Are You Addicted to Your BlackBerry?
September 15th, 2008 by Bob Bly
Not me, because I don’t carry a BlackBerry, BlueTooth, wireless laptop, or even a cell phone — no PDA, no beeper, no mobile technology of any kind.
But that’s because I’m not mobile; I’m here at this PC 12 hours a day, and at home the rest of the time. I don’t travel.
But I’m in the minority. According to a survey of 6,500 executives, conducted for Sheraton Hotels and reported in the Daily News (9/15/08):
>> 85% of professionals feel compelled to be on call around the clock.
>> 85% occasionally get up in the middle of the night to check their e-mail.
>> 87% bring their BlackBerrys into the bedroom at night, and 84% check their e-mail right before going to sleep.
Barbara Ehrenreich, in her essay “The Cult of Busyness,” said that being busy has become the new status symbol, more than cars, homes, clothes, or money.
And although if I was a road warrior, I think I WOULD carry at least a cell phone and maybe a BlackBerry or wireless laptop, or both ….
I can’t help wandering if carrying all this mobile technology reflects a subtle or even unconscious desire to show off how busy or important we are to others (like not wanting to be the only business person not doing work on the airplane).
What wireless gadgets do YOU carry?
Do they really make you more productive?
Or make you feel more important (come on, admit it!)?
Do they add to or relieve stress?
This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 1:10 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 15th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I carry a cell phone and a Palm PDA organizer. I hate my cell phone and barely ever answer it unless it is for business of some sort.
I love my organizer because it lets me make my to do lists and schedule my plans on the calendar. It truly does help to organize my life… if only that little bit I need.
Honestly, I want an Iphone only because I think I would use it. We’ll see if I pull the trigger when the time comes.
September 15th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Mostly, I’m still a physical notebook type of person. I rewarded myself with a monogrammed leather Day-Timer organizer, and I was more giddy about that than any technical gadget I’ve gotten for working.
I love the cell phone because I know I don’t have to worry about missing a call. But I’m not that busy, so that can change in the future. I also like it because it’s less disturbing to leave it on vibrate and allow the voicemail to handle calls while I’m writing. The landline phone and answering machine we had was noisier as it answered for me.
For me, the cell phone is beneficial for family reasons, rather than work. And it is turned “off” at certain times of the day and night.
A laptop is planned for future purchases. We live away from home and no one there has internet access. Or a good, usable pc for me. During breaks and drives I’d like to be able to type in some thoughts and have them ready to use when I return.
Plus it’ll give me another option if I want to help my parents out for a few weeks and still keep up on work.
September 16th, 2008 at 1:24 am
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September 16th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
[…] also found a blog post by Bob Bly to be very well written and interesting: …I don’t carry a BlackBerry, BlueTooth, wireless […]
September 16th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I love technology, and quality technology is always a plus. But I try not to let it impose itself on my life.
I have a mobile(cell) phone, but that has dual purpose, both business and personal use, so that is with me during my waking hours.
I also use a Apple MacBook(laptop), but the portability here is to allow me to move around the office, not around town or further afield.
I work at my computer, and generally for a set number of hours eachday. Out side of this I don’t touch work, or the equipment used to produce work. This is a phsychological seperation for me, so I can spit work/home life.
Fiona Fell
http://www.FionaFell.com.au
September 17th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Bob,
The laptop and cellphone let me do work while my son is doing whatever it is kids his age do during the after school hours — activities which take place outside of my office.
I don’t really care how they look to other people. I just know they keep me productive.
September 17th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
I’m with Dan. My PDA (which also serves as my cell phone and to which my office calls rollover) has my personal and business schedules stored in it, along with my food shopping list, etc. This way I don’t have to resort to looking in several different places for everything. It’s made me more productive, because it keeps me organized and on time. However, I don’t let it consume me, because once I feel that it’s stress inducing, it, like all things stressful, will be cancelled. I have it only because it has made my life easier.
September 17th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I have a cell phone - that’s about it. We haven’t had a home phone for more than 5 years now, so the cell phone is always with me. Before I went freelance, I had a PDA which I used a lot at work. But I no longer need it, as I don’t have a lot of appointments outside my home office.
I’m also taking online classes, so I bring my computer downstairs after work to do school work. But when I’m not working, I switch off from work, and often don’t even check my e-mail outside of work hours.
September 18th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Hi Bob,
No Blackberry for me. While some think it is convenient and productive to get e-mail 24/7, I feel it defeats the purpose of e-mail. E-mail is made to be dealt with according to MY time frames, and I don’t want to raise the expectation that I have it in front of me at all times of the day. I do use a cell phone exclusively, I got rid of my office phone 3 years ago, but I actually work hard to train people to communicate with me via e-mail, so my phone usually rings very little during the day. I want to keep calls coming on my phone and e-mails on my computer as long as I can. I will probably purchase wireless broadband sometime in the near future though, just as a convenience.
September 18th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I’m on a business trip in the San Jose, CA area - Silicon Valley. For dinner, I eat a a restaurant outside on the patio at a fashionable shopping area. Here, every other person walks around, trance-like, either talking, texting or reading their cell devices. It’s really something, funny if not a bit frightening.
A glimpse of the future?
Personally, I try not to use my cell phone too much. I get much grief from family, friends and business associates for being so difficult to reach. I like that.
September 18th, 2008 at 10:14 am
I love my Blackberry. I got into the habit of carrying one when I was in crisis communication for my state government. When I went to a new job, I was excited to get another one. While I am available after hours, I am lucky to work in a job where I don’t need to be. Instead, I use it to stay in touch with my friends and social network. I don’t check email before bed, but will check it a couple times during a weekend.
September 18th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Hi Bob,
No BlackBerry, BlueTooth or wireless laptops for me. I do use my cell phone when I’m out of the house and on those rare occasions that I’m on the road to stay in touch with my office. I use my trusty old Palm Pilot to keep my To Do lists and appointments. Otherwise, like you Bob, I’m chained to my desk 10-12 hours a day working on laptops and desktops.
I would be out of business without computers and the Internet. My PDA is more convenient than a paper Day Planner. Cell phones can sometimes become your only connection to the outside world as I recently experienced having survived Hurricane Ike. I live in Houston and for five days, we were without power, landlines, water and only spotty cell service. Still I feel blessed having come through relatively unscathed compared to those who lost a lot more in Galveston and other cities along the Gulf Coast.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
As a copywriter, I can see the lack of need for constant communication and technology. But as an internet marketer, perhaps …
I saw this video awhile back and finally found it again. It’s with Buck Rizvi and how he dealt with a breakdown while on vacation through the use of his cell phone.
I say as long as you have the self-control to manage the use of your gadgets, you shouldn’t be in danger of becoming addicted. Now, when the teenagers of today become the professionals of tomorrow - that’s another story. *grin*
Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lszLPUAAGJc
It’s on youtube.com which isn’t working well for me since their maintenance last night. It might be just on my end though.
September 20th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
The employees at Lehman Bros. sure got a surprise when their company declared bankruptcy: They arrived at work Monday and their Blackberries and cell phones did not work. So they lost all their contacts when they needed them most: when they were laid off and needed to network.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
It never ceases to amaze me how Pavlovian we have all become.
I do not have a land line at home, do have a Treo with email from home and office, a laptop at home and another at the office…voice mail and inboxes abound and I only listen to and read on my terms and in my time.
Time management experts recommend reading e- and snail-mail two times a day. Voice mail I listen to more frequently but still on my terms.
It is not the tool, it is the use.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I love gadgets and tech stuff but I especially love my Blackberry. Not only do I not need to be chained all day to my computer (laptop) in order to work, send and receive email, I can stay in touch with my business and personal contacts as and when I need to, whereever I am That includes my social networks. I have my schedule and other productivity applications that work for me.
I am a consumate list maker and my lists are on my BB all in one place. On a recent visit home to the UK I switched off my data services and just used it as a PDA. It was great for journaling my holiday and jotting down ideas on the fly - and I didn’t pay roaming… We had high-speed in our hotel.
Addicted? I don’t think so, but I wouldn’t want to be without mine. It’s far too useful.
Before my BB I had an HP Ipaq pda, and vowed I’d never get a BB. Then I began my business and my BB is excellent for that. Never say never.
It’s possible to control your tools usage - that’s all down to the user. And as for losing contacts from company owned Blackberries… if those workers had backed them up regularly to their personal contact lists or they’d still have them.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Bob you always work 12 hours a day? And never go out? Sounds like you are a little to obsessed with work and wealth. You’ve got enough money, take it easy.
Also, go on a vacation.
September 21st, 2009 at 4:59 am
I’ve ben using a Blackberry for about four months and absolutely love it!
Because I’ve got an hour and a half communte, I can now get my e-mail done on while on the train, and that gives me almost two hours extra time with my family. I even get to work (out) in teh garden again.
Too bad I can not automatically turn data services on and off @ certain times to keep the little light from flashing though…