There’s a moment of pure panic that hits me whenever I open my laptop after hours and realize I’ve forgotten to set my status to “Away.” That tiny green dot—the digital equivalent of leaving your front door wide open with a neon sign flashing “COME ON IN!”—has betrayed my presence to the entire professional world. Within seconds, the messages start: “Hey, quick question…” “Since you’re online…” “Got a minute?” No, I don’t have a minute.…
My phone buzzed as I was writing this sentence. Without a moment’s hesitation, my hand reached for it, my brain…
I was sitting alone at a restaurant bar last Tuesday, waiting for a colleague who was running late. The moment…
It was 2:17 AM when the ellipsis appeared. Three innocent dots, bouncing in perpetual animation, signaling that my ex was typing a response to the message I’d impulsively sent after two glasses of wine and a late-night scroll through old photos. Those three dots held me hostage for seven excruciating minutes, triggering a psychological roller coaster that cycled through hope, dread, embarrassment, anticipation, and full-blown existential panic. When they finally disappeared without a message following,…
I knew my marriage was in trouble when my wife and I started using separate devices at night. It wasn’t…