Is technology making life easier or more difficult for you?    Email and SMS can be a great time saver.  It allows you to manage multiple tasks without having to physically be in a meeting or on the phone - freeing you up to focus on other projects.  In today's world you have to be able to do more in less time, and this technology makes it possible.   However, emailing and SMS can also compromise your efficiency and effectiveness.   If you have found yourself spending more and more time sending and replying to emails then you are not alone.  A survey commissioned by the Australian Psychological Society, involving the email habits of over 1087 managers across Australia revealed that email made 69% of managers MORE stressed.  Managers were receiving between 20 and 50 emails A DAY, often containing multiple and complicated demands.  In a separate study, it was estimated that up to 30% of a person's productive time is taken up with replying to emails - which are constantly interrupting other tasks.   ...but there is another issue that email and SMS foster... In today's business world, people are exchanging face to face contact and conversation with real people for text messages and electronic mail.   Businesses are built on forming relationships.  Lifetime sales are made when a relationship is formed and the purchaser trusts the sales person.  Workforces develop loyalty when their employers build a relationship of trust with them and provide for their needs. Nothing builds relationships better than face to face contact.   Now you might be thinking...what has this got to do with resilience? Everything. People are using technology as a shield to hide behind and to avoid confrontation, conflict, discussing a tough issue, or even to avoid being accountable.   People avoid the phone with the excuse 'it takes too long', when what really stops them is that they don't want to have to confront, negotiate or present a sales concept.   That's not good enough!   Technology is not the problem that is preventing solid business relationships from being formed.  The problem is lack of resilience in confidence and not standing up with self assurance to tackle an issue and working on your relationships with business people.   Become resilient by toughening yourself up.  Develop self confidence to say what needs to be said - even if it is uncomfortable or slightly more time consuming.  Invest in your relationships by becoming strong, proactive and confident.   Action you can take   1. Pick up the phone instead of using email.  a. Get yourself a headset telephone so you can talk without having to hold the phone.  b. Frequently call the people on your database and connect with them.   c. Use your down time to call clients and people on your database.  Find out if they happy with how you do business with them?   Do they have any feedback on how to improve your business relationship?  There is nothing like human contact to get to know someone and build a relationship with them. Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience Expert who helps people in business bounce back fast from pressure, stress and burnout in their work and life. He is a professional speaker, coach and author of three books.   To download your free special report on the ‘Seven ways to prevent yourself becoming Over-Worked, Stressed-Out, and Run-Down’, visit: http://www.BounceBackFast.com Please Note: You are welcome to use my articles in your ezine, newsletter, journal, publication, etc., on the condition that you do not change the content or the article, and that you include my contact name and website details (as written in the table/box above).