Turn It Off: How to Unplug from the Anytime-Anywhere Office Without Disconnecting Your Career

For those growing wary of the snowballing impact that technology now has on our lives--especially the way it leads to more time on the job, even when we're supposedly off the clock--Turn It Off will hit a nerve. "It's great to be able to do increasingly sophisticated, complex office work at home," writes Gil Gordon, a consultant who specializes in telecommuting and the virtual office. "It's not so great when we aren't able to close the door (literally or figuratively) on the home office and wind up working well into time we'd rather reserve for ourselves." His book offers a framework that anyone can use to divide the week's 168 total hours into three "zones" determined by how much we're willing to be "on duty" at any given time. It presents a flexible way to determine this level of availability and the days and times that each zone, which range from 0 percent to 60 percent to 100 percent involved, is then in effect. It also explains how to implement such a customized model, including advice for obtaining support from superiors, coworkers, and clients. Results certainly aren't guaranteed, particularly given the seductive nature of today's hot new gadgetry, but those dedicated to reducing its impacts should see improvement by tenaciously employing Gordon's suggestions. --Howard Rothman