InsideTech

I can't say that I've quite reached the level of deluge you have, Judy - but I do understand your point all-too-well. I've faced the same kind of chaos in my former profession too many times to count.
But to answer your question: "Is there too much tech in our lives?" I think a more appropriate wording of that would have been "have I ALLOWED to much tech to invade my life?" I say this because "tech" is an inanimate, insensate thing of our own creation. It can't move in on it's own, you have to bring it to you.
So if there's "too much tech" making a shambles of your day, well... sorry, Che', but you put it there! Next question is, what are you going to do about it? We've got two choices here: 1. Sit on your hands and do nothing. 2. Make a cold, hard assessment of your self and your priorities.
Is it really necessary to keep all those bookmarks? How many of them are outdated? Are there some that you don't have a REAL need for? If yes, then delete them. Cell phone's turned into an electronic leash? Turn it off, or get a new number and don't give it out to anyone except those people who REALLY NEED TO KNOW. (We need italics in here... I hate "shouting" to emphasize a point.)
Finally - as to that "productivity" we're all so concerned with (you and me both, my friend) - there's this nasty little word that keeps popping up to whack me on the head about 5 or 6 times a day... "Priority"
Learning to prioritize tasks, and keeping them that way, isn't always an easy chore. Even for an anal-retentive Virgo like myself... see, told ya I was modest! =P But if you're going to get ANYTHING done, you have to do it. Another thing is learning to be realistic - you're not Wonder Woman, Judy, and I'm most certainly not Superman! Some things just don't need to be on our plate. Which brings up the topic of delegation... another thing anal-retentive Virgo control-freaks aren't necessarily good at. But it's another of the things that MUST be done. You don't really have to be the only person in the building who can do a particular task - believe me, I've tried that approach and it gave me ulcers - there are, indeed, several (maybe even many) people around you who could do the task well and might even appreciate your trust in them with the responsibility. Give it to them! And then trust them to do the job. You can still check up on their progress - but don't have to be an ogre about it. If you've chosen well to begin with then have faith in your choice, and in the person you've chosen to delegate to.
Last, and definitely not least, MAKE the time for yourself. It used to drive me nuts when I'd hear my Gram say "I wish I could do this-or-that, but I just can't find the time..." You never will. Set a schedule for yourself, and make @@#%*() sure there's time in there for you! Ulcers aren't pretty - believe me, I know! When it's "YOUR" time, slam an iron-clad door on those things that would take it away from you. OK, if your 4 y.o. falls down and cracks her head on the curb obviously that takes priority over the soaps-n-bonbons, but otherwise that time is yours and yours alone!
Take it from someone who's 45 going on 90... time is precious, and so's your sanity.
And now you know why so many of my friends call me "Mommie Dammit"...
Scott

P.S. Judy, I didn't write this just for you... obviously! But since we're the only two in here at the moment... =)

Scott u are definitely not going on 90.. and you're absolutely right in your advice.. im the only one who can control it and manage it.. so i think i'm going to turn off IM for a few hours a day.. if they really want me they can still call right ;) and i think my first to-do list is to clean out my email and my bloated bookmarks.. because that should free up more time to do more important things down the road...

But now.. lets say we could only have one tech tool (not counting the PC or phone ok..) to use.. what would you choose?

hmm all this has made me wonder about myself.

I resisted laptops until 2004 on the premise that 1)everything I needed to do I could do on a desktop and 2)I already work more than most people at work...why make it portable so I work even more when I get home? That might not be the case for everyone...I guess some people feel lost without a laptop...but for me, a workaholic, it's detrimental.

I also can't seem to get a grasp on the cell phone thing. Several of my collegues look at me funny when I pull out my three year old pre-paid cell...that I managed to remember in case I have some sort of accident or something. While they all show me their latest this or that and what their phones do....I dunno... just not into it I guess. That is the reason I have a pre-paid...most of the time I forget it, why have yet another bill.

I guess for me technology is more of a tool than my life. I don't play games on computers, I don't have hobbies that involve technology really...well except for research.

To me... I think that when people are so into technology that they shrink from regular human to human interaction, it's a bad thing. It can make you lose touch with humanity in a way...diverge people from common understanding and lack of understanding breeds ignorance and intolerance.

I know several people just getting into the technological world..they are excited and awed by things...and are usually taken aback by the thought of a week without a phone or a laptop...or a game or an IM or chat or whatever. I get suspicious looks.

A statement I found interesting and correct.... "With all the modern technology in communication, all the palms, phones, etc. why does it seem like we are communicating less?"

My mother asked me that the other day expressing her frustration between some professionals she has been working with. Everyone has a cell, everyone has im, everyone has email...but somehow with all this going on...these people aren't getting messages to each other.

My answer.... "Availability does not connotate usage." A bad communicator...faced with a plethera of choices on the mode of communication...does not communicate more effectively.

I have found myself in the same position as Judy several times... more bookmarks than you can count. If I wasn't addicted to research...if I didn't find most things so interesting, this would probably not be an issue. I have the tendency to save things for later, when I have more time to read. And then...when I really do need to get a link to someone... I can't find it.

I used to spend an hour or three a week weeding out and organizing my bookmarks. That got to be a bit ridiculous. Right now...I have 8 bookmarks. They are the places I go most often...not the places I'm saving to read for later. Those...I just remember or forget. I realized that most of the things I was saving...I never made it to anyway, interesting at the time but apparently not interesting enough to remember to go in the bookmarks and read them. So that was taken care of.

I also made myself a rule to check my desktop before shutting down for the day and either organize or delete what I have put there...deciding if it is important to keep or something I just needed for a day or two. This has helped keep my desktop clear of clutter. I am really bad at saving everything to my desktop for easy access...whatever I am working on at the moment...something I need to print off for a client that I don't need to keep invariably kept sitting there.

The day I had a hard time recognizing my recycle bin...I had decided there needed to be a solution.

I also ended up changing emails..having separate ones for friends and family and another one for work. That way...while I am waiting for a response from a manager on something important... I'm not having to spend time deleting the endless forwarded jokes and "virus" warnings sent from friends and family that apparently spend all their time forwarding useless information instead of actually communicating.

Anyway... if I could have only one tech tool not counting a pc or phone... I guess it would have to be a....hmmm... heh. I dunno...can't think of anything....a plunger maybe...teens tend to use a lot of toilet paper. :)

TECHNOLOGY this is where my life stands.Nowadays life without technology is like a man standing in centre of ocean.

Well...Technology.... did you know.....how ancient it is in our lives.....

Let me clear you there was a peculiar kind of technology ...   used to build up the Ancient Pyramids at Egypt...........  What do you say about it.....    how it have been made...  is it a simple constuction by adding bricks ...  and made.... nay.....   there was a well developed a technology using that they build such a large unthoughtable Monuments still alive at Egypts.............  

Also there is a temple called Konark Temple in Orissa, India. It was developed thousands of years ago, it contains the total time evaluation like in a moments, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, light years etc...... representing by the different wheels of Carraige Cart(Coach) of the God Sun in Hindu Mythodology.....

These are two simple exampledepicts that the technologies are too much in our lives or not........

So I Say that.....    "There is too much Technology in our Lives, but the thing is that If we have been Considering it or not, Ready to use it... then we will know how much it is ......."

Sumit Rastogi

I think it is correct but this is the success mantra for future