Millions of us have busted our smartphone displays, and then suffered through the unconnected days that followed until we could replace our screens or phones. But there aren’t many who crash the screen on the eve of a critical week of back-to-back meetings. Which is what I just did – the night before the start of CES early this month. But guess what? I managed to stay connected. I was already wearing what I needed to get by, just like Dorothy. But my pair of ruby-red slippers was a smartwatch, which I used as a portal into the phone. You could do it too – and with a little planning, fare better than I did. Here’s how.

Read my entire column in USA TODAY here