Did you see the recent press report saying that young UK people (aged 16 – 24) are spending an average of 7 hours a day on their smart phones.  The article included the normal backlash from so called ‘behavioural experts’ saying how bad this is for those involved and that their world is going down the swannie.

I take a different view.  I’m sure there is some truth in all their comments but I see the situation as simply being a ‘snapshot in time’ and that all their statements need to be qualified with the words ‘at the moment’.  

At the heart of EML’s thinking is the importance of finding and maintaining a balance ‘over the long term’.  And those are they key words.  We do not purport to advocate ‘moderation in all things’ – there is plenty of evidence to show that moderation is not the best way to achieve stunning success.  For success it is often essential to go to extremes – be that working every hour of the day, taking ‘all in’ financial risks or putting yourself into physical danger.  Long term success however,  comes not from shying away from extremes, but from recognising when you are there and pulling back when the time is right then spending time/money in other areas of your life to restore your long term balance.  For example, when setting up a business it is often necessary to spend long hours on the fledgling business while also putting your house or other assets at risk.  Restoring balance is about taking risks and then making sure that once established, you make time in your working day to look after your health and spend quality time with family and friends.  Similarly, once the business is financially sound, to take your house ‘off risk’ and build a separate financial net egg.  This is not a lack of faith in the business, simply a recognition of the importance of balance.

Young people spending hours on their smart phones is fine with me – provided they don’t do it for too long.  They will learn a great deal about these devices – good and bad – from which I hope to benefit!  The one thing I would encourage is that they take some time out for a ‘tech detox’ to allow balance to return.