In countless ways, e-mail, voicemail, instant messaging, etc. make it possible for a lot of people to juggle professional and personal commitments. But we cannot lose sight that even such liberating and time-saving innovations can tip the work-life balance away from the priorities we set in the first place. That’s the reason a Canadian government ministry recently directed its employees to observe a BlackBerry blackout from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. AND on weekends and holidays. Now that is a cool idea.
So how about implementing our own blackout this Valentine’s Day? Let it be a tiny step towards disentangling ourselves from the electronic devices that rule our lives. Whether it is your sweetheart, children, parents or anyone else you really care about, show them the love by really listening and engaging without all of those ringing, blinking, buzzing interruptions. And I don’t mean set the phone on mute. Really turn it off. You can see what you missed after the candlelit dinner. Whatever the message, can it really be more important than spending quality time with your special someone?
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