BOSTON
®
Covering Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
August 2007
THE PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS WOMAN’S JOURNAL
F
EATURE
Revelations From a BlackBerry Junkie: The New Productivity
By Ann Carter hey want me go to rehab. My family, friends and work colleagues agree I have a problem, and sometimes even I think that nothing short of professional support and treatment will be adequate to help me overcome my obsession. My problem? I’m a BlackBerry junkie. The nature of my problem is not my obsession with this little device – or the cycling frenzy that comes from perpetually watching for the little red light to blink – but the frenzied pace it facilitates. I certainly applaud the ability it has allowed me for rapid-fire communications and ongoing, remote connection to clients. The question is: at what cost? Are we truly being optimally productive or are we reinforcing bad habits in a society that has forgotten what it takes to think creatively and strategically? We are in an era where “strategic” is an overused buzz word, which makes my job even harder as my profession is strategic communications. Along with many women of my generation, I take substantial professional and personal pride from being ready, willing and able to get the job done, 24/7, whenever clients, friends and/or family have a need. The arrival of e-mail and cell phones seemed almost too good to
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Ann Carter
be true with their ability to dramatically stretch my productivity and accessibility from places that were previously unimaginable. And, when my BlackBerry arrived (especially the latest model that is essentially a mini-wireless version of my office desktop computer), I marveled at being able to work from any wireless site. That is, until I lived with the reality – and ramifications – of what that accessibility really meant. My issue is not the BlackBerry’s ability to extend my workday as client service professionals have always been committed to long days. The issue is how technology is contributing to setting life’s pace
at an increasingly unmanageable level that encourages and rewards immediacy over quality. Thoughtful, strategic thinking matters more than ever, and it takes time to develop and provide the best counsel. The hyper-speed world of technology is setting a pace and expectation that if it’s not immediate, then it’s too late. As I jumped on the technology bandwagon, I, too, for a long time thought faster was always better. And, that slow was for those who didn’t play an “A” game. But, I’ve learned that I was wrong. No question, technology is powerful, necessary and complete with numerous benefits. But the allure technology brings to go faster and always be reachable distracts us from giving the best we have to give, especially as we mature professionally. And, I believe that many women are particularly vulnerable to the allure because of the pride we take and track record we have assembled by getting the job done against all odds with competing demands. We possess a long history of multitasking – and of quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) rolling our eyes at many of our male counterparts and their seeming inability to do more than one thing at a time. But the time has come for all people, especially women rising
BOSTON
®
Covering Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island
August 2007
THE PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS WOMAN’S JOURNAL
through the ranks, to challenge the newly created definition of productivity. Strategy, creativity, insight and even sincere kindness and empathy – many of the things that matter most in business and in life - frequently do not happen fast or on demand. They are not encapsulated in snappy responses typed in shorthand by two increasingly arthritic thumbs on a midget keyboard. They percolate. They gestate. They evolve. They emerge. They transpire. They reveal themselves when they are ready and when we are prepared to receive them. They bounce off other creative thinkers when you take the time to meet face-to-face, and when you can read others’ expressions, the glimmer in their eyes and their body language. Real relationships are formed and built, and the best work is delivered when a commitment to pensive thought is allowed
– and encouraged. Getting the work done, the job finished and the tasks mastered are important achievements. But, women in middle and senior management have a more significant contribution to make. We need to be committed to stepping away from the frenetic pace of technology, and shutting it down to give ourselves and our minds time to build the best ideas. The constant stops and starts of technological interruptions hurt the ability for deep thought. We need to manage technology and maximize its benefits. We cannot, however, allow technology to run our lives; we need to be the drivers. With new resolve, I accept the challenge. I will turn off my BlackBerry (well, sometimes) and relinquish control of scheduling and the composition of endless todo lists. I will commit to finding large chunks of time every week
for thinking – strategic thinking – by myself and with others. And, I will say “no” to the invitation to perform certain assignments that detract from my focus. I will make time every day to stretch and breath deeply, and walk outside further than the distance from the parking garage to my office door. And, in doing so, I open the door for creative thinking. I resolve to sometimes exchange going faster for going slower. Clients, colleagues, friends and family don’t value us just because they can reach us – it’s what they get from us – the quality of what we give that defines the quality of our productivity and our ability to truly get the job done. Ann Carter is CEO of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications, Boston, one of New England’s largest independent full-service communications companies.