I’m all for technology. The more aspects of my life I can automate or leave up to some gadget to do, or at least make it easier for me to do, the better.

I use my mobile phone to keep track of my schedule – both business and personal. I keep detailed records of all my contacts, use the memory card to store and transfer data, keep password protected records of insurance policies, credit card details and various membership numbers, all while regularly syncing with both my Mac and PC.

I also use the email functionality, albeit only in case of dire emergency.
I’m the person that uses the delay function on a washing machine and dishwasher, and programmes the oven to switch on and off automatically. I use all of the features on my convection microwave oven. I copy my CDs to my iPod and play them through my home entertainment system.

But while technology and its many uses appeals to me, I recently made a conscious effort to try and reduce its claustrophobic effect on my life. This has largely consisted of controlling the amount of information I’m exposed to on a daily basis and has been achieved by limiting the many methods of contacting me.

I have now whittled down contact options to: work and home landlines, work fax, mobile phone, work email, personal email, Skype, IM, Facebook and Linkedln. And that’s it. No more. I will not be accepting invitations to Twitter, natter, poke, goss, Badoo, share my astrological data, pet your panda, or take an IQ test. I’m done. If you or some source of information can’t reach me via one of these channels then that’s just too bad.

But now I have a question. There are two schools of thought – those that ask ‘How did we manage before mobile phones?’, and those that say ‘We managed just fine before mobile phones’.

So, were we productive? Did we manage to get everything done despite not having access to mobile phones and other forms of technology or were we just a bunch of slackers back then? Or is it perhaps that our measures of productivity are just very different now? Is being available 24/7 a sign of super productivity or just not having a life.

While all this technology purports to improve levels of productivity by improving networking and access to information, I think we walk a very fine line. Constant checking of status updates and friend requests, being poked and following all the twitters is not just time consuming but also, I find, distracting.

Maybe it’s a mindset though. Some people manage to function quite well while being bombarded with all of this information. For others, like me, it becomes too much and I start feeling as though I’m not focusing properly anymore. In the last 90 minutes I have received 49 emails … no wait, make that 52. No … 53. You get the picture. Then there are the landline calls, mobile phone calls, text messages, etc.

So, while to many people out there this might seem like stepping back into the Dark Ages, I’m very happy to have the breathing space and with it the time to speak to someone face to face (without constantly glancing at the screen of my mobile phone to make sure I haven’t missed a call or text message) and, perhaps even, write a letter – with a pen … on paper.

JAMES RETIEF