Twitter

Using Modern Technology: Finding a Healthy Balance Between Work and Family

June 4, 2012 By Amelia Wood 4 Comments

Growing up my father was a busy, busy man. As an ER nurse, he often worked odd and irregular hours. I remember not thinking much of it at the time necessarily. I was young and this was the way things were. He worked nights and slept during the days. He would eat dinner with us and then run off to the hospital for his shift. I was never bitter that he was unable to attend after school award ceremonies or sporting events because of his medical professional schedule, but I do think about it a lot now that I myself am older and thinking more and more about starting a family. When I think about all the times my dad was too tired to hang out after his long shift in the hospital or got called in to take on someone’s shift on the weekends, I begin to realize just how difficult and important finding a comfortable work/life balance is. Thankfully, today there are many creative and unique avenues professional parents can use to connect with their families at the same time as managing a busy work life.

“Face Time”

Even if you are away at work or travelling around the country for your job, you can still get that “face-to-face” connection with your family. Obviously, this is not ideal and it may sound a little ridiculous, but consider using Skype or video chatting with your kids and spouse during your busy times with work. This day and age, our careers are as much a part of our lives as our loved ones and homes. The two things cannot always be kept separate and there are times that one is going to have to be sacrificed for the other. By finding ways to engage with your family and loved ones even while you are busy, you will help them to feel more connected with you and you yourself will feel better. Our computers and cellphones today have video chatting capabilities that were not available when I was a kid. Rather than just calling home, do a video chat.

Social Media

Today, parents and kids have so many different avenues for reaching out and saying hi to their loved ones. If you know you are going to have to stay late at work or you are away on a weekend business trip, try sending your kids a “hello” tweet on Twitter. Not only will this be a welcome surprise, but you can be the “cool” mom/dad (or maybe you can embarrass them a little bit). Connecting with your family while you’re at work or busy in the office through social media and social networking can be a great way to put in a little extra effort.

The Real Deal

Of course, there is no substitute for the real thing. For a healthier and happier life, you need to find a way to better balance your work and your home. No one is going to feel satisfied or happy, if all of your attentions are being focused in only one of these areas. Understand your priorities and find ways to make compromises on both fronts. Yes, using modern technology as a tool for communication with the family is a great help, but there is really nothing like spending time with mom or dad at dinner or going out on the weekend as a family.

The Social Media Time-Suck: Robbing Creators of their Creativity

April 20, 2011 By Keagan Pearson 5 Comments

As people who create, the time spent producing something is the most valuable thing that we can do.

It takes time and energy.

If that weren’t enough…there is the time that we need to spend promoting our content. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube…they all take something from us.

However, the danger in promoting our content on these platforms is often the unproductive time we spend outside of the actual promotion.

Without too much difficulty, I am sure that you can remember the last time a quick post plug turned in to a forty five minute span of nothingness.

With primary careers, wives and children, the time that we have to create something worthwhile is limited.

So here is a little video encouragement for you.

Keep creating…and make sure to weigh in with your thoughts and suggestions!

Social Media Security and What It Means for Your Kids

September 29, 2010 By Keagan Pearson 1 Comment

In the spirit of practical exercises, think about the last article or blog post you read on the topic of social media. Regardless of the expertise of the author, it seems that there is always a sense of the unknown just beneath the surface.

The fact of the matter is that social media as we know it is relatively new. Yes, I have read the theories of social media tracing back to WWII, or more recently, ARPANET, but we are living in a very different age today….regardless of the exact origin.

For most of us, social media became real and integrated into our lives when we set up our Facebook account, tweeted our first tweet, or decided to set up that blog that we thought would make us famous. As exciting as it was, this is also the time when we opened ourselves and our families to a level of exposure unknown to the “un-famous.”

I will admit that while my daughters are still a little young to be interested in social media, my involvement requires a certain level of diligence. With a few clicks of the mouse you can find horrific stories of kids being lured into compromising situations. What once required a lot of work on behalf of some nefarious character, can now be disguised as a harmless friend or relative.

As dads, we need to have a game plan!

Get Out In Front

The worst possible thing any parent can be is reactionary. This is especially true when we are talking about something of consequence like our kids’ safety.

So plan! If your children are merely at the cusp of social media involvement then you need to get your mind made up. Develop talking points around the pitfalls and dangers involved. Ask yourself what age is appropriate for a Facebook account. How tight should the security settings be? What are the rules for accepting “friend requests?” Will you insist on them “friending” you for a time?

If you are a parent of an existing social media guru…then by all means get going! You are the parent, but remember that kids do appreciate being part of the solution. Make sure that they understand your reasoning and then let them take part in setting the parameters.

Setting rules and developing expectations late in the game is going to be challenging but completely doable.

What About Tech Help?

I know what you’re thinking! “This is good in theory but how can I possibly keep track of all this?” My answer: rely on the incredibly smart people who do it for a living.

There are several companies that offer technology specifically for the purpose of monitoring online activity.

A few of them are:

Whether you want to get incredibly detailed or just monitor for harmful interactions, there are products that can help. If you are like most parents, the easier it is, the more likely we are to take action.

Besides, who doesn’t like a helping hand?