Harvard Business Review

I am admittedly something of a Luddite -- I don't even have a Blackberry -- but I have a theory that little important information is transmitted via cell, IM, email etc. Nobody has ever told me "I love you," "You're fired" or "I have some money for you" via text message. All the cell calls I over hear on the train and street never seem to be about anything urgent. In my experience, the big stuff happens face to face, or sometimes via phone, but all the email, IMs etc tends to be trivia -- a large volume of chat and the occasional pseudo-crisis. (This would probably be different if I were a manager.) As the means of transmitting all this un-important stuff become easier to use and more omni-present, the volume of unimportant info seems to increase. If I were pitching a book I might call it "The Age of Useless Information."

I couldn't check your blog until I had checked my inbox at work!! I left my office at 3pm today and just had to check to see if anything big was going on in the last 2 hours of the day. I admit that I can't escape the office even when I escape the office! To me it is worth it to check in every day and knock off some of the low lying fruit to avoid returning to 400-500 emails. By checking in when I have checked out, it helps me relax more on vacation than thinking about what I may be missing.

I'm with you Karen!!

I lobbied for a Blackberry for my colleagues and myself for over a year before they were finally granted by our employer. Since we spend much of our time away from our field offices, I thought the ability to take a downsized computer on the road would be helpful for instant communication, scheduling and so on.

One of my co-workers is of the old school and probably doesn't use many of the Blackberry's capabilities, but the rest of us find it very useful. I am frequently checking and sending email throughout the day, and yes, I admit, at night and on weekends. It reinforces the part of my identity that is tied to my work, but I don't think I go overboard on that.

Being out in the "field" with a Blackberry confers the feeling of connectedness, something I think is essential for performing my job well. But I try to use it as a tool, not as an technological enabler for constant but meaningless contact--the scourge of modern communication.

The irony is that for most people (though not the author of this post), the trouble with having a Blackberry is that the peace of mind you hope to achieve from having the Blackberry (knowing that everything is under control) is canceled out by the interruption that the Blackberry (or iPhone or other device) makes in your private life.

People have become addicted to their Blackberries:
http://www.kakabadse.com/2008/09/blackberry-style-addiction-for-personal-email/

I just hope that as more people use them, the problem doesn't get worse.

There is something to be said for having a job that you enjoy to the point that you CAN blur the lines between personal and private life.

I too simply enjoy knowing what is going on around me. Is my life markedly better than before I had my blackberry? Probably not. Am I happy knowing that DOW went down 400 points, only to close 600 points higher even though it didn't affect me in the least? Yes! If that's all it takes to add a bit of variety to my day and keep me in touch with current events, then sign me up again. Useless information isn't necessarily worthless!

Why should our lives be compartmentalized into work, personal, leisure? Those of us lucky enough to be able blur the boundary lines should do it more often.

As long as blackberry use is by choice, I have no issue with using it on vacation, at night, or on the weekend. I too, as many have said, find it relaxing to check in and see what is going on.

On the other hand, if you are reading email during a family dinner, ignoring your spouse and/or children, reading and responding while driving (red lights are OK), then its an addiction that is impacting personal life.

The key is to integrate the blackberry into the numerous periods of downtime/idle time, without impacting quality time with friends and family.

Just like Ms. Dillon, I like to keep "connected" to the office--I now enjoy my vacations and free time more since I am not wondering what has happened while I am gone and I am not dreading all the piled work. By tackling a little bit of work now and then, I can quickly get back to work after a trip/vacation and can go home sooner.

Ahhh, Mr. Carbonara, you must not have teenagers. For you see, they like to tell you they 'love you' by email. (text messaging really) They may not be so friendly in person, but communicating by text is a little like driving them around with them in the back seat and you in the front - it gives them enough room to safely tell you something they may feel a little uncomfortable saying to your face.

I love my blackberry, my work and my family and I'm glad I get to integrate them all.

Download and listen this podcast. No words it is the best suggestion for your posting

http://www.manager-tools.com/2005/09/got-email/

My Blackberry is by choice and I find it very comforting to be able to pick it up and know I can knock out a few emails during down time. I find I spend less time in my office at work and less time in my home office trying to answer the 300+ daily emails that come my way. I worry less and spend more quality time with my family because I am not distracted thinking about what "could" be happening.

It took me a very long time to get the Blackberry because I thought it would consume my time. It is so much the opposite and the connectedness leaves me much less stressed and able to enjoy both my work time and my family time with less distraction.

Karen, you seem to be one hell of a bore! You have nothing else do than read your blackberry. come on get off this addiction and do something more purposeful.

Karen

I think I have the same blackberry addiction but I dont admit it. You did and hats off for that. I dont call it an addiction. Its a curiosity for me. Most often I dont do anything when I see an email. Sometimes I do.

I do have the same urge to deal with some pressing question immediately. I think it is a work ethic thing for both of us. Not that ours is superior or inferior. Its just different. During vacations of course it is a very valuable tool to check in every 2-3 days. I usually set up my out of office message so people dont expect me to respond as usual.

But I have also questioned this urge during normal work days and weekends. In my opinion it makes us less organized, it sets wrong expectations about response time and it perpetrates the email culture. Makes us a lot more digital than we need to be. I would be better off keeping my blackberry away for about 3 hours and pay undivided attention to my family or read a book or watching tv.

In future I think there will be very little separation between work and life. I work from home and sometimes meet my home obligations during work time. Likewise I do the reverse (more often that way). I think that the blackberry or future versions of it will only make the work life separation more and more difficult. I say - get used to it before it is too late.

Vin

I've encountered a few addicts and think many need to be reminded of blackberry etiquette. I have been in more situations where the person I am talking to is sneaking a look at their blackberry under the conference room table or even while sitting down to enjoy a nice meal with friends. There are times when the blackberry should be turned off - no matter what!

Being an IT Director, my Blackberry is quite literally my lifeline to my job. I am a one-man IT Dept, and any major events that happen on my network trigger an email to me. There are too many times to count that I have prevented a small problem from being a large one simply because I knew something was going on as soon as it happened. The ability the Blackberry gives me to RDP into servers and address issues from anywhere is hard to quantify. I have saved my company thousands of dollars in outside support simply because I was able to resolve an issue in 15 minutes that we would have been charged 2 hrs support for if I had been truly disconnected and unavailable. And yes, I am well compensated for those savings.

And like many others, no, my wife does not understand. I have to resort to sneaking off into the bathroom, or surreptiously taking out the garbage in order to check emails on my Crackberry. As another poster put it, I very often can eliminate the low hanging fruit in the evening, and forget about it instead of dealing with it the next morning.

So put me in the "closet unrepentant" category. I also very much enjoy my job, and do not feel over burdened by dealing with the issues that arise during "downtime". Perhaps my work defines me a little too much, but I do not scarifice family time in any significant way. If I know an issue is going to be a major ordeal, I clearly communicate that it will have to be taken care of during my regularly scheduled work time, but if it's a simple matter, I'd just as soon take 10 minutes to resolve it on Saturday morning, instead of taking the chance that it will blow up and keep me in the office until 8 pm Monday night.

I have been a faithful blackberry user for over five years. I can't imagine life without it. Both my professional life and personal life is so organized. I love surprises in my personal life and but NOT at work. When I'm on the subway or in a line- i can take a few minutes to keep information flowing. I am able to stay on top of my workload, my effectiveness and efficiency has increased and most importantly I am able to use the Blackberry Messenger and able to keep in touch with my friends across the seas.
I will never take a role without a blackberry:) The blackberry allows me to have the eyes at the back of my head:))))

I would never trade my blackberry for an Iphone. I am very happy and organized individual thanks to the Blackberry

Cheers!

I agree that blackberry etiquette is really important to remember. How one uses a blackberry in one's private time is a personal matter. But half paying attention in a meeting and scanning blackberry is rude. And I will confess--true story--that I read the above comment about etiquette while in a meeting. So, here I go again, ... "My name is Karen. And I am a blackberry addict...And it is rude to use a blackberry in meetings..."

But I now vow never to rudely scan my blackberry in a meeting. (Until, of course, it seems urgently important to do so. ;-) )

Karen Dillon
Deputy Editor
Harvard Business Review

My plan is to retire at 40 (perhaps temporarily), and one of the things I look forward to is chucking away my mobile phone (currently Nokia Connector); I do not consider mobiles lifesavers.

I do not want my work life intruding into my personal life. I was the workaholic type, doing 60hrs minimum every week and daily checking email even when on vacation. Now I do 60hrs once in a while and I hardly check into work while on vacation. It suits me just fine and I am the happier for it. Different strokes.

Here in Indonesia, the use of SMS (Short Message Service) is broader than BlackBerry (or any other push e-mail provider).

Etiquette linked to the use of the gadgets also become serious concern. Meeting attendants seem paying half attention due to the interruption from their gadgets.

Checking e-mail from home offers me the same kind of satisfaction you describe, Karen. The key, though, is that the device isn't attached to me. The fact that I have to do the work (minimal though it is) of firing up a laptop (and often moving into another room) keeps me in the satisfaction zone. I check e-mail when I really want to -- when I am motivated to put in the effort. If I had a BlackBerry, I fear it would be just too easy to check in, and then I'd start doing it just because I could. It's kind of like cookies. If I have to go into the kitchen cabinet to get the package, the eating is more novel and the cookies taste better. If a plate full of cookies is right in front of me, I'll just keep eating and eating even after I stop enjoying it. Maybe I have an e-mail disorder!

I can completely relate to Karen in her article here. We are both aligned in the way we think.

I am a blackberry user now for the past year. The availability to access anytime emails and my many folders which are integrated to my Outlook is an absolute genius. I do not have to remember anything trivial anymore. In the past year because of my blackberry world addition I have been able to leave the country on vacation and spend time in my home with the family more often, I have been able to purchase a 5 Star resort hotel and I have been able to start my executive MBA at one of the world's Top 35 institutions, Ivey - University of Western Ontario.

I wonder what I will do next year...running a hospital is out because I did that a few years ago.

Use the blackberry as a tool. Store thoughts and action items. Scan emails for next moves.

Enjoy the Freedom.

Hey - why be repentent? That addiction, that need to be connected, that desire to know what's going on in the world around you is exactly what the new generation of socially connected youth are feeling too - it's the reason they feel that same need to post their entire life on the web, facebook, twitter, etc - there's a school of thought that might say we shouldn't be ashamed at all - we're just more in touch with our youth and the next generation than others :)

I steer well away from my emails at weekends and on holiday (I made the mistake of reading an email once whilst on holiday in Venice and it spoiled my day - and it turned out to be nothing but a badly worded email when I did get back to the office). However, I understand that some people want to keep in touch. What I think they should bear in mind though is the impact it has on others: employees may feel that their manager doesn't trust them (and it doesn't matter whether they do or don't) & whilst you may be dealing with your emails on a Sunday evening so you don't have a full inbox on Monday morning - what about all those poor people you've sent emails to? So really you've just passed the problem onto someone else! So if you want to read your emails - please do so. Just don't send any to me!

I am clearly not alone in my addiction. Barack Obama managed to keep using his blackberry as President. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2009/01/22/obama-gets-to-keep-his-beloved-blackberry/
It is, I'm quite sure, some form of comfort to him, too. I'm guessing it will be the fastest access to him for close family and friends.

I feel sorry for you, and I hope you get help soon.

There are not many people more into gadgets and my Blackberry then I am. But I know when to turn it off. My children will only be little for a precious short time, and I don't want to miss a thing.

It's funny what people consider "urgent", and how they consider themselves to be so essential to operations.
Nothing that happens in an office is really urgent. (I mean, this-minute urgent)
And organizations are just that; a network of people to assure operations and development.
So I say, let the organization take care of itself until I get back. (unless they want to pay me $10 for every email I process on my time...)

I took delivery of a new iPhone recently and find I am doing exactly as mentioned by Karen. I check my email (Home and work), review decisions, contact colleagues, check the weather in important locations, manage my to-do's, and feel connected at all times. It seems to reduce stress. I recently returned from 5 weeks overseas vacation to only a handful of emails and the knowledge that my team of 30 had everything under control. Using Wifi, I kept up with events, had read all the important emails and responded to a few, I knew what was underway and fitted right back into the team without a huge catchup. The team knew I was checking things and deliberately cc'd me into important exchanges while away. It has changed my life both work and personal. I even check my Facebook information when I feel the need without having to be at a PC or power up a laptop and sorted out personal issues with personal email. It is a new way of working.

Wonder what came first, the need to be in office all the time or the blackberry! How you live your personal/professional life is entirely up to you; whether you manage a divide or the lines are blurred is absolutely a personal choice. Since you are a mom, I wonder what your kids have got to say about this whole thing... They too need your time/attention.
On the other side, every organization would like to have an employee like you; someone who is always in the office :)
And about me; I love maintaining the divide (between the personal and the professional)

Wonder what came first, the need to be in office all the time or the blackberry! How you live your personal/professional life is entirely up to you; whether you manage a divide or the lines are blurred is absolutely a personal choice. Since you are a mom, I wonder what your kids have got to say about this whole thing... They too need your time/attention.
On the other side, every organization would like to have an employee like you; someone who is always in the office :)
And about me; I love maintaining the divide (between the personal and the professional)

Excuse me for the repetition; that was unintentional. Some browser error or something caused it...

I am tempted to suggest that the great maladies of modern urban society -- profound loneliness and the unspoken fear of being alone -- prompt the desire to be "connected at all times." Blackberries simply cater to those maladies but, in doing so, only exacerbate the problem with greater volumes of emptiness.

Karen,

I had a Blackberry a couple of jobs back. Never again. I admit that part of the problem was that the company paid everyone salary so overtime would be "free" to the bean counter, but still ... having the hot piece of technology never made up for the 80-100 hours weeks working for these slave drivers. I came up for air and realized that I was only making about $4.50 an hour, it was about the same time the place went out of business. Gee, I guess bean counters do NOT rule to world, eh?

I'm comfortable in my 40-hour a week job, where I do my work entirely on site, and leave it all on my desk when I go home. I've gotten maybe 3 phone calls on my personal cell phone for company business, two of which were simple because they forgot the time-zone shift in Arizona in the summer (no DST here). One was an honest to goodness piece of info I needed before I got to work.

An aside to Michael Iacovelli: Arizona is about to make texting, and by inclusion, Blackberry use, while driving EVEN AT RED LIGHTS illegal. It's only about time. If you are too busy to put it away for the drive to work, hire a driver!!

L.T.