At Danburg Properties of Boca Raton, our smart phones are power tools that keep us as developers and landlords of Palm Beach County commercial, office and warehouse space connected with tenants and business owners looking for new space for a growing business.  A recent study reported that people spend more than 23 days a year on their smart phones. Whether texting, surfing the web, checking email, exploring apps, playing games, or actually making calls, that’s a lot of time to spend on a “communications” device.

The subjects of the study actually were British smart phone users. But the implication was clear, no matter one’s nationality: The statistic was inferred by some as an indictment about time wasted in the “always-on” lifestyle.

Yet, for some entrepreneurs, business executives and committed employees (even those who reluctantly feel compelled to be tethered to the day job after hours), the message was that we spend too much time with our phones, and not enough committed to life around us.

But is that the case?

If you log on after hours to read and reply to email – including those for business, check voice mail, make calls, or otherwise conduct business-oriented “work,” is that inherently bad? The question was especially important with the recent National Day of Unplugging, which sought to raise awareness regarding the amount of time we spend online.

To be sure, if logging on for work after hours steals time otherwise spent with family and friends, one could argue misplaced priorities. And too much time spent on apps and games or social media could be called by some “an addiction,” especially again if life or our interactions with those around us suffer.

The key is to find reasonable, personal balance. A few tips:

– Find your focus. How much time spent on your smart phone doing non-work related tasks is too much? Is work output suffering? Are you missing deadlines or deliverables? Have others at work commented?

– Find your balance. Are you spending significant time on your mobile device – whether a smart phone or tablet, event a personal computer – to the detriment of your family? If so, listen for their complaints. Kids are especially attuned to their needs – and adults who aren’t meeting them. Don’t brush off their complaints. They may be spot on.

– Time shift. If you agree you’re on your digital device too much – possibly to the detriment of your interpersonal relationships – hop on at times when others aren’t around. Early morning, night time, or even at those times when the family or friends are all on their devices, could be the perfect times to surf without being missed.

Remember: Time is your own. But how you spend it could be rewarding to you and those around you. Make the most of what you have to spend.