Always On

Our whole society is moving to an always on state.

But I think VCs and entrepreneurs suffer from being always on a bit more than the rest of society.

The only time I am not in "recieve mode" these days is when I am asleep or at a movie or a play.

I try to shut it off when I am around the family and I manage to do a decent job at it, but it’s not easy.

If you take mobile email, mobile IM, text messaging, an iPod with a "channel for elevator pitches", blogging, the cell phone, and the laptop, you get an array of channels that are in use for the better part of every day.

It takes its toll.

And then there is the nature of the venture business.  Last night I got a call from an entrepreneur who had just finished a great meeting that I had set up for him.  He was on the west coast.  It was after dinner in New York.

I was trading IMs with another entrepreneur at 10pm last night.

I was on the cell phone with my partner yesterday morning going over a term sheet that we needed to respond to "ASAP".

You do what you gotta do.  It’s the nature of the business.

The good part of the venture business is that you can often work outside of the office.  But once you master that, it’s hard to know when to stop.  Do I work on the golf course, do I do mobile email in the subway, do I edit a term sheet on the Jitney out to long island?  The answer is yes to all of these.

I am certain that being "always on" is bad for your health, both mental and physical.  And yet I find it hard to stop.  Maybe its an addiction.

I read Steve Jobs’ commencement speech from Stanford earlier this week and shared it with my family.  I was impressed by the simplicity and power of his message.  He urged the graduating seniors to "find what they love".

I found what I love 20 years ago and I guess its become a bit of an addiction.

But it sure is fun.