Confession – I am addicted to being connected. Yup, my phone is always in my presence and even though I make efforts for it not to draw my attention, it still does.

The thought of an e-mail going unanswered or a text not responded to or a project not completed causes me physical discomfort.

Now don’t get me wrong, technology has changed our lives forever through various ways and some are even good.  I can connect with my family in New Zealand through WhatsApp, or with you all so easily through our Huddles. I video HEP’s for clients and message them in an instant. Amazing!!!

Technology has changed our day-to-day life in all aspects. It has made some benefits to our life as well as disadvantages to our life. It has also deprived a lot of things of our life like mailing hand written greeting cards, and letters to our loved ones.

But here’s the downfall:

• Studies have shown that if you use an electronic device during a class, meeting or a learning experience you will retain and contribute less and so will the people sitting near you.
• Another experiment at the Wharton School of Business showed that just having your smart phone on your desk reduced your productivity by 10% - even if you’re not using it.
• Arianna Huffington founder of the Huffington Post, after finding out that she was selected as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world collapsed and broke open her jaw and was subsequently diagnosed by her personal physician with – get this - Civilizations disease also known as burn out. Being connected 24/7.

So where do your boundaries lie? Where do you draw the line in the sand? For me it’s still a work in progress. BUT I have taken a few baby steps, like turning my phone over during meetings and dinners.  Turing my computer onto sleep mode while talking with people. Small things to let the person who is front of me REALLY know I care about them.

Wishing you a great day
-Craig