As I  have done each and every year in the summer, I will be taking my annual break from technology. Through the month of August, I'll be decreasing my postings and management of this site in hopes of using the time to broaden my perspective. I need to spend some time recharging my batteries and my enthusiasm for content management systems as well as information technology in general.

I won't be abandoning CMS Report, but I'm really hoping you will be seeing me a little less here during the next few weeks. As always, I appreciate help in any articles submitted to CMSReport.com.  If you want to really help out, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories. I'll be checking email, moderation queue, and social networks now and then for submitted posts to make sure you're not waiting too long to see your story published.

It is now time for me to unplug and officially begin Technology Break 2011. Have a good rest of the summer and see you on the other side!

At the CIO50 event Silicon.com asked a number of European CIO's "Whats the best thing about working in IT?". I always enjoy hearing enthusiasm from those with IT careers.

Thanks to a Silicon.com article, I came across a list of the most stressful and least stressful jobs as rated by CareerCast.com.  I was surprised to see that people in IT related jobs such as computer system analyst and software engineer are considered to have some of the least stressful jobs around.  Really, less stress in IT?

I wasn't always in information technology and my previous jobs over the years have ranged greatly from dish washer to meteorologist.  My career in IT has brought to me fun challenges, stable work hours, good money, and many other rewards.  However, I also have to say that the same IT career has brought me more stress and anxiety than any other job I have had in my life. 

If you are in IT, do you feel the same high stress as I do?  Or am I some type of computer geek oddball feeling more stress than I should?  I really want to know! So please, take the latest poll at CMS Report and answer: How stressful is your information technology job?

Mary Jander of Internet Evolution takes a hard look at at what IT must do to survive the next few years of economic woes.  She has some sobering things to say, and while we might not like it, she is probably right.  For example, in her first step to IT surviving she says:

Staff levels must go down. Job cuts are now a fact of IT life. Recent announcements portend 5,000 layoffs at Microsoft; a projected 6,000 at Intel; up to 10,000 at IBM.
Cuts like these could decimate an already-pressed IT staff, unless
measures are taken to automate and virtualize more functions.

The idea of reducing costs in hardware and human resources through virtualization has been suggested before (many times). Now is the time to finally give it a try.

She also takes a look at at telecommuting, going green, Web 2.0, data management, and more.  Be sure to read her post.

This Labor Day marks the end of my Summer Technology Break, a self-imposed exile from spending too much time at the computer when instead I could be enjoying family, the great outdoors, and the real world.  How did I do?  Well, the family spent some time in Michigan visiting family, friends, and the fish.  My 4 1/2 year-old son caught his first trout on his first fishing trip (thanks to the patience of Jason and Jean Stephens from Head Hunter Guides).  We also spent a week camping and hiking in the Black Hills of South Dakota which included a family hike up Harney Peak.  For the most part, I would say my break from technology during my hours away from my "day job" was a success.

While I did manage to maintain CMS Report during the summer with a number of posts, I would say my Google PageRank and decrease in advertisement revenue shows that I was indeed on a technology break.  With the break over, I will now be tending to the posts in numbers and consistency with more tender loving care.  I also have some ideas for helping to take CMSReport.com up to the next level.  For better or for worse, you can expect some changes at this site in the months to follow.

I'm sure by now, new visitors to CMSReport.com have wondered...why so few posts?  Last May, I explained that I was taking a break from technology during the off hours of my "day job".

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

So, now you know.  I haven't lost interest in content management systems and information technology but I do have a greater interest.  I have an interest of staying sane in this busy profession of IT which many of us have chosen.  If you don't take such a break yourself, how do you keep your sanity?

During the past week, you may have noticed that I'm posting less here at CMS Report. I love the opportunity I've been given to blog about content management systems and pointing readers to the great articles I've read at other sites on the Internet.  Discussing information systems and information technology is not only part of my career, but it is also my hobby.  However, when the weather warms, the trees grow their leaves, and children playing outside can be heard...I yearn for a break from technology.  The other me beckons to spend time camping, hiking, going to baseball games, and simply being outdoors.

So, as I have done in past years, I'm taking a break from technology. By posting less during the summer months, I hope to recharge my blogging batteries for the cold weather that is sure to follow.  I will make an effort for the quality high for those articles I do post this summer, but the quantity of posts will be somewhat lower.  My slogan for this summer's tech break is Blog less, breathe more.  I hope some of the other blog junkies out there join me and take a similar technology breaks.  Life is too short to live and die by the computer.

As always, I appreciate help in any articles or links posted here at CMSReport.com.  If you want to help, create an account today and start contributing your own CMS stories here at this site. Thanks for your support!

"Your reputation and your character are what sell you for the next big job."

- Magalene Powell-Meeks, Deputy CIO, Jet Propulson Laboratory, Quoted in "Me, Myself, and I", CIO, April 1, 2008