Isn't all this technology supposed to make our lives easier? Some days, it's hard to imagine. When the boss calls you at 8 p.m., when a flood of e-mails explodes in your inbox just before you're supposed to leave, when the computer or the Internet breaks down ... there are many reasons to hate the fact that we have so many computers and smartphones. They're supposed to be our slaves. But perhaps we are slaves to them.
With each wave of technological revolution in the past 200 years, the Harvard Business Review recently pointed out, there is an awkward period. The new machines come into the workplace, and we don't see much change in worker conditions or wages. But over time, training and workplace culture catch up. And some workplaces are already being smart, offering options such as flex time or shortened work weeks to accommodate technological change.
"Of course, circumstances are different today," James Bessen writes in HBR, pointing out that technological change is accelerating. "But the key challenge facing the workforce is the same as in the past. Both then and now, in order to implement major new technologies, large numbers of people had to learn new skills and knowledge. This learning turned out to be surprisingly slow and difficult, yet it was the key to higher wages."
There's another thing that is different as well; we have more choice than before. That's right. Hard as it is to see through the blizzard of e-mails and other obligations in front of us, technology does offer advantages if we find the right job to support it. If you don't mind working on a computer for most of the day, it's possible -- over time and with a lot of hard work -- to perhaps find a working situation that supports your life, rather than the other way around.
Telecommuting and flexible hours are a start, but entrepreneurship is another. The number of people who make money online through blogs, online marketplaces or similar jobs is something that only technology made possible. If this is something you truly desire, it is a way of perhaps gaining a bit more freedom with your time using technology.
And there is another option altogether as well -- reducing your expenses drastically so you can work less, or perhaps even not as all. Books such as Your Money or Your Life are proponents of ideas such as taking part-time jobs so that you can spend more time relaxing. This is perhaps not a viable option for the typical middle-class family, although there are certain people who disagree with that perception as well.
The blog Mr. Money Mustache follows a family of three people who saw the parents retire in their 30s, just as they were preparing to become parents. They saved an astounding 65% of their income, roughly speaking, for several years and are now able to live off the investments. But they don't just rely on that. The blog pulls in money, as well as home repair jobs and a rental property -- although the blog authors point out that the work is fully a choice and they could leave any of that aside if they wish.
Expenses they reduced included nearly eliminating car commuting, avoiding TV and its related expenses (cable), living close to all the services they need so they can bike, doing their own home-repair jobs, really enjoying the library, sharing an Internet plan with the neighbors, and much more. It speaks to an interest in communal living rather than individual living -- using the resources of the community for entertainment rather than an expensive console.
It's perhaps not a lifestyle for everyone, but on the other hand, the blog authors are working optionally while most of us are still stuck paying the mortgage. But perhaps there are other solutions. How do you think is the best way of addressing the current problem of high technology and long work hours?
Top image: Perhaps where many of us would rather be on a typical workday. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
