Five Tricks to Tame Technology

By Rebeldad Brian Reid

People who love balance love to hate the insidious way that wireless devices have proliferated, and there has been much hue and cry over "Crackberries" and electronic leashes and the way wireless devices have turned the home into a branch of the office.

I don't buy it. The technology isn't intrinsically evil or flawed or dangerous. Instead, it seems pretty clear that our behavior hasn't kept up with the wireless gizmo revolution. Don't like your Treo buzzing at dinner? The solution is pretty simple. Shut it off. Or throw it into the Potomac. You own the device, not the other way around.

I've been developing some rules for myself to develop the discipline needed to keep my various beeping and vibrating and chirping devices at bay when it comes to family time, and I'd love to hear yours:

1. Remember Why You Went Wireless: There are some places that mobile devices are heaven-sent and allow us to work during times that would otherwise be wasted. The airport. Taxis. The DMV. The Metro. Not home. No one gets a Blackberry so they can read e-mail while brushing their teeth. Please keep this in mind.

2. Shut 'Em Off: Unless you are a doctor, a system administrator or Karl Rove, you do not need to respond to phone calls or e-mails at all hours, and certainly not when you're with your kids. The best way to remove temptation is the off button. And if you're headed out to a family brunch, you don't need your cell phone, and you absolutely don't need your Treo. Practice leaving them at home and revel in your digital nakedness.

3. Set expectations at work: Train your co-workers not to expect instant responses to e-mail, and let folks know that you check e-mail only twice/once/not at all once you're home. One way to do this? A quick line in your e-mail signature. And stop answering your cell after 7 p.m. You have the ability to screen calls. Use it.

4. Set expectations at home: Tell your spouse and your kids what your rules are for after-hour business phone/e-mail are. They will enforce those boundaries waaaay better than your bosses and co-workers will.

5. Geek it up: You can set a Blackberry to only allow mail from certain addresses (boss, major client, etc.) at certain times. If you must keep the thing on at night, at least make sure that every CYA e-mail from a co-worker doesn't distract from family. You can tweak your cell in the same way -- assign a different ringtone to high-priority callers and ignore the rest of 'em.

Brian Reid writes about parenting and work-family balance. You can read his blog at rebeldad.com.

By Brian Reid |  September 7, 2006; 6:30 AM ET  | Category:  Conflicts , Tips , Workplaces
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