Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Crackberry

Yes, I've succumbed, I've got a Blackberry. I've read many articles about how terrible blackberries are, since they encourage you to be available at all times. Laura at 11D hates the idea, after her husband has been forced to get one.

But I think that just like many other things, the effect on your life depends on a combination of you, and your employer. For me, it improves my life because I can check my emails on the bus home. And when I'm at a corporate love-in (as I was on Wednesday) I can check my emails during the breaks, and I know that nothing major has happened back at the office.

But for me, my life is majorly improved by being able to do work at home, because the alternative is to do it at the office. If I can do work at home, I can come home, have dinner with the boys, and then do some more work after they've gone to bed. If I can't work at home, I still have to do the same amount of work, but I have to stay late, and miss a family dinner to do it.

But if a Blackberry means that you end up doing just as much work at the office, and then have to do more at nights and weekends as well, they're a dumb idea.

I know plenty of people who are addicted enough to work that they will do more work by being in contact all the time. And others, like Laura's husband who are pressured into doing more. But sometimes the doom and gloom stories miss that tools like Blackberries (and my remote access to my work's computer network) can actually improve work life balance as well.

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Mind you, I probably should revisit this post in a month's time, before being too smug about my work life balance.

4 Comments:

At 4:33 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

What's a blackberry? is it like a raspberry? (I feel none the wiser after that link.)

There was quite a bit of stuff on Life Matters this week about whether the working at home thing is a good idea or not..

 
At 3:39 pm, Blogger Tjilpi said...

Any ideas on how to make real money in my business by Consulting from home?

I could always prescribe Cranberry for almost everything!!

 
At 8:48 pm, Blogger Jennifer said...

A blackberry is a souped up mobile phone that gives you access to your emails, and makes it easy to write replies. Doesn't sound that exciting put like that, but it's the latest toy in the financial sector.

The financial press is full of articles about people who are addicted to them (the last one I read talked to a guy who used to go the toilet frequently at parties so he could check his emails without other people noticing his addiction).

 
At 9:03 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think I can get access to my emails on my phone if I wanted to pay more, but writing replies would be a major pain

 

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