Clocking Out
In today’s technology-saturated society, is “clocking out” in the Mobile Era even possible—or advisable? Can we truly be separated from our mobile devices in a real and complete manner—that is, not check our emails, calls, or texts AT ALL for any extended period of time? When it comes to the everyday work week, I hardly think it’s feasible anymore—but when it comes to the weekend, or when you’re on vacation, I think it’s worth a try.
Recently, I was speaking with a senior partner at one of the Big 4 accounting firms. We shared a laugh about a story from his beginnings at the firm some time ago. He reminisced that when one of the wall-mounted phones would ring in the office on a Friday afternoon, the associates would each look to the other, reading each other’s body language and thinking, “I’m not answering that…” In those days, of course, there was no email or cell phones, so if someone wanted to connect, they had to reach you via landline. When resource management or a customer called at the end of the work week looking for help, no one was quick to sacrifice their weekend, so they simply ignored the call. And while the caller was out of luck, they accepted the fact that there was no other way to reach the business. They’d hang up and have to call back on Monday. Today, however, it’s quite a different scenario.
Today, in the Mobile Age, there’s an expectation of reachability that didn’t exist in the era of the landline. We’re willing to trade the ability to disconnect in the old 9-5 model (ok, maybe 9-7 for those in professional services) for flexibility in our work schedule, with the caveat that we’re accessible at all times. So, how do we “clock out” and truly disconnect when we go on vacation? And why should we? What’s the harm in checking in when we’re supposed to be clocked out? Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the fathers of positive psychology, has proven that willpower is an exhaustible resource—so every time you check a work email, it’s like a rep of lifting weights, and you’ve now got less mental energy to exert towards having fun. Simply put, it distracts you from the matter at hand, which should be taking a vacation from work.
To truly clock out on the weekend or vacation, TRY THIS: Take out your phone and delete/move your work email app off the homepage of your Smartphone. (With my Droid, removing the icon doesn’t delete it entirely.) Hiding the app will help instill an “out of sight, out of mind” approach, so you won’t be tempted to check your work email every time you use the phone. (Don’t worry—you can return the icon to its place of prominence Monday morning or whenever you return from vacation.) Try it today so you can learn how to add/subtract the icon and are ready to start the habit next Friday at 5pm, effectively “clocking out” for the weekend. You’ll also be practiced and prepared to use the technique on your next vacation.
Since we’re all connected in the Mobile Age, it’s up to you to disconnect your own landline, so to speak. Next month, I’ll share with you how I clocked out this past weekend and found the “TRY THIS” exercise to be quite effective. Share your success story on Facebook.com/A2BeCoach!