Review: "Hamlet's Blackberry" by William Powers
I've been waiting for the perfect time to write a review of this book. It's recently been released in paperback, so I figured that time must be now. I've been so eager to review this book because it's had a profound impact on me and I hope to share some of it's goodness with you in this post.
To begin, William Powers did an interview on PBS Newshour in August, 2010 that really does an excellent job of capturing the high level essence of the book. The video is just under eight minutes and is well worth the time. I should also note that it was through this video that I first became aware of the book and it was none other than David Allen (the "Getting Things Done" guy) who shared the link on Facebook. Moments later, I was purchasing the book for my Nook app.
Do you ever get the feeling that instead of managing your life, your life is managing you? Between numerous social media platforms and a buzzing, whirring smartphone, overflowing RSS readers and emails, my connectedness had gotten out of control. There's a certain appeal to being constantly connected. You always feel "in the know" and you always feel needed. But it comes at a high cost. That nervous twitch that your eyelid has developed? Yeah, that's part of the cost. Not being able to focus on any task for more than two minutes without checking your email? Yeah, that's another part of the cost.
After watching the video, you may feel as though you've already gotten the key message from the book, so why bother to read it. Haven't you read an article about how being disconnected sometimes is a good thing? Have you made an effort to do it? Have you incorporated disconnected time into each week? each day? It's easy to say and difficult to do, right? The lessons that Powers covers in this book are in-depth and powerful. And they simply must be read to be fully appreciated and absorbed.
In particular, his approach of using historical figures as examples to drive his points home is quite effective. He talks early in the book – and in many of his interviews – about the unplugged weekends his family has instituted. If the solution was that easy and obvious, there would be no need for the book. But it's much deeper than that. Powers uses the examples of Plato, Seneca, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Franklin, Thoreau and McLuhan to teach us very specific and valuable lessons about how these figures approached the problem of being over-connected. It's about learning how to set boundaries and how to incorporate new routines into your life. It's about understanding our desire to be connected and the ramifications when it gets out of control.
So, if you're picking up on the idea that I highly recommend this book, then you're quite perceptive 
I have instituted some changes in my life after reading this book. I'm not as rigid as Powers' family with their modem-free weekends, but I try to remain nearly completely disconnected on the weekends with only the occasional email check. I also try to unplug for a couple hours or more each day. I have turned off all alerts and notifications on my smartphone. The downside is that I periodically need to check all of my emails and social networks in turn, but the big upside is that I am not getting constant interruptions. I have also come to recognize the signs of slipping back into over-connectedness and I am more disciplined about forcing myself to step away from the computer and turn off the smartphone if necessary.
Some people don't really have an issue with finding a natural balance in their connected and disconnected lives. I am not one of them. I tend to crave information and being a stay-at-home mother can be isolating at times. So, I definitely tend to be too plugged in, fearing I'll be missing something. Although I have to work at it constantly, I am finally finding a nice balance in being able to reap the benefits of technology and connectedness while minimizing the downsides. I hope that this fantastic book can help you do the same.
"Hamlet's Blackberry" is available in e-book, paperback and hardback formats from all major booksellers.
