Me Time
Sometimes life is a lot like the old proverb about boiling frogs. Sometimes we humans don’t immediately notice ailments or danger.
Changes in technology the past decade have introduced an expectation of being connected 24/7. An odd expectation. Humans are incapable of living that way. This expectation is notable with the psychological trend known as a fear of missing out (FOMO).
In addition to FOMO, there is a similar expectation with IT work related relationships that workers are available 24/7. I noticed this expectation with my own job. Particularly because the majority of my job is performed remotely from the home office.
I have worked remotely many times through the past three decades. Yet the current job attaches an unwritten expectation of being able to respond 24/7 to various system alerts and to act timely.
Not healthy.
All humans need “down time.” “Me time.”
For some time I had not noticed the effects of this job expectation. Much like cartoon light bulb moments, one day I realized this continual connection affected me. I decided to end this unwritten expectation.
Pull the plug.
Pulling the plug was straightforward. I don’t use a smart phone. I needed to shut down the email client at the end of the day. A second step was to split personal and work related emails into different Thunderbird profiles. The second step avoids work related alerts during evenings and weekends.
With no email client running there are no alerts. With no alerts there is reduced distraction and less stress.
Wind down. Be human. Me time.
Posted: Category: Commentary Tagged: General
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