Time to Reset?

"You shall see wonders."
- William Shakespeare

I was recently sent an article by my business partner, Mark Cenicola, that touched on the negative impact of electronic devices and programs that were meant to help productivity. Such things as e-mail, instant messaging and cell phones originally enhanced the work environment, allowing most people to be more productive, but this day in age, it seems they have become more of a distraction in the workplace. In fact, Intel has estimated that e-mail overload can cost large companies as much as $1 billion a year in lost employee productivity!

After reading that article, I came across the quote above and thought to myself, I'm curious how many "wonders" are missed on a regular basis due to distractions. If we're always reacting to the things that are beeping and buzzing, what about the small wonders that happen each day that aren't calling our attention? That may mean something different for each person, but for me, it includes things such as the feeling of spending quality time with a loved one, the comfort of sleeping in late on a rainy Saturday morning, or witnessing the curiosity of a child with an empty cardboard box.

In your personal and professional life, with emails, text messages, facebook alerts and the like, it's easy to lose track of an hour, a day, or even a week before realizing that you didn't get anything accomplished that you set out to do. Even worse, you may find yourself forming bad habits that become much more permanent, and before you know it, you're responding to emails and texts during dinner, movies, and while interacting with friends and loved ones.

If you find yourself a victim to any of these distractions, or can identify with picking up habits that you feel don't contribute to a better environment, then make a point to "reset" and take back over your life! You may need to try something extreme, like a vacation from work or an escape from your daily life, but take the time to think about what's best for you and work to make it happen. Don't allow distractions to rob you of a more productive work environment, or a happier life overall!