Black Berry Overload

I was startled when I learned that New York ranked third in Blackberry addiction. The stat is from an AOL study which claimed that Washington topped the list followed by Atlanta. But how might New York, the financial capital of the world (except for this week, not so much) fall behind the likes of cities with less than three international airports?

Here’s why I think D.C. gets the top prize.

It must be all those politicians keeping up on their latest poll numbers, campaign contributions and hearing from the likes of all those pharmaceutical lobbyists who apparently outnumber the D.C. congressional brass by a 2:1 ratio.

That’s a lot of e-mails on the double-B if they don’t have a filter for spam and junk mail. With all those government employees, it’s no surprise that 82 % of Washingtonites said they have at least two e-mail addresses. But seriously, who doesn’t? E-mail and BB action is infiltrating our daily lives.

Apparently a lot of that action is taking place in the bedroom. Four in ten of the D.C. folks said they keep their PDA’s by their bed at night for when the ding tolls for midnight e-mail. This means the men and women we elect to make crucial decisions about our lives,  may not be getting much sleep . I’m feeling a worklife balance emergency here for the career minded who go to enormous lengths to stay ahead of the game.Soooo…..

Here are my top ten Black Berry survival tips:

1. Turn off the “bing” after you determine an appropriate time to end your workday.
2. Don’t check the BB every time you hear the “bing”.
3. When on the road, turn the sound off. Instead, determine a set schedule to check you e-mail.
4. When you read an e-mail on the blackberry, try to handle it asap.
5. If you return an e-mail asap – you can discard the e-mail on the Blackberry and your home computer simultaneously if you have that feature.
6. If you answer an e-mail quickly – don’t chat – just shoot a straight answer.
7. If you find yourself going back and forth several times – phone the person you’re conversing with and put the issue to bed.
8. Do not take your BB to bed. It’s bad for your sleep, and potentially bad for your relationship!
9. Use the harness for the BB and resist the urge to walk around, constantly donned with your earpiece.
10. Release any guilt associated with not getting back to every one who B’s you daily. It’s a waste of breath, time and energy unless there is a pressing issue.