Friday, January 16, 2009

Is technology good or bad for work-life balance?

My husband gave me a BlackBerry for Christmas, and I'm afraid I've fallen a bit in love (though I could -- and just might -- be wooed away by an iPhone, if the price is ever right).

The irony here is that I didn't think I needed that much connectivity until I actually had it. And, now that I have it, I'm loathe to give it up:

Now, I completely understand why they’re called “CrackBerrys.” And I still swear that I have absolutely, positively no need for that much connectivity. But being able to check my email while waiting in the parking lot? It’s … very convenient. And being able to text using a teensie tiny QWERTY keyboard? Much nicer than the beep-boop tapping on that flat Razr keypad. And being able to send a Tweet or update my Facebook status? Totally unnecessary — but very, very nice. ... [More]

So, does technology make it easier or harder for you to find work-life balance? And, while I'm asking... iPhone or BlackBerry?

1 comment:

American Fables said...

Absolutely addicted to my iPhone! For me, it actually has been good for my work-life balance. Before I had the phone, I would wonder if I had gotten any new, important emails. Maybe I would go out of my way to get to a computer and check. If I didn't have any, I would feel like I had to justify the time I spent booting up and singing onto a computer, so I would waste some time checking my stock portfolio or doing something equally ineffectual. Now that I have an iPhone, I know that I don't have any emails. So I can relax and focus on the conversation at hand, without wondering if that important email has arrived. And I can save time by not having to go out of my way to get to a computer.