In preparation for today, I attended a session on unplugging from technology for a day at SXSW. For the entire hour, cell phones were not allowed in the room (although there were still folks tweeting during the session at the hashtag, hmmm).
Regardless, the session got me thinking once again to our ultra connected world. Technology has enabled us to meet with teammates on the other side of the world, to distribute work to people spread globally, and connect us all in new and exciting ways.
There is also the peril that because of this, we’ve lost a bit of the meaning of what it means to be present. I’ve been to many meetings in which the team is gathered in the same room but typing or checking email the entire time, defeating the purpose of getting together in the first place.
In the session, it was brought up that perhaps we’re at a tipping point of feeling the efficiency of being plugged in all the time. Yes, I can’t imagine not having my iPhone around in the evening to check up on email, but what about truly unplugging for a moment to actually plan, think, and innovate instead of being reactive?
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