Technology And Time Flys

At Starbucks this morning the bartista was telling everyone to have a "Happy Sunday" as she gave them their morning lattes (it is Saturday). When we pointed this out to her she gasped in horror, as she had been saying this all day. She had visions of ruining the weekend for dozens of people who feared their life is already going past too quickly.

While I knew it was Saturday, it did make me think about how fast the weekends speed past. I blink and I am back at work on Monday morning. Fortunately I like my job and the people with whom I work, so there is no trepidation in the work week. However, I remember when I was a kid in the 1970's and the early days of the technology revolution. There were those who predicted that computers would make us so efficient that four day work weeks would become common, and leasure time would become pleantiful.

Leasure time? What is that?

Tech gadgets have done just the opposite and have chained us to the office. I remember having a pager 15 years ago and calling it "my electronic leash". My boss could call and leave me a number, and then I would need to find a phone and call him back. How elementary. Now I have a cell phone, a blackberry and all kinds of other technology that allows me to be in constant contact with my job no matter what I am doing or where I am in the world. I can be reached by anyone at anytime.

Paris? Dublin? No problem. Blackberry and phone work just fine. Few places on the planet allow us to be totally free. Sure, we can leave the devices at home, but then guilt works it's magic.

So as time swooshes past us, we continue to find ways to eliminate free time. Tim Sanders has a challenge on his blog this week that encourages bosses not to email their people over the weekend. While a good idea in theory, I don't see it cathing on.

Oh, gotta go, I have a call.

Have A Great Day.

thom
www.thomsinger.com