You know you have techno-stress when you can't keep up with
newspapers and letters that arrive at work and home. Cell phones
ringing in restaurants make you want to scream and your workload
continues to mount as you are available 24 hours a day anywhere
on the planet.
Welcome to the age of technology. An age where computers and
gadgets should free up our time but seem to rule us instead.
Recent news stories have focused on the PDA - the Blackberry as
the 'Crack-berry'. This was first mentioned by L.A. Times
reporter, Joe Robinson, author of Work To Live. He mentioned the
addiction to this portable digital assistant as being similar to
the feelings that a drug addict has to crack. Once a person uses
this device, they can't stop checking emails, phoning, writing
and fidgeting with it.
Some business people go on vacation and 'bring their office'
with them. Is it any wonder they burn out?
If you think I'm cutting down technology, you've missed the
finely pixilated point - these gadgets are great and can save us
time, money and help us find information. The trick is to
control them - not have them control us.
"How do we do that? Create a set of techno-rules for home and
the office."
Try this:
Take out a sheet of paper and quickly write down your biggest
time wasters. These might include: email and spam sorting, fax
machines, too much time on the Internet, too much time to print
a report, the list is endless... Next, try these rules to
introduce simplicity into your life.
* Create a time schedule. Limit the time people can reach you.
For instance, you may be available for work by phone, fax and
email from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. every day from Monday to
Friday. Nights and weekends are off limits except for
emergencies. Before Arnold Schwarzenneger became Governor of
California, he and Maria Shriver decided to put on their
answering machine from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm so they could have
time for their family at home. This may be different now that
he's governor, but I think you get the idea...
* Limit your email time. Limit the number of times you look at
e-mail. Choose early morning, mid-day and late afternoon to
check for messages. Just think about paper mail - you wouldn't
check 20 times a day, would you?
* Limit your Internet time - set a time limit before you surf.
You research one thing and before you know it, you've linked to
five sites and wasted two hours.
* Buy the right equipment. When you're considering new
equipment, seek advice. Avoid buying that new fancy printer if
your old one is all you need right now.
* Hire techies. If you're not technology-inclined and your
computer crashes when a report is due, it may be worth your
while to hire an expert to fix your problem. Sometimes, they're
worth their weight in gold.
* Take a Techno-Escape. Most of us run our businesses with many
digital devices and we need to take a break every once in a
while. Take 10 minute breaks when pressure hits. Get up,
stretch, leave the office and go outside. Leave your cell phone
at the office, talk to friends or hide in your car and put put
the seat down for a few moments of peace and quiet. Before I
applied these rules, I wasted time checking emails 20 times a
day (yes, I was addicted), surfed the Internet too long, bought
the wrong PDA and tried to do all the technical programming
myself. Talk about frustration.
If you follow these tips, you'll never be a slave to technology
again. And the upside? You'll have more time to make money and
take a 'real' holiday.
© 2005 Lisa Rickwood. All rights reserved.
NOTE: You may "repint" this article online as long as it remains
complete and unaltered (including the 'about the author' info at
the end", and you send a copy of your reprint to:
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About the author:
Lisa Rickwood, "The Escape Artist," is an accomplished visual
artist, speaker and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy
Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life. She teaches busy business
people techniques to relax and increase profits. To learn more
about her book and sign up for FREE tips and articles, visit her
site at:
http://www.escapethepace.com
