If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the cont

Are all the advances that we have seen in technology during the past twenty years necessarily a good thing in terms of operating a business more efficiently and more profitably? Maybe not.

I can remember sitting at airports as recently as 12 years ago and not seeing people talking on their cell phones. Today, you can walk into any airport of any significant size and find a virtual army of people talking on their cell phones. In particular, the number of business travelers who are using their cell phones is astronomically high.

I have to wonder what is so important that all these businessmen and businesswomen need to be constantly talking on their phones. Although I can't say for sure how many of these calls are unnecessary, I can't help but feel that the actual percentage of unnecessary calls is probably fairly large.

Why do I feel this way? Well, if all of this talking is so essential to properly operating a business, how did things ever get done back before everyone had cell phones? It wasn't that long ago when the only way you could make a call from an airport was to use a pay phone. And you know what? There were a lot less business people making phone calls in those days.

Is there a greater amount of important things to talk about now? Was it easier to operate a business in those days? Has the business world changed to the extent that there now has to be an umbilical cord between the business mother ship and its' traveling flock? Is business smarter today?

I don't think the answer to any of the above questions is yes. In fact, I believe that I have a much better explanation. As is the case with almost all truly good explanations, mine is quite simple.

Cell phones make it too easy to talk on the phone. It's so easy that people no longer devote any attention to focusing on what is really important. Instead, they just whip out their cell phone and talk and talk and talk.

Prior to the saturation of cell phones among business travelers, a businessman or businesswoman would have to find a pay phone and either pump coins into it or use a phone card to make a call. They would be confined to the uncomfortable position of standing or sitting in front of a row of pay phones, tied to their chosen phone like a dog on a tight leash.

If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the cont

tant that all these businessmen and businesswomen need to be constantly talking on their phones. Although I can't say for sure how many of these calls are unnecessary, I can't help but feel that the actual percentage of unnecessary calls is probably fairly large.

Why do I feel this way? Well, if all of this talking is so essential to properly operating a business, how did things ever get done back before everyone had cell phones? It wasn't that long ago when the only way you could make a call from an airport was to use a pay phone. And you know what? There were a lot less business people making phone calls in those days.

Is there a greater amount of important things to talk about now? Was it easier to operate a business in those days? Has the business world changed to the extent that there now has to be an umbilical cord between the business mother ship and its' traveling flock? Is business smarter today?

I don't think the answer to any of the above questions is yes. In fact, I believe that I have a much better explanation. As is the case with almost all truly good explanations, mine is quite simple.

Cell phones make it too easy to talk on the phone. It's so easy that people no longer devote any attention to focusing on what is really important. Instead, they just whip out their cell phone and talk and talk and talk.

Prior to the saturation of cell phones among business travelers, a businessman or businesswoman would have to find a pay phone and either pump coins into it or use a phone card to make a call. They would be confined to the uncomfortable position of standing or sitting in front of a row of pay phones, tied to their chosen phone like a dog on a tight leash.

If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the cont

ot less business people making phone calls in those days.

Is there a greater amount of important things to talk about now? Was it easier to operate a business in those days? Has the business world changed to the extent that there now has to be an umbilical cord between the business mother ship and its' traveling flock? Is business smarter today?

I don't think the answer to any of the above questions is yes. In fact, I believe that I have a much better explanation. As is the case with almost all truly good explanations, mine is quite simple.

Cell phones make it too easy to talk on the phone. It's so easy that people no longer devote any attention to focusing on what is really important. Instead, they just whip out their cell phone and talk and talk and talk.

Prior to the saturation of cell phones among business travelers, a businessman or businesswoman would have to find a pay phone and either pump coins into it or use a phone card to make a call. They would be confined to the uncomfortable position of standing or sitting in front of a row of pay phones, tied to their chosen phone like a dog on a tight leash.

If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the cont

make it too easy to talk on the phone. It's so easy that people no longer devote any attention to focusing on what is really important. Instead, they just whip out their cell phone and talk and talk and talk.

Prior to the saturation of cell phones among business travelers, a businessman or businesswoman would have to find a pay phone and either pump coins into it or use a phone card to make a call. They would be confined to the uncomfortable position of standing or sitting in front of a row of pay phones, tied to their chosen phone like a dog on a tight leash.

If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the cont

If you've ever made a call from a pay phone in an airport, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's not fun or easy. That's why, in the "old" days, business travelers only made a phone call from an airport when it was absolutely necessary.

This is a good example of a facet of human behavior that you can always depend on. If something is not fun or easy, then it will only be done when it is absolutely necessary. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Cell phones aren't a bad thing either. It's the misuse of cell phones that are bad. And in the context of the issue we are discussing, the misuse of cell phones by business travelers translates to wasting your businesses' valuable time.

Even if the business traveler does not have anything better to do while at the airport (although I will argue that there is always an opportunity to spend your time in a productive manner), what about the time of the other employee they may be calling?

By the way, although I am using the airport business traveler for my example, everything I've said also applies to any of your employees who spend time away from your place of business and carry a cell phone.

At first glance, this may seem like an article written for the sole purpose of allowing me to hop on my soapbox and preach. However, there is a valuable piece of business advice tucked into this article, and here it is in a nutshell.

It's okay to provide your employees with tools like cell phones. In many cases, doing so can make your business more efficient, more productive, and ultimately, more profitable. The key is that your employees must understand that like all tools, a cell phone is only useful if it is used wisely.

Simply stated: if it is not absolutely necessary to whip out your cell phone and make a call, then it is absolutely necessary to not whip out your cell phone and make a call.

We're talking about time management, and the better your employees manage their time, the more efficient and productive your business will be. Every single minute of your businesses' time that can be saved is a minute of time that can be used to do something productive to make your business more successful.

The words of Benjamin Franklin still ring as true as they ever did; "Time is Money." Make sure your employees use your businesses' time, and your money, wisely.