Article written by
Charlotte Lieberman
Harvard Business Review
4/13/17
The idea of “work-life balance” is an invention of the mid-19th century. The notion of cultivating awareness of one’s work versus one’s pleasure emerged when the word “leisure” caught on in Europe in the Industrial Era. Work became separate from “life” (at least for a certain class of men) and we’ve been struggling to juggle them ever since.
Today, when so much work and leisure time involve staring at screens, I see a different struggle arising: a struggle to find a healthy balance between technology and the physical world, or, for short, “tech/body balance.” A 2016 survey from Deloitte found that Americans collectively check their phones 8 billion times per day. The average for individual Americans was 46 checks per day, including during leisure time—watching TV, spending time with friends, eating dinner.
So attached are we to our devices that it’s not unusual to have your phone with you at all times. We carry our phones around everywhere as if they are epi-pens and we all have fatal allergies.
As many of you may or may not know, I am a Virtual Assistant, Graphic Designer, Typist and Social Media mogul, and technology is how I make my living, so I’m consistently checking my emails, making and receiving calls, or typing something on my Computer, even when I should be relaxing with my family. I am No different than most Americans. But I really LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what I do; and I’m very Good at what I do; since I’ve been “doing” Secretarial work since 1978! I could kiss the man who invented the Computer; (wait was that Steve Jobs?) and remember when I had to work on first a manual then electric typewriter with wite-out and typewriter eraser paper! (Gosh, I guess I’m old, huh?). But I would NOT change my career for anything. As I said, I LOVE WHAT I DO I’M GOOD AT IT!
Ms. Lieberman states, “90% of us (Americans) take our phones in the bathroom with us! I have been guilty of that too, but try NOT to do that! It’s unsanitary, takey and I’m afraid like my sister-in-law did, that I will drop it in the toilet! So never, ever take your phone in the bathroom, if you can help it! Enough is enough, wouldn’t you say? The bathroom, really?! Are we afraid we are going to miss something? Like a call?
According to recent data from Nielsen, 87% of Singapore’s 5.4 million population reports owning a smartphone, while a smaller but still substantial 68% of Americans own smartphones. A hefty 89% of American workers have reported feeling chronic body pain as a result of the posture they’ve developed using these devices, and 82% of this same group also say that the presence of phones “deteriorated” their most recent conversations. Pew Global recently released a report about the correlation between smartphone use and economic growth, noting that the rates of technology-use are not only climbing steadily in advanced economies, but also in countries with emerging economies. As additional reference points, 39% of the Japanese population reports owning a smartphone, while 59% of Turkey reports relying on mobile internet use. These numbers decrease in developing countries, given the relationship that exists between a person’s educational background, socioeconomic status, and their access to technology.
But whether we are among those who use our devices to work remotely, or we are just obsessed with them because of the culture we live in regardless of how much time we are spending on “work,” it’s time to shift our attention to what tech-body balance could look like.
That’s where my Company, Donna’s Secretarial Service comes in. If you are like the 90% of us Americans, so encumbered by “devices” and “work” that we can’t even go to the bathroom without them, then it’s time to call me. Donna’s takes the load off your weary shoulders by taking care of your Administrative Support, Graphic Design, Typing and Social Media needs! We’re that good at keeping YOUR WORK-LIFE BALANCE free of using your devices for a least a little while. Call me at 1-855-366-6271 for a free 30 minute quote/evaluation of how I can help YOU! Email Donna for immediate help!
I hope you sincerely take to heart the recommendations and information mentioned? I am here to Serve my Clients and welcome the opportunity to assist you!
Virtually yours and God bless,
Donna
