This is a guest post by Jessica Sanders, she is an avid small business writer touching on topics from social media to background checks. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including payroll services for lead generation resource, Resource Nation.

Whether you’re running your own business, keeping up with a blog, or just simply living – you are surrounded by gadgets, Internet and social media at all times of the day. Even when you’re out in the dessert or on top of a mountain, that vibrating in your pocket reminds you that you are never far away from it all.

Because of this, people are becoming zombies. Everywhere you go - another QR code, another Facebook page, another social networking site. Thus, when the opportunity strikes, it’s important that you step away when you can; take a breather. It’s time that you find some balance in slowing down for a moment.

“’Fast-twitch’ wiring among today's youth generally leads to more harm than good. Much of the communication and media consumed in an ‘always-on’ environment is mind-numbing chatter. While we may see increases in productivity, I question the value of what is produced.”

 – Pew Internet, Hyper-connected Lives

Work/Life Balance

Email makes it much easier to be working all the time – at home, on vacation or in the hot tub. Wherever you go, your smart phone is keeping you up to date on every email flying through the web-o-sphere and into your inbox. This has become such a problem that countries are enacting government regulations.

In Australia, The Fair Work Amendment (Better Work/Life Balance) Bill 2012 works to improve the balance. This amendment to the Fair Work Act of 2009 allows employees to complain to Fair Work Australia if they are denied flexible working hours.

Without government regulation, however, there are a number of ways to switch off and slow down.

• Take business email off your phone. Keep business affairs at work (or at home, for the startup owner). Keeping that stress in the office allows you to strip off your work suit and be an active part of your personal life.

• Change your phone settings to deliver email only Monday-Friday, if you can’t let it go all together. 

• Request a work phone from your company. Keep it at home when you head out for a dinner date or weekend fun. 

Tech/Life Balance

It’s hard to get away from this one. Everywhere you turn is an advertisement for a business Facebook page or Twitter feed; not to mention your smart phone, that beeps every 10 minutes with a new notification or re-tweet. According to The Social Skinny, “Users accessing the web through mobile devices has almost doubled every year since 2009.” It’s time to unplug.

• Don’t have notifications come to your phone. While you can access your social media accounts at the drop of a dime, keeping the notifications at bay gives your brain a break from the constant bombardment.

• Keep only one social network on your phone. Although you may be active on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and your blog, you don’t have to be involved with all of them on your phone. Keep your favorite, or switch them off and on. 

Blogging/Life Balance

As a blogger, professional or hobbyist, you know how difficult it is to stay away. Between constant traffic influx, demand for fresh content and keeping up with comments, blogging requires a significant amount of your time. Even away from the computer, your mind is spinning new story ideas at all times. How do you manage to step away?

We have been built to both want and provide information with immediacy. In reality, we’re all looking to slow down and find a balance, while maintaining our daily grind. Don’t pressure yourself to write a dozen new posts a week. Create an editorial calendar, and in it, include:

• The days that you’ll write new content: 2-3 days a week is average. Regularity is more important than frequency. HeidiCohen.com suggests, “… Like your favorite television show that’s on every Thursday at 9.00pm, it’s important to deliver content on a recurring schedule to encourage regular reading habits.”

• Guest posting dates. This relieves your duty to create fresh content, and you can schedule it ahead of time so you can take that day off. 

Simply putting all your gadgets away, and yes that means your laptop too, to relish in the simplicity of life without it, can be beneficial. When you slow you down, you give yourself time to enjoy life. While technology has made a positive impact in everyone’s world, your daily duties will actually benefit from some much needed separation.

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