10 ways to battle with a CrackBerry habit

By Becky Sharpe

Hello...anyone there? Ah...so you can concentrate on more than just your BlackBerry. But for how long? Before you begin to nod into your next 'BlackBerry prayer', is it time to consider whether you might be hooked?

BlackBerry devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users, according to US experts. The study, carried out by New Jersey's respected Rutgers University School, claims the BlackBerry is fuelling a rise in email and internet addiction, with sufferers able to survive only a few minutes without checking for new mail.

One key sign of a user being addicted is if they focus on their BlackBerry ignoring those around them. But the effects of becoming addicted to the device can be 'devastating', said Professor Gayle Porter who led the study. She added: "The fast and relentless pace of technology-enhanced work environments creates a source of stimulation that may become addictive," Professor Porter says. In other words, if you set off on holiday with your BlackBerry, laptop and mobile phone, you may lose forever the ability to shut work out of your mind and relax. There may even come a time when users sue their employers for having the technology foisted upon them.

So how can you crush your 'CrackBerry' habit? We have 10 ways to help you power down from your corporate drug of choice:

1) Establish a CrackBerry use policy, including switch-off times and places. If you are not sure what will work for you then keep a mental note of your usage patterns over a couple of days. You may also get some feedback from your other half, whether you want it or not.

2) Keep a firm grip on what is urgent. Chances are it can wait and you don't need to deal with it when you get up to use the bathroom at 2am.

3) Don't be rude. If you insist on using your CrackBerry at lunch, dinner, during meetings and presentations then you are likely to come across as unprofessional, anti-social or just plain rude.

4) Don't be dangerous. Is that email you are sending as you walk across the road really worth the risk of you getting mown down by a lorry? Worse still, if you are the one behind the wheel, put your CrackBerry in the boot.

5) Remove or reposition applications you don't need. If, like most of Wall Street, you are addicted to games such as BrickBreaker then you may need to take them off your CrackBerry - at least for a little while - to kick the habit. Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld became so addicted that he was forced to remove the game from his BlackBerry. When he eventually reinstalled it, he made sure it was not on the main menu.

6) Save long emails for the office. If not, you could fall victim to 'BlackBerry thumb', a painful condition caused by over-use. One hotel chain in the US has even created a spa treatment - the BlackBerry Balm Hand Massage - for sufferers.

7) Make sure your CrackBerry saves you time. Once interrupted, it can take 15 minutes on average to get back to tasks that take some brain power, according to a study of Microsoft workers. In fact business-research firm Basex puts a rough estimate on the cost of interruptions to the American economy: nearly $650 billion a year.

8) Don't get obsessive. Nobody is that important. Not even you. If someone cannot reach you they will try later.

9) Make meaningful changes. Switching your CrackBerry to vibrate will not mean you use it less. It simply means you like cheap thrills.

10) Go cold turkey. Turn it off. Yes, really. If you find the idea unthinkable then set up a self-help group with fellow users or seek help on CrackBerry.com which has a 'rehab centre'.