A survey of office professional that was done by Yahoo! Hotjobs revealed that 75 percent of the respondents said they use their wireless device equally for both work and personal purposes. Only 8 percent reported that they are completely offline when away from the office and 27 percent said they are so attached to their wireless device they only leave it alone when they are sleeping! Technology is a wonderful thing but it also has a way of complicating our lives. The availability of technology has given us more of an imbalanced life here are three tips to help you start correcting the imbalance. Follow Up to Today’s Earlier Post
According to a survey of office professionals by Yahoo! Hotjobs, the line between our personal time and professional time is being all but erased as more of us use laptops, mobile phones, and smart phones to stay connected.
This observation comes as no surprise to us.
The survey’s data reveal that “75 percent of respondents say that they use their wireless device equally for both work and personal purposes. In fact, only 8 percent report that they are completely offline when away from the office and 27 percent admit to being so attached to their wireless device, they only leave it alone when they’re sleeping.”
While we can all agree that technology is a wonderful thing, our never-ending tightrope walk is to make use of this technology without becoming a slave to it.While instant communication gives the appearance of making our lives easier, the speed of this technology has a way of complicating everything we’re doing, ultimately wasting even more of our precious time as we:
- Re-do what we did while multitasking,
- Make up for not fully being there for those around us while we had one foot in our work and one foot in our personal lives, and
- Do damage control for the unintended consequences of our hastily-relayed spoken and typed words.
Not surprisingly, here’s what the survey found:
- “A quarter (26 percent) of respondents feel that wireless devices keep them on a permanent corporate leash;
- Twenty-three percent say that they are easily distracted by work-related emails and calls during personal time; and
- A third (33 percent) find it more difficult to get their point across through electronic communication than a live conversation.”
In addition, two-thirds surveyed admitted to connecting with work with their wireless device while on vacation (see today’s earlier post). Yahoo! Hotjobs Marketing VP Susan Vobejda believes this may “indicate that the American workforce may be facing burnout.”
What can we do to correct this imbalance and stop this trend dead in its tracks? Here are three ways to start:
- Be aware that there can exist a “bleed-through” from work to home. Try to minimize it.
- Start drawing boundaries. Schedule your personal and family time just like you would your business appointments.
- Be daring – Set aside a few hours or even a day each week for some “you time.” Turn off your cell phone, pager, PDA, and computer, and spend time with family, friends, or alone – fully present and uninterrupted.
