Are You Always 'On Call'?

I have noticed more people driving or walking around with one of those headsets or actual cell phones up to their ear. Putting the legal issues aside, that is probably not sensible. Granted, some of those calls or messages really are emergencies and some may be pertinent to where the receiving person is headed, but I can't believe they all are.


We seem to have become a nation of people - many of whom are always 'on call'. If they are not making or receiving phone calls, they are sending or reading text messages or email. With the advances in technology, you don't even have to be at home or on a computer to do that these days. I am not trying to suggest that technology is a bad thing, but that some people might want to consider cutting back on their frequency of use.


Unless your job absolutely requires you to be tuned in all the time, I encourage you to ease back on your connectivity. You do not have to be always 'On Call'. I get the feeling that some people think because they can be in constant contact, that they should be. That is not my approach to life, or what I call 'living'. All the technological gadgets are nice, but they should have a place in your life that is something less than 24/7. If you have to check email while your coffee is brewing and before you eat breakfast, that probably not good. If you can't drive from home to work without making or receiving a phone call, that is probably not good. If you can't/don't carry on an actual conversation with a person - in person, that is not good. If all those contacts are work related, then you need to think about what kind of pay you get for all of the hours you spend at work and/or doing work-related activities, including checking your messages, etc. when you are not actually 'at work'. In many cases, the pay does not come close to being appropriate for the amount of time devoted to the tasks that fall in your work-related realm.


Think about the amount of time you spend connected to those gadgets and compare that to the amount of time you spend actually connecting with people - not just communicating, but actually making a connection in person or via actual telephone conversation. Do you like the ratio that you came up with, or is it very lopsided? If you don't like the numbers you came up with, resolve to do things differently. Make this the year when you stop being constantly 'on call'.





Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice, providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change, job search, planning for retirement, returning to work or school, non-retirement planning, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor by the National Career Development Association; a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Ms. Davis meets with individuals in person and via telephone. Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services.


To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.