In this age of technology, I often wonder whether or not we are too connected. Gone are the days when we each had a level of anonymity or uninterrupted time to ourselves. Today we have the ability to stay in touch with everyone, at any moment. *Cue flushing toilet*
Has our ability to stay connected surpassed our ability to handle the technology? Have employees become more productive as a result of having so much technology at their fingertips? *Cue texting* Have leaders become more effective as a result of being able to check their email, voice mail, texts and status updates at any time, in any place? *Cue small child, “Mom, mom, mom, ma, mom, mom, mommy, ma, ma…* Is it a better work environment knowing that you can be contacted 24/7? *Cue beach sounds as you “enjoy” your vacation* Have we learned to use technology to benefit our environment, or has technology made us a bunch of jack of all trades, giving full attention to none?
I give you Exhibit A:
What would happen if you turned off technology for two (waking) hours a day?
We would love to hear your opinions on how technology has impacted your professional performance and effectiveness. And out of curiosity, how many of you were reading this while doing something else (like attending a meeting, watching TV, nursing a baby)?
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We do need to turn off, but we also need to narrow the funnel. I turned off yesterday from about 4 PM until this morning. The trick is learning to unsubscribe or delete or ignore content that isn’t relevant. Just turning off sometimes helps us feel more overloaded.
Hi Mike,
I like your idea of “narrowing the funnel”. Some information is relevant and it’s convenient to have at our fingertips. Yet with the amount of information we receive, creating a priority for what gets our full attention is critical.
Today I took my niece to a park and was disheartened to see a number of parents texting. In my opinion, they were missing the moment. I wondered what message they were sending to their children as they were sending other messages across the wire.
All the best to you, Jen
I’m trying my best to suppress a DEEP belly laugh so I don’t interrupt everyone in the office. That was a funny video. It’s also a scary video.
I like Mike’s comment about filtering out relevant information. That goes a long way to making connected time productive. My problem is taking time to do so. Anyone like me, who has a problem organizing, can get lost in this information overload.
I find that I never spend quiet time anymore. I’m either checking scores, emails or tweets, looking up something or listening to music on my iPhone. However, Jen’s park comment has me rethinking some of that.
As always, it’s been fun connecting with you guys…
Marty
Hi Marty,
I’m smiling at the thought of you having to suppress your laugh! Excellent. My favorite is the lady sipping coffee directly from the machine. I think I may have done that before…hmmm.
You bring up a valid concern for those who lean towards disorganization: the information abyss. I think that’s why I liked Mike Henry’s idea of using an information funnel. And then adding to that, keeping our priorities straight. My experience at the park was eye opening for me, as I had brought my BlackBerry with me. Seeing parents ignore their kids was more than enough for me to keep my focus on what was important at that moment: my beautiful, creative, spunky little niece. And I enjoyed the moment because I was 100% committed to it. What a difference that made for both of us.
So maybe our progress towards “the moment” will be measured by our willingness to give that moment all of our attention.
You are always a bright spot in my day! Jen
Sadly, I can relate to all of these examples (especially the texting during meetings, as I recall back to a recent all day meeting) . Good article that reminds me that being a good multitasker doesn’t always get me the best out of life.
Thanks!
Hi Tabitha,
Great example: texting during meetings. I think we try to trick ourselves in believing the myth of multi-tasking. As you say, it just means we won’t get “the best out of life”.
My BlackBerry recently stopped receiving my emails from my gmail account (long, technical story). At first, I was annoyed with the lack of readily accessible information. Three days later, I’m not that anxious to fix the problem. It’s kind of nice to have moments where I can focus on the moment itself, without giving one second to a piece of technology. Granted, I’m probably going to remedy the issue today, but it was just one more eye opener to how much I’ve allowed technology to accompany me everywhere. I agree with you…focus on the here and now. Those emails, messages and texts will still be there when we can give them our full attention.
All the best, Jen
Fun video Jen. Thank you for sharing. I recommend disconnecting periodically http://bit.ly/dBtJKg In addition, I have learned the art of filtering, engaging with people via LinkedIn Twitter that are information brokers so I spend less time on line since I know they are filtering out all the noise and posting relevant content.
Hi Jim,
Yes, I’d read your post and it definitely resonated with me. It’s wise to utilize filters in order to keep focused and connected to the bigger picture: life. I get the sense that you’ve developed a system that works for you; allowing you to engage, learn and collect relevant content in a way that does not overwhelm you. Excellent!
As always, thank you for your insight, Jen
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