Get The Rest of Your Life Back—Toss the Tech Tools

You're right about the health risks. I try to write about ways to maintain your health and to get you to think more about the basic concepts that we were taught growing up – while being engaged in this digital age.

Every 30 minutes or so: Stand up and walk around, look away from your monitor and focus on an object far away (yes, you can strain your eyes), stretch too

And also make sure you are sitting in your chair properly, this is an aspect of ergonomics. Bad posture can create room for strained backs and shoulders.

Thanks Ryan!

Looking at the typical information worker, our lives need to be the reverse of previous generations. Used to be you worked hard all day. Whether you were a farmer, a construction worker, or someone who put cars together in a GM factory, you'd come home physically tired at the end of the day. Since you'd already put in a fair amount of exercise, you had a good excuse for sitting in front of the TV or reading all evening.

Now when we spend all day sitting in front of our computers or studying, our after-work life has to be different. It can be tempting to try and spend the evenings doing the same things we did all day. But we really need to get some physical activity in there. Our work is becoming passive, and we need to make sure that some of our recreation is active, otherwise we're in for trouble.

I'm pleased to see a recognition that technology is not an end in itself, and that there needs to be some "high touch" in our daily lives.

I can't cite it, but I heard a few months ago that sitting down shuts down some kind of metabolic enzyme that helps your body burn fat. By sitting down for too long you're actually inhibiting your body's natural self-regulation. And all you have to do is move the laptop and work standing at a countertop for a while.

I'll admit that I am 'plugged in' too much. It came to light when I was reading a blog and wasn't paying attention to my wife telling me our son was doing something cute and new. At that point, I set some boundaries. Before all the technology we have, no one was expected to be on-call 24/7 other than emergency personnel. Therefore, I turn off the screen, and spend time with other HUMANS in REAL LIFE.

I have a more benign view of technology. I think that technology can HELP us in our interactions with people.

For example, the automated postal machine allows you to more quickly finish your business, leaving more time to spend with your spouse/child/dog.

Of course, some of us require more social interaction than others. Ryan seems like a guy who needs to be around people. I, on the other hand, prefer to deal with as few people every day as possible (outside my wife and son, but even they know when to give me my space).

Whatever your personality, it is appropriate to stop and take stock some times. But don't "toss" the tech. Just set it aside.

NorCross: I think you hit the nail on the head. People are expected to work more and more now, although bosses don't always say you have to, it's rather apparent. My Girlfriend works a 40 hour week in a regular office and then routinely comes home and checks her mail at night to make sure nothing happened after she left. She doesn't get paid for more than 40 hours, but the work load they give her is obviously more than one person can deal with in just 40 hours. Before the advent of the internet and cell phones, and laptops, you could actually take a vacation, or go home and let work stay at work. Now, I'm just glad I work in a lab, I can't bring my work home with me.

I just love playing devil's advocate!

Regarding working at home after hours: I make it a point to check my email in the morning before I leave for work. I can handle early morning problems and questions right then, instead of waiting until I get into work. My ability to do this allows me a more flexible work shedule, so I can spend time with my son before taking him to preschool. If I couldn't do that, my boss would require me to be in the office bright and early at 7:30, which I can't do because the preschool doesn't open until 7:00. I still have to work 8 hours, but that extra ability to stay connected helps my personal life.

Also, that ability to stay connected allows me to take time off that I might not be able to take. My management is much more willing to let me take a personal day at any time, because they know I can be contacted if something happens. If I was completely unavailable, I might have to schedule personal days months in advance, and even then not be able to take them, because something important was happening at work.

So it's a calancing act. In other words: With great tech power, come great tech resposibility!

Scott M: I'm glad you play devil's advocate because there are two sides to every story. I mean, I wrote this post sitting on my laptop, Blackberry at my side, totally connected. And it would be very difficult for me to function at the level I need to without it.

I love being able to get out, take personal days, etc. So technology is a blessing as well.

The curse comes into play when we don't know when to turn it off. Or when it consumes us to the point of forgetting about the other important facets of our life.

You seem to be a guy who has his head on straight and knows what is important. I try to be that guy too. Unfortunately not everyone knows how to do this and I worry that they are sacrificing more than they should.

And still, like you say, personality type also plays a role in this. If you enjoy little social interaction, constantly being absorbed by technology or really just like to work, this many not be a problem for you at all.

Maybe I am in my own boat here but I think that the issue isn't necessarily overuse of technology but the inability to escape work due to technology (coming home from work and then continuing to do work related things via e-mail). My first PDA made me feel like I was more productive then ever and now I can't imagine life without my Blackberry.

Look at the Japanese and their work-related death issues. It is referred to as Karoshi and has been a big issue since the early '90s.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN3030114720071130?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews

Im passive worker also. instead fulfilling my jar with full of water n save it for the whole day, I rather take a walk every once in the while to take water/coffee from pantry.

Bubba: I think it's a little bit of both. You're absolutely right to say that technology makes it more difficult to escape work, but if we could learn to turn it off and not let it become enveloped in every aspect of our lives, we wouldn't have to worry about the escape.

Thanks for sharing this article. I've never heard of work-related death in Asia, but I do know that their work ethic is far more extreme than ours. Kind of makes me wonder if our competition with China will have some negative health effects on American workers.

qwertyass: I'm right there with you. Going to take a coffee break right now.

I know that a lot of experts have stated (in different ways) that they believe we do not have the issue here in America because employees receive financial compensation for overtime (pay and a half if hourly) while in most Asian countries the employees receive nothing for these extra hours. If a company is facing an economic penalty for forcing employees to work ninety hours a week they are more likely to minimize the amount of overtime allowed.

Its pretty interesting how the rest of the world functions.

Bubba: Very good point. But financial compensation won't repair my deteriorating physical and/or mental health. Though it may pay for therapy.

All jokes aside though, we're much better off. And even when work really sucks, your point shows that it could be worse.