When your work life is out of whack
Back when I became a new mom, The Virginian-Pilot went to extraordinary lengths to come out to the country and install a word processor in my home so that I could work from there while my daughter was young. But I quickly discovered I could not parent and produce solid news stories simultaneously and a few months later asked that the device be removed. A decade later, when I successfully lobbied to have our bureau's first Internet-connected PC, I was doomed to longer hours as the lone reporter with e-mail and Web access. Since then the line between work and home has blurred immensely as a remote employee.
To no one's surprise, especially my own, a new study confirms that the last few decades' technological advances have sabotaged our personal time. I doubt it's unintended. I learned quickly that company-issued cell phones were a bad idea. Sure they pay the bills, but they also require that you be available to answer them on their terms, not yours. Ditto the Blackberry my company offered and I rejected. Now that we can access the Internet on planes, there's no downtime during business travel either.
Finding middle ground is not easy, but this study shows just who runs your life these days. But only if you let them.
To no one's surprise, especially my own, a new study confirms that the last few decades' technological advances have sabotaged our personal time. I doubt it's unintended. I learned quickly that company-issued cell phones were a bad idea. Sure they pay the bills, but they also require that you be available to answer them on their terms, not yours. Ditto the Blackberry my company offered and I rejected. Now that we can access the Internet on planes, there's no downtime during business travel either.
Finding middle ground is not easy, but this study shows just who runs your life these days. But only if you let them.
