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Blackberry Addiction Rehab 101

August 20th, 2007 by Donovan · 190 Comments

Having trouble eating lunch or having a conversation with someone without checking your blackberry during it?

Join the club.

I’ve owned a Blackberry 8100, the Pearl, for about 5 months now. I love it. I’d go to the movies and check my new Gmail messages and surf the web. I’d link my 5 email accounts to my Blackberry Pearl thinking that I would be on top of whatever the world could throw at me. I wanted freedom from the constraints of my current technology, but after several months of Blackberry use I was still waiting on that freedom. The freedom is there, but it isn’t. My constant availability made me incapable of ‘letting go’ of work, and other things. My down time had disappeared. I was always available and the tasks I used to enjoy, like reading an RSS feed from my favorite blog, became a chore.

blackberry addiction

Here are some proven techniques I’ve used to get off the Blackberry addiction and get back my life. This is not a plan to convince you not to use your Blackberry. On the contrary, this is a plan for you to co-exist in harmony with your Blackberry, and not be consumed by it.

Only Link Important Email Accounts

One of the major addict causes I’ve found is linking multiple email accounts. It’s a great feature for a Blackberry to have. But if you’re checking your email more than 10 times-a-day already, and you aren’t mobile for more than 4 hours in the workday, get rid some email accounts. Just check it when you get into the office. Some people FREAK OUT at the idea of not being contactable by email 24-7, or even 8-7. Don’t worry, if it’s really important get people to call you. A one minute phone call can often cull 20 minutes worth of emailing/texting back and forth. Unless of course you’re flirting via text then it’s all good.

Create Blackberry Free Times

This is the most important. Create multiple time periods in which you designate “No Texting/Emailing Blackberry Time”. I don’t have a problem with answering phone calls, although if you want to ban that as well, all the better. Instead, concentrate on using that time to go through your To-Do list, whether business or recreational. Open up that book and read a chapter. Reward yourself by being allowed back on the Blackberry after you complete your task.

Setting Your Blackberry On Vibrate & To-Do Lists

This is a great technique that I discovered unwittingly. I was in a meeting and I put my Blackberry on vibrate. 3 hours later I grabbed my Blackberry out of my suit coat pocket and had 27 messages, and 5 missed calls. In those 3 hours I completed more than I had in the previous day. So if you’ve got a deadline to meet, create a to-do list and see where your Blackberry comes in. If it does, put your phone on vibrate, wrap it in a small cloth, and place it in your desk drawer and remove it when you NEED to use it to get the to-do list completed. If you don’t need it at all, then good riddance Blackberry, wrap that sucker up and put it in the draw until you’ve completed your tasks. I’ve found, that if I don’t wrap it up, then the noise of the vibration makes me ween like a small dog without food.

How To Curb Your Blackberry Cravings

This is a very simple process. Get more involved in your non-Blackberry habits like researching stocks, increasing your productivity, playing a sport, reading a book, being social, and writing in your journal. You’ll notice that the Blackberry will have less and less control over your time. Remember, you need to control your Blackberry, not the other way around.

P.S. If you want to use your Blackberry as a modem for your laptop, here are the instructions.

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Tags: Product Reviews · Rules To Live By


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