TECHNOSTRESS

TECHNOSTRESS
COPING WITH TECHNOLOGY
@HOME @WORK @PLAY
Michelle M. Weil, PhD
Larry D. Rosen, PhD
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997
240 pages, hardcover, $22.95
ISBN 0-471-17709-1

Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg

One of the first signs of "Multitasking Madness," say psychologists Michelle Weil and Larry Rosen, is trouble focusing on a single task for a sustained time. Thoughts of other chores that must be done keep creeping into one's awareness.

In the middle of the night, they say, persons experiencing processing overload awaken with their minds filled with a myriad of ideas. It's hard to fall back asleep until these thoughts are emptied out. Sleep deprivation, by curbing the ability to concentrate, may make this situation worse.

TechnoStress explores aspects of waking life that may undermine sleep, reminding us that day and night are one. The book discusses the impact of recent technological developments on the pace of daily life. Such technology includes beepers, cell phones, computers, and fax machines. Many adults still are uncomfortable with such devices. It's still not unusual to hear of a computerphobic physician or an executive who can't program a VCR, experiences that the authors contend erode the sense of having control over one's own life. With an abundance of time-saving devices, we feel more than ever the shortage of time.

"Like jugglers," the authors point out, "people have inherent limits as to how many balls they can keep in the air at the same time." Technology, they assert, has led people to exceed their task limits. Even our estimations of how long it will take to complete given tasks have become distorted.

The solution, they suggest, is to stop relying on internal memory and create an external memory--a "brain dump," consisting of the simplest of aids: an ever-present notepad and pen. Write down anxious thoughts at bedtime, on awakening in the middle of the night, or, as many sleep specialists suggest, at a designated "worry time" distant from bedtime. This tactic may help those with racing minds to sleep better.

Learn to use "captive moments" for small tasks, the authors advise. Instead of waiting impatiently for e-mail to download or the microwave to pop corn, browse through a magazine or make a grocery list. This system, they maintain, may ease the sense of having too many undone chores hanging over your head.

Though not a book on sleep per se, TechnoStress offers practical tips to foster both calmer days and more restful nights.