I watched The Social Network this weekend and it's definitely a good film worth seeing. If you aren't up to speed on it, it basically charts the creation of facebook and tells something of the story of Mark Zuckerberg its creator. Check out a plot summary here to find out more. Two things particularly struck me though:

1) When Sean Parker (founder of napster) asks him about his passion for building thefacebook it almost went without saying that not only did Zuckerberg breathe and live it but that this was somehow right. He is obviously a coding genius and absolutely committed to his project to the point of obsession but the chance of creating such a cultural landmark surely should not drive us to those kinds of lengths. Or should it? Is there an objective balance point beyond which none of us should ever stray in terms of spending long hours at work or is it subjective and down to us to find what is right for us? Discuss...

2) I realised again how addictive some people find facebook. I have often found it a source of distraction when I am supposed to be working and as I look back I can see times when I have had to work later because I have been less productive during my 'work hours'. Is this a symptom indicating that we are struggling to separate life and work? I think once these boundaries start to dissolve it is much harder to find your balance. Part of you feels guilty (maybe) for having been checking FB in work and feels you owe the boss the time but you can also see work not completed and know that it may be your own fault for having been distracted. You have now successfully justified staying late. If it happens with our fb use, does it happen for other things? How can we become 100% present in our work so that at the end of our allotted hours we can pack up with a clear conscience and walk away?

So it would seem that deleting distractions during work time may ultimately provide us with a life outside work in which to indulge the things that distract us from our work. Oh doesn't it sound so simple...