Mirificam Press

Party Like It's 1989: A Web Designer's Guide to Disconnecting

April 14th, 2008 in Business & Process

by: Matthew Griffin

I don't remember much about 1989. After all, I was eight. But I do remember that there was a significant difference in the way people communicated. There were times when you just couldn't get hold of someone. Family outings and vacations were automatically acts of disconnection. There was really no way around it. That feeling of removal and seclusion is so foreign in the modern climate of connectedness that it almost seems impossible that it ever existed. And choosing web design as a vocation only heightens the pressure to be connected. Is it even possible for a web worker to unplug? If so, is it appropriate for a web worker to unplug? After all, aren't you doing your clients or employer a disservice by not being available?

A Snapshot of 1989

Let's start by discussing what it means to party like it's 1989. Prince seemed to think that the 1999 party would be the best, but I disagree. Leisure time in 1989 looked a lot more like real leisure than in 1999. The key difference between leisure in 1989 and 1999 (or even today) is the level of interruption. If you got together with some friends in 1989, chances are, you never got interrupted. You had a block of time that was dedicated completely to relaxing. Everyone was able to focus on their present situation. It's not that we didn't have any mobile communication technology. In 1989 lots people had those bulky bag phones and cell phones for their cars. But no one thought of them the way we think of cell phones now. They were usually for emergencies (At least that's the way it was in my family). There was no texting, no email—no ambient information calling for attention.

Things have changed quite a bit since 1989. And as web designers, we think that most of the changes have been good by default. But when you're living in a world that is nothing but a chain of interruptions, you have to look back and envy the 1989ers a little bit. Most of us don't even know what leisure looks like anymore, and that's not right. We were designed for leisure. Rest was modeled by God in the creation of the world and and later mandated in his law. It's absolutely necessary for our wellbeing. Because of that, I can say with confidence that it is possible to disconnect and doing so is not a disservice to your clients or employer. In fact, the opposite is true—you'll be a better employee or freelancer when you value leisure.

What's Going On Here?

The root of the problem is not the technology itself but a skewed view of what's valuable. The "ideal worker" model tells us that only money-producing activity is intrinsically worth something. In this mindset, leisure is only valuable insofar as it recharges us to continue producing income. It has no value in and of itself. How can it? We're all just utility maximizers, right? That's why we have no problem being interrupted with "important stuff" when we're relaxing. But the Christian view of leisure and valuable activity is different. In the Christian worldview, both work and leisure are valuable activities in their own rite. Both have been instituted by God and given intrinsic worth. Because of this, we should guard work and leisure with equal determination.

Practical Realignment

The key to reclaiming the leisure of 1989 is recognizing where communication is helpful and where it isn't—where it's appropriate and where it's not. We can still enjoy the benefits of email and cellphones without letting them run our lives. I wrote some tips in a recent article entitled that I think would be appropriate here; but since we're specifically talking about leisure time, I'd like to add the following list of suggestions.

1. Don't check your email at home. If you have a home office, don't check it after hours.
2. Don't take business calls after hours. Turn off your cellphone if you have a hard time letting calls go to voicemail.
3. Turn off your cellphone when you're on an outing. It's good to have it in case of an emergency but it shouldn't be interrupting time with your family and friends.
4. This should go without saying but never wear a bluetooth headset in public. It's silly and distracting. There's no reason to be that connected. You could argue that it's okay in the car but I lean toward not taking en route calls at all.
5. Don't check your email on your phone. Email will be there when you get back to the office. Leave it alone. One out of every 150 times you check it, there might actually be something that's urgent. It's not worth it.
6. Get someone reliable who can cover for you while you're on vacation. You should be disconnected when you're on vacation. That's how it worked in 1989 and it can still work that way. Make sure your reliable person can get in contact with you in case of an emergency and then forget about it.
7. Be deliberate about setting aside leisure time. Don't wait until you're done with all your work to take leisure time. Work is never finished. Be as jealous over your leisure time as you are about work.
8. Maximize your leisure time by doing something worthwhile. It's okay to veg out now and then, but your leisure time should be spent as wisely as your work time. Read, go to museums, travel, talk with your spouse, learn a new skill. If you think leisure and coma mean the same thing, you have the wrong idea.

I'm not in any way endorsing laziness with this list of suggestions. Too much leisure can be just as bad as too much work. It's important to carefully balance the two, being careful not to neglect one or the other. Is it possible that you may lose a client or two with these tactics? It's possible but it's never happened to me. Most of the time, whatever you lose by being serious about your leisure, you gain by being more relaxed and well-rounded.

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