If anyone needs to take a break from technology, it's me. No matter what I'm doing, I'm usually listening to a podcast, checking tweets, or keeping up with work while doing it. Even my friends have caught me asleep with my laptop on my chest and a YouTube video softly playing. It's embarrassing. Taking a "break" from work includes consuming more – a simple check on social media can turn my brain onto a checklist of other, non-work related things that I need to get done. It can start to feel like life is a never-ending checklist waiting to be attended to. But I still manage to make it through with (mostly) successful results.
I appreciate how the Spectator article notes the benefits as well as the drawbacks of our instant lives. All technology users (not just the young ones) are routinely punished for their impatience, but is it so wrong to want the technology you use to work to the best of its ability? It's just human nature to prioritize efficiency. The faster we get things done, the sooner we can "hit the reset button" and take some well earned time off. Work hard, play hard.
We have longer attention spans than we give ourselves credit for. Even with technology, most people I know enjoy long conversations over dinner, binge watching hour-long TV shows, and somehow manage to lead productive work and school lives. Yes, sometimes technology can be a crutch (shoutout to all the awkward situations I've avoided by staring at my phone), but more often than not, people are self-aware enough to determine when it's appropriate to slow down a bit. After all, as the Fortune article explains, Millennials are more willing than other generations to delay monetary gratification to help their careers in the long run. Technology can sometimes blur the line between work and play, but we're starting to get the hang of balancing all the various aspects of our lives.
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