We are all so busy.  Are we too busy to do the important part of our work?

 

Cal Newport, a professor at Georgetown University coined the phrase Utility Fallacy.  He refers to it as the tendency, when evaluating the impact of a technology, to confine our attention to comparing the technical features of the new technology to what it replaced.

 

So yes, email is better than fax.  What’s App is, in many ways, better than email.  Instant messaging/text may be quicker than email and What’s App.  At least today.
But do all of these low friction communications mediums make us better at what we do?

 

Technology provides us with utilitarian benefits but overlooks the negative personal and social impacts.

 

Successfully managing your inbox is not enough to make you remarkable at real estate.

 

Managing 50 text conversations without dropping the ball is an amazing time management feat but does it serve the clients we represent in the best way?

 

Successfully managing our messaging technology may make us feel like we are accomplishing something important but what if it is really keeping us from doing the work that matters?