Most people believe that having 24/7 access to the internet, cell phones and email has improved their ability to do their job, and about half of all workers say it has given them more flexibility at work, according to research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

But being “wired and ready” can take a toll on your professional and personal life. According to the poll, nearly half of respondents said it increases demands that they work more hours, ups their level of job stress and makes it harder for them to mentally disconnect from their work after they leave the office.

“Companies think this is great, but employees feel overwhelmed, their morale goes down, and they begin to feel antagonistic towards their company,” said Daniel Sieberg, author of the upcoming book, The Digital Diet: The 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life, which will be out this May.

Multitasking Hurts Relationships and Productivity

Many experts also say that multitasking (texting during a meeting, checking emails while trying to write a legal brief, checking the bracket on the NCAA tournament while?analyzing?a problem) can reduce your productivity and creativity. Sieberg, host of Tech This Out! on ABC News and former technology correspondent for CBS News, ?said it also hurt his relationships with this co-workers. “I was probably sending too many emails and not going to enough face-to-face meetings. Going down the hall and chatting with someone goes a long way in fostering business relationships,” he said.

But he was largely compelled to cut back on his electronic use because of what it was doing to his personal life. He realized that he was never really present because half of him was always operating virtually, an epiphany he had when he came face to face with a shark in a deep sea dive (and was forced to be fully present to survive). When he came up for air, he took the Draconian step of quitting Facebook for the better part of a year and drastically cutting back on emailing.

Here are some simple and important steps that Siebert recommends to lower your electronics use, but he contends that much like following a diet, you’ll have more success in balancing your life if you take the disciplined, comprehensive approach that he lays out in his book.

Don’t send emails to the guy in the next office. You’re not going to be the favorite person in an office by blasting out emails. “You need to demonstrate your personality by putting yourself physically out there and not relaying so much on the texting and emailing,” said Sieberg. Monitor your website distractions. The average computer user checks 40 web sites a day and can switch programs 36 times an hour, according to Sieberg’s book. You’re probably spending a lot more time than you think you are on Facebook, watching funny cat videos on You Tube, or tweeting. Use time management programs to curtail web distractions. Sieberg recommends time management programs or websites like the one at Rescuetime.com.? It tracks how much time you spend on websites and how long it takes to answer emails. That should be an eye opener. You can also use these programs for “focus time,” during which the program doesn’t let you check Facebook or Twitter or any other of your highly?distracting?websites (pre-set by you of course). Don’t leave “tech turds” on the table (my personal favorite). This is what Sieberg calls cell phones or blackberries you plop on the conference table or dinner table, announcing how important your potentially incoming messages are in comparison to the people around you. Spend more time in real time relationships while you’re weaning yourself off of electronics. Pick up the phone or have coffee. Sieberg realized that he had watered down his meaningful friendships by lumping them in with all his Facebook friends, giving everyone the same superficial update treatment.? “These sites can lull you into feeling like you’ve fulfilled your actual relationship with a quick sentence or two,” he writes. Set limits on cell phones and emailing. When you’re out of the office, limit your email checking to one or two 10-minute chunks of time. This will give you a sense of control over your life, and others will respect you for creating boundaries and carving out personal time for yourself. Most emails are not emergencies that need immediate attention.

Have you tried turning off your cell phone or taking a hiatus from Facebook? Tell us how that went in the comment section.

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