How did you overcome them?

Dr.Nitin : For 30 years, I have been presenting, teaching and coaching – from a stage – in-person events, conferences, seminars and workshops. I have also written lot of blog articles and created videos. Therefore, I am used to creating content in various formats. The thing which is unique (and challenging) about the book is that you have to be very meticulous and precise in every aspect. I found it difficult, and time consuming. To complicate matters further, products get updates all the time. So it is race to keep the content and visuals as current as possible.teful to the Packt team for the flexibility they offered me as the book should have been published The most challenging part was finding time for writing and being a full-employee worker, but has been such a pleasure after all these nights reading and writing seeing the whole book finished.

Q: What’s your take on the technologies discussed in the book? Where do you see these technologies heading in the future?

Dr.Nitin : Microsoft 365 is used by 1 billion+ users globally every day. The number will only increase. But the users are still working in an inefficient manner because they don’t know which tool and feature to use when. That problem will continue to plague all technologies in foreseeable future. This book is an attempt to address the issue.

Q: Why should readers choose this book over others already on the market? How would you differentiate your book from its competition?

Dr.Nitin : Microsoft 365 contains 25 apps. As a typical business user, I neither have the time nor the inclination to go through so many apps and figure out what I need. This book covers the most important features across these apps which every user should know. You don’t need to have hands on skills. Most books focus on one (or few) topics and cover it in-depth. This book covers all apps and DOES NOT cover them in-depth. In today’s world, breadth of knowledge is more important than depth. The purpose of this book is to provide this breadth. In addition, this book teaches you “how to learn on your own”. The readers will have the capability to learn in-depth topics when needed.

Q. What are the key takeaways you want readers to come away from the book with?

Dr.Nitin : At least 20 minutes of time saving every working day. Clear understanding of which tool / app to use when. Ability to learn new features in a logical and intuitive manner. Ability to discover their needs behind thousands of available features. Efficiency + Empowerment.

Q. What advice would you give to readers learning tech? Do you have any top tips?

Dr.Nitin : Do not get carried away or put off by the jargon. Think logically. Don’t focus on HOW to do something. Learn the WHAT benefit of a feature / app provides. Check if it is relevant to your needs. If yes, then learn the HOW. If you have a need, assume that some app somewhere must have given a solution. It is in your interest to find the app / feature.

Q. Do you have a blog that readers can follow?

Dr.Nitin : https://efficiency365.com/blog

Q. Can you share any blogs, websites and forums to help readers gain a holistic view of the tech they are learning?

Dr.Nitin :https://efficiency365.com/blog , https://youtube.com/c/efficiency365

Q. How would you describe your author journey with Packt? Would you recommend Packt to aspiring authors?

Dr.Nitin : It was an enriching process. I learnt a lot about the process and effort that goes into writing a book. We also used the efficiency best practices described in the book to write the book. If you are planning to write a book, go ahead. Do not delay. Because whatever you know is going be obsolete very quickly. So while you have the knowledge and while it is current, share it with the world.

Q. Do you belong to any tech community groups?

Dr.Nitin : No.

Q. What are your favorite tech journals? How do you keep yourself up to date on tech?

Dr.Nitin : None. I learn on my own by reading, trying it out and mapping it to customer needs.

Q. How did you organize, plan, and prioritize your work and write the book?

Dr.Nitin : Well, read Chapter 6 in my book on Time and Task Management 🙂

Q. What is that one writing tip that you found most crucial and would like to share with aspiring authors?

Dr.Nitin : Document all thoughts. You get ideas all the time. Don’t lose them. Write them down somewhere. And while writing the book, revisit those ideas, refine them and incorporate them. The more you ideate, the better the output is.

You can find Dr.Nitin’s book on Amazon by following this link: Please click here

Efficiency Best Practices for Microsoft 365 is Available on Amazon.com