Balancing Work and Life: Goodbye Crackberry?

Thanks to technology it's never been easier for business owners to leave the office for holiday time or vacation. It's staying connected without ruining time off that's the difficult part.

Take Tashieka Brewer, founder of Melange PR in Hoboken, N.J., who has discovered that text messaging and emailing for work while, say, on the beach wrecks a relaxing moment and causes friction with loved ones. One time in Miami Beach, her annoyed friends got up and walked away. And on another memorable occasion in Los Angeles, a family member actually grabbed her BlackBerry and threw it.

"You get these gadgets so you can take more vacations, but it kind of gets in the way," Brewer says. While she's grateful to leave the brick-and-mortar office behind, sometimes she finds herself asking, "are you really on vacation?"

Indeed, while laptops, cellphones and handheld devices have allowed entrepreneurs greater mobility, the technology also keeps them tethered to the business. To be sure, the problem isn't limited to business owners: Workaholics and corporate employees alike report that electronics have interrupted many a down moment and blurred the line between work and personal life.

Business owners, however, appear more prone than most to abuse technology during their limited leisure time. On average, 75% of small-business owners say they check in either by phone or email with their business while they are away, according to the OPEN from American Express Small Business Monitor, a semi-annual survey of business owners conducted in May. About one-third check in several times a day, with some touching base once an hour, the survey found.