Mark Evans

To Be (Online) or Not to Be

I’m heading off on a family vacation, and one of the biggest packing challenges was deciding whether my good buddy, MacBook, gets to soak up some rays as well.

The scales were tipped towards “coming” until I read this New York Times story about how a reporter, Mark Bittman, took an accidental virtual break that started with a single day, and now extends to entire weekends. Given I spend 10 to 12 hours a day online during the week and two to three hours/day on the weekends, the story really resonated.

Is all this digital activity really that healthy, productive and/or necessary? The blunt answer is “Of course, not” but we live in a digital age, and when you’re surrounded by people who are also online all the time, it’s difficult to unplug.

Part of the problem is that being online is multi-dimensional. There’s work-related activity that takes up at least two to three six to eight hours/day; there’s entertainment such as YouTube videos, StumbleUpon and listening to/downloading music; there’s creative/inspirational stuff such as blogging and Twitter, as well as personal activity such as online banking, e-mailing friends, eBay and Facebook, etc. Then, there’s the evil, mind-sucking Blackberry that stays glued to your hip at all times.

So, it’s not like you can shut off the digital tap that easily when you’ve got taps running all over your virtual “house”.

That said, I’m determined to follow Bittman’s advice - at least for a week - and get off the grid. It will be a challenge, I may have bad withdrawal symptoms but, at the end of the day, it will make for a healthier vacation, my wife will be incredibly pleased, I’ll read books, magazines and talk to people (as opposed to e-mailing, IM-ing or Twittering them), and I’ll come back recharged with tons of great blog and work ideas oozing from pores.

The first test will be passing by an Internet cafe. I may need help to restrain myself!

For more, check out 43Folders, which has a good take on the NYT story. As well, Freelance Switch has a post on work-life balance.