Productivity and Disconnecting

This is a couple days old, but I’ve been thinking about it, and have returned to the post several times to check the comments. On Monday (7/6) MPR’s News Cut Blog (Bob Collins) asked whether it was possible to disconnect.

Kennedy says:

Being connected is about being the first informed, not necessarily the most informed. Being connected is about being involved in conversation, not necessarily adding value to the conversation. Being connected is about knowing the current buzz, not necessarily knowing what is important. Being connected is about being in the loop, not necessarily about being important.

Knowledge truly is power, and being the last to know carries a certain stigma. While people complain about being connected, I suspect some feel a touch less valuable when they are not connected and things continue anyway.

Posted by kennedy | July 6, 2009 3:40 PM

And this one by bob:

If your boss expects you to be connected at midnight and you aren't a soldier or a first responder, you've got the wrong boss.

In addition to the disconnect thread, the post asks whether technology made us more productive?

“Are you a more productive person than, say, 10 years ago?”

I’m not sure how to answer that one. The curmudgeon in me would say, “No.” But is that true?

I’m certainly busier now than 10 years ago, but am I more productive? I find myself doing more – but whether technology allows me to do it better, the answer is mixed.

When I entered the workforce mid-1980s, communicating with others was not as easy as sending an email to everyone in an email group – or better yet, selecting “Reply-to-All” and Send. We had to type a memo and make copies on the one copier shared by 13 offices. I recall making copies only for those you felt really needed to have the information – because you had to distribute those copies yourself (delivering by walking around the office, or stuffing envelopes to mail.)

No conclusions - it's just got me thinking.