In the North American culture of work, for some at least, it means responding to e-mails from your boss or other colleagues at all hours of the night, and/or working on your day off or while on vacation. In short, work has consumed some of us, to the point, that we are defined by it. And this can result in family and leisure time, ultimately, taking a back seat to work.
In a recent article by Jennifer Deal for The Wall Street Journal titled “The Neuropsychology of Working While on Vacation–and How to Overcome It”
She writes; “Some people blame the technology for infiltrating our lives to the point we are never away from work. And certainly remaining connected with work while camping or sitting on the beach or being on car trips would be impossible without the smart-phone.”
But is technology really to be blamed for this? Are there emergencies everyday at work that requires employees to be connected 24/7, even while on vacation? Jennifer Deal’s answer to some of this question is simple; “Another way is to turn the phone off and put it physically away, such as locking it in a safe. If you can’t look at it – that is, you can’t without going to substantial trouble – the brain itch will eventually die off because you can’t scratch it.”
And for those of us who find it incredibly busy to turn off from work while on vacation or on our days off, we can also try this; “So the next time you want to relax but find yourself unable to because your mind keeps straying back to an unfinished task, figure out a way to make it impossible for you to complete that task right then. Your mind will be more likely to let it go if there’s no possibility of completing it, and you might finally be able to relax.”
Will any of these ideas work? Who knows, however, if you do not want to check e-mails or have your boss contact you while on vacation, leave your phone at home.
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