Control your technology, life, work, don’t let it control you – End of the Day for May 5, 2014

There are some days where you can still feel unaccomplished after doing so much. Even so, it was a good day here with a lot of catch-up work completed as well as some movement forward. When working for yourself, it can feel like work is always waiting — and in some ways it is. There is always something that COULD be done and those things weigh on the mind when it should be relaxed. You have to actively escape these feeling sometimes by placing yourself in a place where work simply can’t be done. Our trip to Santa Cruz Island is one type of diversion, but each of us can develop our own according to our needs and desires. We are all unique and our escapes could and should be, too.

Even when I am working, though, it is usually not out of some obligation, but rather because I WANT to do it. I love sharing my knowledge, skills and opinions, so something that might seem like work to some is actually quite enjoyable to me. Writing these End of the Day entries is one example. I certainly don’t NEED to write them, but I have found they are nice change from the other work I do. They use a different part of my creative mind and allow my personal opinions to emerge a bit. This is not something I do with my other blogs and writing, so it can be refreshing.

I think the same attitudes apply for my use of my phone. There is such a trend to denigrate people who use their phones and other technology a lot. For me, I don’t consider it a tether or a drudge, rather I see it as a toll that I can use whenever the mood strikes me. I like staying in touch with people and sharing my experiences, even if I am on vacation. During our last trip to Sicily (3 weeks long) I made a specific point of sharing each days photos just as I would have shared photos from any event I was doing at home. It wasn’t a burden, but a great way of revisiting what happened each day and savoring it a bit more. I also got a big kick farm chatting with our friends and family about the photos while the experience was so fresh in our minds. It also helped me feel a little connection to home and the familiar when I was so far away and surrounded by so much that was different. I love visiting, but it is quite a culture shock to this small town boy from Ohio. (LAUGH)

So remember, you decide how much you work, what work you do, what you want to do and what you need to do. You decide when to use technology and when not. You are in control, even if it might not feel like it at times. Take control. As I say in all my TechnologyIQ columns, “Control your technology (work, life, love), don’t let it control you!”

Previously on End of the Day:

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