The Opportunity
You can do anything from anywhere these days.
You can attend a teleconference while sitting on the bus. You can review a document and submit annotated edits to the author while sitting on the beach. You can listen to your e-mail being read to you by an automated voice while driving in your car.
You can buy any number of information handling devices- in very small packages- from the size of a traditional “laptop” computer down to the size of a credit card. These powerful little boxes may include a cell phone, internet access, e-mail, and even voice and video devices are becoming more popular.
Have these devices made the dramatic leaps in productivity we were expecting? Well, yes, and no.
Most of us can only pay attention to a limited number of things at a time. Portable communication devices add one more to the mix. We need to understand the potential downsides to having a utility-belt full of devices that would make Batman jealous, and sometimes we need to exercise some assertiveness to draw some limits around our time and attention- something that isn’t always easy in an increasingly digital culture.
Splitting Our Focus
“I think the one lesson I have learned is that there is no substitute for paying attention.”
Diane Sawyer, News Personality
Some of us can accomplish several things at one time.
- We can converse with team members in our office while making copies or waiting for files to download.
- We take a CD-ROM course in a foreign language on the bus or plane.
- We read our e-mail and update our calendars over coffee every morning. This is just an efficient use of time.
The above combinations usually combine one high-attention activity with a low-attention activity. It’s easy to define the “main thing” you’re working on at any given time, and if there’s a conflict for attention, it won’t hurt for the copier or computer to sit idle after finishing the copies or files. If there’s an emergency on the plane or bus, or if someone needs our attention, we can easily “bookmark” the foreign language course and come back to it later. Our morning coffee is easily abandoned if anything in the e-mails or daily calendars requires urgent attention (which is why, most days, we find half a cup of cold coffee on our desks at 3:00 p.m.) Our priority is clear, and that priority can consume the rest of our attention whenever it’s needed.
The problem arises when we try to accomplish to many things that require too much of our attention.
We all know people who sit conversing with a vendor on the phone while working on an unrelated document on their PC with their e-mail window in the lower-left corner of their screen beeping in new messages every few seconds, their palm-top computer on the desk scrolling news and information and their cell phone ringing every half hour.
Most of these people look very busy, but seldom accomplish anything of value.
Efficiency and Effectiveness
“A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history – with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila.” -Mitch Ratliffe
I once reviewed a document with a member of my team, and after apologizing for the fourteenth omission or error, he admitted that he had had so many meetings the previous week that he hadn’t been able to give it his undivided attention. He had worked on it while he was phoned into a meeting.
“When people request that you “listen in” on a meeting, it’s very hard to turn them down, even when you’re backed up against a deadline with other work. You think that because you’re physically parked in front of your computer with your hands on the keyboard and your headphones on, that you can do two things at once. That’s physically true, but you no matter how much technology you have at your disposal, you still only have one brain.” He said.
He was right. We’re all held accountable for the work you produce, and for the meetings you attend, even if you’re not physically present. Splitting your attention between two important pieces of work is a dangerous habit.
“Does the CIO agree with this approach?” a manager asks
“Well, she was dialed into the meeting when we discussed it, her name is on the minutes.” The team member replies.
Little did they know that while CIO was on the line, she had her phone muted and she was taking other calls. She may have reviewed the minutes, but was listening to her voice mail messages at the time.
Separation of Work Life and Home Life
A bank executive related her frustrations to me.
“I drew the line at dinner, and had to stick to my guns, even with myself. Especially with myself. My family was together at home one evening eating dinner on the couch and watching TV. There’s nothing wrong with that occasionally. Sometimes we have pizza and a video as a family treat.
The strange part was that nobody was even actually focusing on the movie, much less on each other! My husband was checking his stocks on his PDA, my son was on the cell phone with his girlfriend, and my other son was downloading MP3s that he had to check on every five minutes. I didn’t remember the last time we’d had a conversation. The sad part is, it took supreme effort on everybody’s part to actually HAVE a conversation with four people who did not have any digital devices in their hands or attached to their ears.”
A network administrator complained that his budget-conscious company provided him with electronic tools as a cost-effective alternative to having a second network person on staff, or hiring a service.
“They call me at 3:00 a.m. or while I’m on vacation. ‘You have your laptop with you, don’t you? This should only take a second.’ Well, maybe it DOES only take a second, but the fact of the matter is that I’m always on the clock and I never get to relax and feel like it’s not my problem for an hour or a day or a week at a time. I don’t think this is healthy for very long. I’m looking for another job.”
Relationships with People
“I knew the honeymoon was over when I couldn’t keep his undivided attention for more than twenty minutes at a time.” A co-worker told me about her relationship with her boyfriend. “My Mom always complained about my Dad and his football, but that would be a piece of cake compared to what I have to compete with. Football used to be on only on Sundays and Monday nights. Now my husband gets sports scores and online trading and auctions and other absolutely compelling things on his PDA (personal digital assistant) pretty much 24 hours a day. He’s like an information addict. And the thing is so small and ‘convenient’ that I can’t get him to leave it home. He takes it with us to dinner with friends, to my parents’ house, and even to movies. I’d take it outside while he’s asleep and run over it with my car if I could convince him it was an accident. And if he wouldn’t just go out and buy another one anyway.”
Signs You Need to Simplify
- You have endangered yourself or any other person by using a cell phone or other portable information device while driving, walking, or otherwise physically moving.
- Your co-workers don’t apologize for calling you at strange hours because you “work at home anyway.”
- More than half of your work-related messages happen after 10:00 p.m. (Assuming you keep what used to be called “business hours.”)
- Your grade-school kids have memorized your e-mail address, cell phone number, and a list of related codes.
Ways to Simplify
All of these things take some self-discipline to resist the apparent ease and efficiency of information devices. They also take some assertiveness to defend your time and your right to pay attention to one thing at a time. But they will help you avoid the errors, miscommunication, and other perils of information overload. Driving should be your primary focus when you’re driving. Nothing else- not the radio, the cell phone, a portable information device, or an onboard information device (like a navigation system, for example) should override your attention to the road. If things get too complicated, concentrate on driving and deal with other things later.
Don’t take on more work than you can deal with. If you can’t devote your full attention to a meeting, send your regrets, or delegate someone who can, or ask that a person who will be attending convey or listen for certain information. Review minutes of meetings you were sent from.
Declare “low tech” zones in time or space. Declare digital devices off-limits for certain meetings, meals, or even in certain rooms where peace and focus are desired.
Actively participate in conversations with friends and family. Don’t idly listen to them while doing something else, even if you’re on the phone and they can’t see you. There’s nothing more insulting than having a conversation with someone whose attention is elsewhere.
Conclusion
The advances in technology have brought us to a new level of convenience and efficiency in information handling. They have also brought us more distractions and more obstacles to spending focused time on important tasks and relationships. By examining our needs, selecting the right devices, and placing some limits on their use, we can have the benefits without turning these powerful little tools into a means of confusing ourselves more efficiently.
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