On Connectedness and Relaxation

Several times in the past few weeks I have had conversations with entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs about remaining connected while on vacation. Now, I am the first to admit that I typically don't vacation well. As I've gotten older, I have become slightly better at it and actually try to downshift and recharge my batteries more regularly.

Except for perhaps one trip a year when I promise my wife to fully shut down, I always remain connected. I have my Treo, my laptop, my EVDO card, etc. My response time may be a little bit slower -- especially if I've had my first martini -- but I'm still fully reachable. Most of the entrepreneurs I know are similar. One of my business partners is in Europe with his family and I'm at a lake in New Hampshire, but I've gotten a steady stream of email from his Blackberry and he's gotten plenty of messages from my Treo in return.

In talking with others about these habits, they often have a hard time understanding it. I try to explain that I actually relax better when I'm connected not simply because I am confident that I'm available should the need arise, but just as important I know that I'm not going to return to thousands of emails that need to be processed. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the flow of communications when I'm fully engaged, so to put it all aside for a week would make my return to civilization absolutely miserable.

This isn't something exclusive to entrepreneurs, but I find that far more entrepreneurs I know would agree with this thinking than others I work with.

I do sometimes wonder if it is contagious, though. Remember I said my wife tries to get me to shut off all the electronics once a year? Turns out she's becoming a bit of an addict herself. The last vacation we took together she actually asked me to make sure I had my gear with me so she could check her email, and this week she brought her own laptop to the lake after making sure the house we're visiting had a wireless network!