Dot Calm: The Search for Sanity in a Wired World

It was the title that first caught my attention. The book lived up to my expectations. I found Dot Calm to be an easy, entertaining read with which I could identify. The real beauty of the book is it's action-orientation. You read about the issues (eg, overwired, overworked, information overload) and then learn how real people are successfully dealing with them. The authors outline practical ways to balance family/work time in this "information age". We may never return to the pace of life found in Mayberry, but Dot Calm puts you on the right road.

Just as Ms Dinnocenzo introduced me to sanity and organization trying to be a telecommter in a wired world in her 101 Tips for Telecommuters, I realized a missing piece. And I found it in Dot.Calm. She explained problems that I could not put into words. But the best part of the book was her and Rick's four specific solutions for dealing with technology when you must be able to communicate with others you don't see. She addresses the real human problems in this techno world. Now I feel like a survivor who can communicate successfully and make money doing so!

Reading Dot Calm was a pleasant, and eye-opening experience. I liked the research base and well-constructed format and decided to look it over during a plane ride. I was shocked to discover just how much technology was controlling my life. Great ideas, easy to read and very thought provoking. Lots of helpful tools to get control back and remember WHY you are connected!

Reading this book made me realize that I was passing up so much in my life because of work. I had forgotten the importance of family and friends even though I talked a good game.I used to tell people that I had to leave the country to be "disconnected" since I couldn't leave e-mail or voice mail alone. I think I allowed that this was okay since I was in sales and always had to be responsive to the customer. Truth be told I thought this was cool.dot.calm made me realize that I was not being true to what I really wanted and just as important gave me ideas on how to get there. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to put some balance in their lives and is looking for a guide on how to do it.

An injection of humanity and sanity into the high tech frenzy many of us call work. While focusing on the technologically driven professional this well-written work identifies the struggles we ALL have in managing work and career while seeking to make time for our families and loved ones. Laid out in a problem-solution format, this easy to read yet deeply thoughtful book first explains the expectations and behaviors that contribute to our stress before offering both practical solutions and ways to implement them. Touching "testimonies" of the struggles and victories others have experienced are laced throughout the book. I have found that many such books either deal with the "philosophical" issues of balance in life, or tend to be endless lists of "techniques" for regaining control of life. Dot Calm is a well-balanced mix. A book you will need to reread and reflect on to mine its depths while it offers very practical and doable ideas for taking your life back from work. Be careful! This book could be an epiphany for you. It was for me, I highly recommend it.