Slightly Off-Balance

Okay, it may appear as though I am obsessed with showering with other people based on my recent blog post entitled Can I Shower With You, but allow me to explain:

I was doing my usual of rushing to shower in between conference calls.  As I was racing through the motions, I was thinking about how fast I could get done, I even shave less of my legs to save time.  I often check my email in my robe before I even get dressed, which sometimes results in several work hours spent in my robe with wet hair.  I then thought, why can’t my Blackberry be waterproof?!  Then I would know if I was missing an important email while I was in the shower.   I could take long hot showers (which I love) and scan email the whole time. [This is another fact in support of why my blog is entitled slightly off-balance.]

Sure, part of my rush is because I am feeling guilty for showering in the middle of the day.  Although when you start with conference calls first thing in the morning and still hope to get in a workout, when else would I shower?  Part of the need for email in the shower comes from the speed of business these days.  We are accustomed to being able to reach people anytime.  I do not save lives for a living, so you would think a shower would be reasonable, but the more technology enables me, the more I expect of myself.  Admittedly, I am also addicted to being connected. I take my Blackberry to the gym, on vacation, even just going to other parts of the house.  Our only rule is no devices at the dinner table, and my husband needs to be reminded of that rule every night.

Years ago people predicted the downside of constant connectivity and I certainly feel it.  There are rare occasions when I unplug and then it’s usually due to lack of service.   Why can’t I allow myself to unplug?  When did multi-tasking go from being a useful skill to a detriment to balance in life?  Where does it stop?  If my Blackberry was waterproof, what would I want next?

I think I need to cut the cord (or bandwidth) a little, but how?  How do I become less accessible to the world (and better shaven)?