1. Step away from the smart phone!
There’s a reason that the new desired state amongst trendsetters is to be anonymous and uncontactable.
As a society we’ve become, arguably, too connected. Too available. Too addicted to those little beeping machines in our
bags, pockets or on our desks and bedside tables.
Go on, admit it – can you resist that little tone that says ‘Hello! Message for you!’?
From a world less than twenty years ago when ‘waiting until someone returned in the morning’ was a fast enough
response, now we can reach colleagues, friends and family pretty much 24 hours a day, we can juggle many different
information streams at once and, as a result, the pressure to respond instantly, to make fast decisions, often drives us to
make less than perfect ones.
Nicholas Carr, the author of ‘The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains’ and ‘The Big Switch: Rewiring the
World, From Edison to Google’ believes that the ability to juggle tasks, to keep track of different streams of information
simultaneously, is one of the human brain’s great strengths.
However, for Carr, the problem is that - thanks to our more or less continuous connections to the Internet and other
electronic media - we never stop multitasking and constant multitasking is associated with shallower thinking, weakened
concentration, reduced creativity, and heightened stress.
Some of the worst offenders are business leaders. We can’t possibly miss a message, it might cost us money! The reality
is that there’s a very compelling business reason to get a grip of how much technology is dictating the pace of your day.
Stepping away from the phone or computer and the pressures of minute-by-minute issues offers a chance to gain some
perspective on your business, to look at it from a distance and see what the real priorities are. It is as important to work
on your business as it is to work in it. That is the only way to make good decisions about the longer term future of your
business.
A growing number of people are adopting a daily ‘digital detox’. For many, this is focused on their home, to try and
ensure they get quality downtime. But it can also apply during the working day.
With my coaching clients I advocate regular time away from the technology to take stock – and as much of the evening as
possible given over to relaxation.
It can be as simple as switching off the phone whilst you eat your lunchtime sandwich, devoting an hour a day to ignoring
incoming emails, no phones on in restaurants – or taking half a day every couple of weeks to get out of the office,
perhaps with key colleagues, to review the business.
Everyone can find the time to follow at least one of these simple rules. Old habits die hard, but getting in control of your
technology addictions will pay dividends; giving you a new energy and perspective on your business and on your personal
life too.
If you would like some support in getting perspective on your business challenges, please give me a call on 0121 711 7801
and let’s organise to meet for a coffee.
Now, where’s my iPhone. I think I just heard a text come in…
Sue
www.sueyatespersonnel.com sue@sueyatespersonnel.com
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