Internet Anxiety Disorder -Hat tip to Slashdot.org
We live in an always on, ever connected world. My phone, wireless and wired rings constantly, and missed calls and voice mails pile-up even before the coffee stops brewing early in the morning. There are tips from sources, a friend on east coast on his way to work wanting to recap the Yankees game, and an occasional message of concern from mom! Time to boot up the computer and be greeted by an early morning assault of emails, sometimes as many as 100, and that’s before Sun’s first rays caress the Coit Tower. A quick puff of Dunhill and the newsreader shows, 1000 unread posts. A few instant messages!
By the time I get to office, I feel I am in data smog. As the day progresses, the emails pile-up, many unanswered for days because the feeling of being overwhelmed. The damn posts keep rising and rising, hitting 2000. Phone calls with sources, only add to the content flowing into the brain. I find myself falling behind on answering emails, reading stuff and even just contemplating. Phone calls, are shorter, terse and often remiss of any politeness.
Welcome to the age of info-clutter!
Sounds like these folks need to read my posts on Getting Things Done, visit my Getting Things Done Wiki or least check out the Five F's of life.
In all seriousness its very easy to get out of balance these days and I'm no different. We have so many choices thrust at us and sometimes I make the right decisions other times I fail.
For many of us in the Tech Industry computers were a hobby when we were young, now that same hobby has become a career. My wife often asks me in the evening, "When do you plan to stop working today?" My usually response is, "Oh I am not working, I am just doing email". In reality I am working, I just love what I do so much, I forget.
I guess we're lucky, not many folks get to have a hobby for a living ;-)
Check out the Internet Anxiety Disorder article and let me know what you think. Me? I'm having a soothing Saturday morning at Jerzys Coffee shop in Redmond enjoying their free wi-fi and an awesome chicken breast panini, while cleaning out my email inbox. Cheers!
