Leadership

Have We Become Slaves to Our Mobile Devices?

By Stefan Deeran

Updated on: June 3, 2009 / 11:10 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

The Find: It is possible for us mere mortals to set boundaries and resist the relentless pull of mobile devices.
The Source: An article by attorneys (and iPhone addicts) Thomas J. Van Gilder and Michael M. Rosen in the American.

The Takeaway: Imagine if a novelist were to chronicle your relationship with your mobile phone. Whether in a company meeting or on the freeway, the temptation is always there to fire up your phone and escape the monotony of everyday life by slipping into the virtual realm. As Gilder and Rosen point out, if you think about it, that sounds eerily similar to the problem Frodo faces in the Lord of the Rings.
The consequences of modern day infomania are clear enough to anyone who has wielded the latest generation of phones (getting into accidents while texting, annoying co-workers with your indifference, blurring the lines between work and life). Even our poor president couldn't kick his "Crackberry" addiction.

Yet the benefits of these new communication tools cannot be denied either. With self-discipline, it is possible for us mere mortals to set boundaries. Here are Gilder and Rosen's recommendations:

(1) Do not use while operating cars or other heavy machinery;

(2) Establish and abide by ground rules for use at meetings;

(3) Force yourself to quit using the devices periodically throughout the day, especially at home, in the presence of loved ones, or on weekends;

(4) For every 20 minutes on the screen, look 20 yards into the distance for 20 seconds (at least); and

(5) Um ... hold on a sec -- just checking email ... oops! There's a text message from my college buddy ... be right there ... Okay. Now. What was I saying?

All kidding aside, disconnecting from mobile devices has taken on a religious significance for many, whether it's Catholics giving up texting for Lent or observant Jews abstaining from phones during the weekly Sabbath.

So why not pick a day each week, say Sunday, and turn off all of the email machines for the entire day? Rumor has it, you can still get the important news in paper form.

Image by Flickr user "Incase Designs," CC 2.0.