Continuing our thoughts on knowing whether, when, and how to slow down, be sure to read this morning’s New York Times article “Hooked on Gadgets, and Paying a Mental Price.” Does this experience sound at all familiar?

“Technology use is growing for Mrs. Campbell as well. She divides her time between keeping the books of her husband’s company, homemaking and working at the school library. She checks e-mail 25 times a day, sends texts and uses Facebook.

“Recently, she was baking peanut butter cookies for Teacher Appreciation Day when her phone chimed in the living room. She answered a text, then became lost in Facebook, forgot about the cookies and burned them. She started a new batch, but heard the phone again, got lost in messaging, and burned those too. Out of ingredients and shamed, she bought cookies at the store.

“She feels less focused and has trouble completing projects. Some days, she promises herself she will ignore her device. ‘It’s like a diet — you have good intentions in the morning and then you’re like, There went that,’ she said.”

Reading the piece, I was reminded of the work of Cheryl Richardson, especially her bestselling Take Time for Your Life. Richardson writes that the rush of technology and the speed of electronic communication is, for many people, an adrenaline rush:

“An example of this overstimulated adrenaline response came from my client Alex, who always felt compelled to check his phone and e-mail messages. Although he didn’t realize it, the reason Alex felt so compelled was that his anxiety level increased every time he checked his voice mail or e-mail. During the day, when he felt a slump in his energy, he said that checking his messages ‘gave him a little boost.’ It had become a disturbing habit, since he was now checking them both eight or even ten times in one day. Even on vacation, he had to find a phone and check in.”

Adrenaline in itself is neither good nor bad, but when our adrenal system is overtaxed, we pay a price both in terms of health and mood. Richardson urges us to find other, less taxing ways to boost our energy, a change which may require us to set specific goals and guidelines for ourselves, such as checking email at two or three specific times during the day or writing longhand (or with our browser turned off). And email can sometimes reduce our stress rather than add to it, if we use it wisely, such as knowing when a quick email message can replace a lengthy (and more inefficient) phone call and, at the same time, provide a written record to refer to later (on the other hand, for some people, the voice connection of the phone call is the more relaxing choice).

As always, this is not a one-size-fits-all issue. Some people really do seem to thrive on the adrenaline rush of 21st century speed or they need the more extensive phone and email contact for their work. How we feel inside is the true barometer of to what extent technology is our friend and, to that end, how we should define our relationship and how much time we should spend together. It’s the difference between feeling over-caffeinated or well nourished, the difference between feeling crazy busy or in control of our intensity.

The good news is that if, at the end of the day, our technology habits leave us mentally exhausted or even depressed, we can give ourselves permission to change. Here are a few ideas on how to start.

Read:

How To Check E-mail Twice a Day… Or Once Every Ten Days

Five Realistic Tips for Using Email More Efficiently

Watch:

Julie Morgenstern discusses her book Never Check E-mail in the Morning:

Savor:

Finally, take the time to read (slowly) this poem by U. S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan (and perhaps write a poem in response, from the turtle’s perspective):

Turtle

Kay Ryan

Who would be a turtle who could help it?
A barely mobile hard roll, a four-oared helmet,
She can ill afford the chances she must take
In rowing toward the grasses that she eats… read more

Photo of turtle courtesy of Alex Cathill.