If there is anything I don’t like about technology, it’s the constancy.  More specifically, it’s the never-ending stream of communication that pressures us to be “plugged in” 24/7 to every aspect of a project or effort.  It is the premiere micromanaging tool.  There isn’t time for solace or reflection-no time for thought.

People are busier, transportation permits packed schedules, a 24-hour news cycle means there’s always a story to get or correct. It’s just constant noise.

I was refreshed to read this morning in the NYT a candid conversation between Sen. Obama and British PM David Cameron.

Mr. Cameron: Do you have a break at all?

Mr. Obama: I have not. I am going to take a week in August. But I agree with you that somebody, somebody who had worked in the White House who — not Clinton himself, but somebody who had been close to the process — said that should we be successful, that actually the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking. And the biggest mistake that a lot of these folks make is just feeling as if you have to be …

Mr. Cameron: Your feeling. And that is exactly what politics is all about. The judgment you bring to make decisions.

Mr. Cameron: These guys just chalk your diary up.

Mr. Obama: Right. … In 15 minute increments and …

Mr. Cameron: We call it the dentist waiting room. You have to scrap that because you’ve got to have time.

Mr. Obama: And, well, and you start making mistakes or you lose the big picture. Or you lose a sense of, I think you lose a feel …

Whether it’s time to think about business strategy, political moves, your life goals, your purpose or to reflect on a fun vacation you just had, stopping for a moment and thinking about your life is critical.  It’s nice to know that two powerful men realize that.

via 43Folders