For those of us in the world of technology, hyper-connectivity is a byproduct of our existence. Most of us are “early adopters” who have several social networking profiles, use services like twitter, write in blogs, and believe that we know the next big thing, or at least, will try it before most.
When I interviewed at ServiceMagic, Rodney Rice, a co-CEO and my future boss asked me what makes the Internet special. I didnt even hesitate to answer, “it increases the flow of information and communication.” When he began to wax philosophically about just how that fact made ServiceMagic a dot com winner, I knew I was at the right place.
That has what has drawn me to technology (first computer a TRS-80 w/ no floppy drive at 10 years old), and the wonderful world that was contained in that ugly grey black box with the amber screen. I wasnt starved for interaction in the real world, I played soccer, had more than my share of friends, and did pretty well in school. But the people that lived in that machine were so much more intelligent and worldly than anyone I had ever met. So I dived in. I learned how to tap into local BBS’; I used Gopher, played in MUDs (Multiple User Dungeons — At least I think thats what they were called). Created my first alter ego, Biff Robinson. He hasnt changed much in the last 25 years, although he is mostly retired now.
I just couldnt get enough of that increased flow of information and communication. And that hasnt stopped to this day. I am always connected; always plugged in. I have had an email device (blackberry or otherwise) for the last seven years, and I have always had at least two computers in my house (I currently have 5). As an example of how bad it has been, once when I traveled to NYC, I left my cell phone back home. The only way for me to get a new phone was to get a new account, which I did, and had my old number forwarded to my new number. For three days.
Over the years, I have learned that this constant connection to the virtual world causes me to neglect my personal world. Bills go unpaid, house goes uncleaned, projects go undone. So, every 5-6 months, I take a week and unplug. Never completely. I still check email; read a few blogs, etc., but mostly I just turn off the computer and the television and complete things.
So, starting in 2.25 hours, my week begins. No twitter, no email on my phone, a blog post (maybe), no tv. For a week. Wow. that seems so long. Do I really need a whole week? Maybe only part of each day…forget it. I will re-engage to the flow of information and communication in 7 days. Peace Out.
By the way, it seems that many people that are overly intertwined in the internet, do the same thing and unplug for a period of time. I wonder if it the only way to deal with it?
