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Tame Your Gadgets Before They Take Over Your Life
Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Featured Author:
Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter
Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter is CEO of her firm, Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D., P.A., as well as partner and CEO of the Institute for Behavioral Sciences and the Law, a forensic psychology practice in Fort Lauderdale.
She currently is working on her newest book, The Dangers Lurking Above the Glass Ceiling: Anticipating, Recognizing, and Preventing Collapse Once You're on Top. The book focuses on high-achieving women and strategies they can use to effectively cope with the stressors in their hectic, overscheduled, and high-pressured lives. To learn more about Dr. Carter, visit her website High-AchievingWomen.com.
Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter | Excelle
May 29, 2009
4. If possible (see #1 for definition), leave a message on your cell phone telling callers that you only respond to messages between the hours of [fill in the blank]. Then, listen to yourself and return messages only during that specified period of time.
This accomplishes two things:
a. it removes any expectation on the part of the caller that you will respond to them immediately or even quickly
b. you’re now in control of your schedule.
The truth is that when someone calls you, it’s usually because that the best time for them to talk. That doesn’t necessarily coincide with what’s the best time in your schedule for you to talk. So what if you have to leave a message when you call back? Just think of it as giving you more time to return your other calls. And who knows? Maybe the person will get tired of playing phone tag and stop calling all together.
5. If possible, set aside a specific amount of time each day to respond to emails (or times each day if you get an exceedingly large number of emails). During that time, clean out your in-box as much as you can by:
a. deleting SPAM or messages that don’t require a response
b. not being shy about using the forward feature; if the message is more appropriate for someone else to handle, send it on its merry way and move on to the messages that require your response
c. responding to the messages that require your response.
The ultimate goal (and challenge) is to have an empty in-box at the end of your allotted email time.
So that’s it! You’ve been given the keys to the kingdom. Of course, given your device-dominated life, getting to the door to use the key to get inside the kingdom is likely to be a challenge. You (and the world for that matter) are way too far gone for something like this to be easy. But before you go jonesing on me, I should point out that there is some good news in all of this.
The first piece of good news is that you’re not a dog! You can train yourself not to salivate when the bell (or ding or beep or whatever) goes off. The second bit of good news is … just think of all the extra time you’ll have on your hands once you do this!
What? No, you can’t use that extra time to email everyone in your address book to tell them the good news! Geez, maybe I was a little too quick in accepting that first piece of good news …
bpaula40
4 months ago
94 comments
Hi dr. Sherrie,
thanks for such a great article. Luckily for me, because of my situation (I am totally blind) alot of the communication gadgets haven't snared me yet. this isn't to say that there aren't blind people out there in the work force who aren't slaves to the ringers, buzzers and vibrators. I know a few of them personally (blind gadget junkies, i mean). But i haven't allowed myself to get too trapped in the gadget game and that's mostly because it's too difficult (to me) to pull off. the amount of energy i would have to expend in order to get said communication gadget to work with...say...my text to speach screen reader versus the joy of using said communication gadget don't add up for me. also, the cost of some of the devices created for the blind so that we, too, can be electronically "hooked up" are just ridiculous. I like to keep it cheap and simple. I set aside some time (at most three times a day) to read emails. I use a very basic cell phone and service (no text messages, movies, camera, etc) I will, however, have to be available to anser my celly when on the job because i am a Massage Therapist and i have to respond to my clients and potential clients ASAP. so this article just helped to reinforce for me that i'm on the right track with the whole gadget thing. Especially since i am a gadget junkie. I am proud to say i am in recovery.
roma
4 months ago
10 comments
Hi Dr. Sherrie! Thanks for adding and viewing my profile. I liked your article a lot, and I admire people who love to write. I'm guilty too. Sometimes, I was thinking of not using cellphone anymore, but I can't. All I can do is to put my gadgets to silent mode. Thank you for writing such a great article like this. I'm sure you did a great job, and you awaken thousands of gadgets user's mind out there. Please continue what you're doing. May God bless you!
EmmaM8445
4 months ago
4 comments
I was just waiting for an article like this. Thank you for writing it!
brenda2c
4 months ago
4 comments
Great article. I'm guilty. I tried a couple of days to turn my cell phone off so I could work and it didn't work. They called me on the land line. It does take time to get back into the mode of what you were doing and (when you get interrupted again) the cycle continues and it's the end of the day and you have very little to show for it. Some days I just want to throw my cell phone as far as I can.
My husband and I laugh about our two youngest children. If they can't reach us by one phone they call another phone and then another phone till they make contact. I sometimes wonder what they would do if cell phones did not exist.
Answering machine were made to use and people will not use them. They call you till you answer the phone and if they can't reach you on one number they call another number. I don't like answering machine but we all need to realize that whoever we are calling my be busy and they will call us back as soon as they are able. If you leave a message.
Coach777
4 months ago
104 comments
Its really funny Sherrie... I'm that way with emails!! I am addicted to go see what was written next! And just last week I decided to at least take one day for me, go do something comlpletely different and keep it OFF for the entire day and ya know what? It was so refreshing... thanks for your article, wonderful
StormKnight
5 months ago
134 comments
Sherrie: Once again you've done an outstanding job. My friends daughter just did a "story" on headphones and ear damage for her high school paper. It, like your article was fantastic and informative! I did the math and I suppose if I round up I'm guilty of about 400 minutes of interruption. (ha) Texting is my biggest issue. I text waaaay too much.
popeteresa
5 months ago
12 comments
thank you for adding me to your list,I AM NEW AT THIS I really don't do that much typing but I shall try, I TOO WOULD LIKE TO WRITE AN BOOK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE AT MY LAST JOB PERHASE YOU COULD GIVE ME SOME ADVICE. THANK YOU TERESA
VanessaAWilliams
5 months ago
342 comments
Thank goodness, I use them when necessary, but can very easily ignore them. Being at the constant beck and call of a machine or device is not my cup of tea.
PossibilityCoachTM
5 months ago
712 comments
Thanks for the research info. Focusing is important to do good work. It also gives space to be more creative. I do put the mute on when I am on phone with clients as well when writing articles. It makes a big difference in the quality and performance. Multi-tasking to me is best when doing something like washing dishes and watching television!
kerrysnetwork
5 months ago
200 comments
Good points, It's hard enough working out of the home, you are always tempted to continue working, I think gadgets create the same situation for you and it can get out of control.
Account Removed
5 months ago
Great Article! It works at home too..we tend to let our phone at home go to the answering machine because we mostly use our cells so any evening calls are usually someone trying to sell us something. It takes a few times to get used to, but it is empowering to "choose" whether to answer the phone or not.
Account Removed
5 months ago
Great article! Good point! I have to admit, I am addicted. Each time I get an e-mail, SMS, IM, whatever I jump to see who wrote me and about what matter. Some discipline wouldn't hurt though. But it is kind of hard these days when staying connected means so much. Sometimes I am afraid that if I do not respond I might loose something important, but it seems I loose something anyway :) .... and time is so precious and can never be brought back.
AJaneChambers
5 months ago
440 comments
Sometimes I'm looking for something to take me away from the task/project at hand, so old-fashioned procrastination is also a problem for me - I just have new ways of procrastinating.
KeriKSilk
5 months ago
10 comments
Too true for comfort!! I'll try and follow the advice but it's the curiosity that gets me. Maybe I need a support group for the gadget addicted!