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Taming The Technostress
by Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE
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Published on this site: October 3rd, 2009 - See
more articles from this month

Last week, my big desktop PC crashed, my laptop got the "blue screen: of
death". The refrigerator croaked, and the toaster oven went the heaven. My
I-phone decided to stop receiving e-mail and the dashboard in my car kept
erroneously sending warning messages.
It wasn't even a full moon!
As marvelous as all our technology is, chronic malfunctions and crashes and
the constant demand to keep up might account for the fact that at least one
in four of us will admit to physically assaulting a device. There's even a
ratio for judging the attack because the chances of failure are in direct
proportion to the urgency of the task they are needed for. Hence the scream
heard from my assistant as she tried to get out my summer newsletter before
autumn.
It doesn't get better. The 2009 March/April issue of Psychotherapy Networker
says that such chronic, unalleviated stress compromises our cognitive and
emotional functions as well as undermining our immune system. Nor does it
when a workplace (often unknowingly) contrives urgency by leashing employees
with PDAs, laptops, pagers, and anything else for instant access and
response.
Well intentioned. And ultimately a timewaster and a driver of increased
health care costs.
What happens is that we continually try to multitask, toggling back and
forth, answering the ping of instant messages, and wind up feeling
constantly "on". Instead of concentrating on one task, we unconsciously scan
for the next essage or task, thus spending often 50% more time on one job
before taking on another.
Ways to conquer the beast:
- Manage your energy not your time. You don't run marathons every day yet we
try and do the equivalent at our work. Studies of energy suggest a
90-minute rhythm. This means stopping and doing something to recovers your
energy expenditure. (Coffee and chocolate don't count. Nor does smoking).
Take a 4-minute relaxation break. Walk outside, deep breath, trying
biofeedback. Go outside. Drink water. And when it's time-go home without
work.
- Program your computer to delete messages after 30 days. If no one has
screamed by then, how important could it be?
- Send out the equivalent of a "do not disturb" sign, telling folks you will
respond from 3-4pm daily. If it's an emergency-call you.
- Turn off rings, pings, dings, and anything that sings.
- Distinguish between uninterrupted work time and answer time.
- Work with your team to determine the important and urgent from the
unimportant.
- Cut the cord. If you continue to remain connected all the time-you have only
yourself to blame with the constant barrage of requests.
- At the end of the day, reset to zero. You did what you could. It's done.
Over. Finito. Do NOT plan tomorrow today. Your brain will start working on
it and there goes the sleep.
- Shut the door of your office. Turn off the computer. Reset to zero. Tomorrow
is a new day.
- Do NOT take the PDA to bed with you. Give it a rest. Give all of us a rest.
Without boundaries, Tyrannosaurus Techno will win again.

Eileen McDargh: Since 1980, Hall of Fame speaker Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100
companies as well as individuals create connections that count and
conversations that matter. Executive Excellence ranks her among the top 100
thought-leaders in leadership development. Looking for help with work and
life challenges? Visit http://www.eileenmcdargh.com/shop.html today!


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