Are you spending lots of time on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites? Or have you avoided these pastimes and wondered if you’re missing something important? Are you concerned about what’s healthy and what’s not in this increasingly digital world?
How does the explosion of social media affect our interpersonal relationships? Does having more virtual…
A recent New York Times article by Nick Bilton discussed an issue I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. How do we hit just the right note interpersonally as most of our communications go digital?
Should we call, leave a voice message, send an email, or a text? Or bother with a face-to-face meeting? There’s the need…
I was very interested when I heard about the National Day of Unplugging (sunset February 28 to sunset March 1). Since conquering cyberoverload is all about becoming the master and not the slave of our gadgets, I thought I should give it a try. But it wasn’t the easiest day for me to try to…
Now that we have these wonderful gadgets that allow us to stay connected at all times, most of us never seem to be able to truly get away. No matter how far we go, we can usually be reached on our cell phones, and with our Smartphones we’re tempted to log in to see what’s…
New statistics are very scary on teen texting while driving. Talking on the phone is bad enough, but when you add the need to read words and respond by spelling out answers, it seems insane! Many teens say they “can’t help themselves” — even though it’s illegal in many states. Texting is their main way…
Here’s a great Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post talking about the advice Eric Schmidt gave to graduates. There are so many reasons we need to unplug at least once a day: 1) using our brain to its fullest; 2) being creative; 3) reducing our stress; and 4) maintaining real relationships with real people.
Today’s Sunday New York Times has an article about the pro’s and cons of open-plan offices: while they promote interaction between co-workers, the sound of others talking also leads to distraction from focus and interference with private conversations. These same issues come up with our wonderful digital devices: it’s good to have ready access to…
I have the good fortune to be at the beach this week, and I already think I see a difference on the same beach over last year. More walkers seem to have earbuds in their ears and more people seem to be using their smart phones either while walking or as they lounge on their…
On Sunday, my husband and I went to his uncle’s 95th birthday party. It was amazing how young and healthy Uncle Bill looked, and how totally with-it he was. I found out that he keeps himself very busy: With the help of an 87-year-old buddy, he designs, plants, and cares for the flower gardens at…
A new book “Microstyle: The Art of Writing Little” (reviewed in today’s New York Times) says the “elevator speech” may be too long. We now have such a short time to catch our target’s attention that we should think about an escalator pitch, “short enough to make when you’re on the up escalator…