Using your 4G smartphone as an ‘out of office’ tool

We all live incredibly busy lives these days. Luckily, we have technology to help us out and give us the tools we need to spend our leisure time as we would like. Unfortunately, a new survey suggests many of us are actually working more as a result of always being connected to our smartphones.

With [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]EE having just rolled out its all new 4G network[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]EE having just rolled out its all new 4G network[/tp] across the UK, this research is particularly interesting. Conducted by gadget retailer Pixmania, the study highlighted just how much time we are spending on our digital devices. In particular, it revealed how we are using them to catch up on bits of work when we are away from the office.

It’s claimed that with the average working day now running at between nine and ten hours, Britons are doing around 460 extra hours worked each year. About two of these hours each week can be attributed to how we are using our mobile phones to check emails, contact people or even call in to our places of work to catch up on what’s going on in our absence. It may be that this is taking place during our daily commute, our lunch break or even our weekend, but there’s also research that suggests some of us are doing the same thing when we are away on holiday. A TripAdvisor study claimed over half of us will check work emails each day while we are away and that almost as many will take this further by calling the office.

So with [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]better 4G smartphones and faster mobile web connections[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]better 4G smartphones and faster mobile web connections[/tp] now arriving on the market, is this likely to get worse or better? Well, that of course depends on the individual and how they want to use their spare time, but 4G certainly gives us the tools to make it go either way. With a quicker, more reliable connection, it will certainly be easier to check emails, download important documents and update people on our whereabouts. However, there are also tools that could take you away from it all and help you to relax when you are on the way in, on the way out or just away from your desk. With better video streaming, you could use your lunch hour to catch up on some TV watching while in the park. Try downloading some podcasts while walking to work or even streaming music to your device to de-stress you on the way home.

So why not give it a try? Next time you feel the temptation to check in and see what has been happening in the office in the spare moments you haven’t spent there, why not use the time to relax and do something more interesting?