So the other day I was in an event for pretty much the entire day that – horrors of horrors – was held in a location without wireless access. I kept seeing people pulling out their phones – likely to check their email – and realized that like an idiot I had left mine in my car. And then of course when I got back to my phone, the first thing I saw was a work-related email timestamped about four hours earlier asking if I could have something done, oh, half an hour ago.

For me, having my phone on me most of the time means that I stay connected – which means that I have the opportunity to get work done when I need to. Like answering emails or returning calls, or sometimes even dictating notes for myself for later. But the nice thing is that I don’t have to. We haven’t yet gotten to the point where everyone expects an email response five minutes later after working hours just because you probably have a phone on you – though when that day comes, I guess we can all kiss our personal lives goodbye.

Still, it is nice to have that option. Even when you’re on vacation you don’t have to stress about missing really important stuff. Or if you’re like me and get a little bored at family gatherings, you can always respond to emails (or play games and pretend you’re doing Very Important Work). Though sometimes a vacation means turning off the phone – also a legitimate option!

So what about you? Do you use your mobile phone to do work when you’re not at work? What about when you’re on vacation? Of course, maybe you don’t like to take your work home with you at all! In that case, maybe you’re using your phone to do fun things when you are at work.