“”The irony is the very expectation of getting more done is getting in the way of getting more done,” he said. “People are stressed out.”” — Source: Tech makes working harder, not easier at News.com

Perhaps it time we all chilled out a bit. Or better yet, maybe it’s time that companies designed products that don’t just extend our work day, but actually make us more productive.

I think it’s time that someone invent something that actually prevents people from contacting you. Always being available is not the best way to work. Sometimes you need 30 minutes or so just to wrap your head around a task. Constant interruptions impair productivity terribly. Think of how productive (and soothing and just generally good) a daily guaranteed three hour block of complete silence would be.

You could call the product “Hibernation”. It would ideally integrate into your phone, cellphone, email, Blackberry and Pager. There’s got to be a smart way of informing your colleagues and loved ones that you’re working now and to kindly leave you the hell alone. The trouble would start with people asking “What about emergencies?” Emergency would have to be narrowly defined or else the term emergency would be abused and we’d be back to square one.

Regardless, it’s a task worth undertaking. Maybe technology can free us from this terrible bind it has put us in.

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