Giving up the BlackBerry

Posted by Luke on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 · View Comments

I’m giving up my BlackBerry. Well, I’m trying to. You see, I’m rather addicted to it.

My problem is not with the device. The BlackBerry Curve itself is fantastic. It’s lean, smart, and easy to use. It’s not the most fun device on the market, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Plus it’s tough. Like, really tough. Even without a case, mine has survived many drops.

In fact, the BlackBerry is so functional, it has become like an appendage (my digital hand), which contributes to my big problem: I’m addicted to work! It’s easy to get addicted to work at BookFool.com. Most of what we do is the right mix of challenging and weird that puts you in a Flow state.

Do you love the phone more than me, daddy?

But now we’ve got two dogs and a baby in the house. And home repairs. And we’re trying to make new friends in this new town. And save money. And ABC has some funny shows on Wednesday night. And so on.

So I’m scaling back a bit, intentionally becoming less connected. Trying to find the work/life balance that we all crave. And ditching the smartphone is the first step.

Yesterday I went back to my old Samsung SGH-t509 for a week-long test drive. If I survive without full connectivity for a week, I’m going to switch off my BlackBerry data plan and go back to basics.

Here’s what I miss already:

Taking quick notes and emailing them to myself.
Smart calendar that syncs with Google Calendar.
Random emails to friends/family, whenever the mood hits.
Easy anytime Tweeting from UberTwitter.
Screening my inbox throughout the evening so I’m not surprised with 50 emails every morning.

Here’s what I don’t miss:

The irritating beeps that signal new messages.
The obligation to check email at all times, especially at night when I can’t sleep.
The feeling of being always on.
Receiving email for urgent items b/c everyone knows I’m always on. If it’s urgent, call me!

Mornings without my smartphone are already much smoother. More time reading as I eat my Cheerios, less time typing replies with one thumb. Evenings are also more mellow. I actually got bored last night! Usually boredom means I pick up the BlackBerry and see what I can work on. Last night, boredom led me to bake some bread and watch 3 episodes of Arrested Development.

I know what you’re thinking: Why don’t you keep the BlackBerry but turn it off when you’re not at work? Oh, if it were only so simple. I’m trying to break an addiction here, which means cold turkey. If you could push a button and the device could become merely a phone for the evening (no emails in/out, no calendar notifications), I might keep it. But I’m also trying to save money.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress in the comments.

What about you? Have you given up something awesome in the name of simplification?

Filed under Bookfool, Foolishness, Photo, Technology · Tagged with blackberry curve, scaling back, work/life balance

Luke

UPDATE (11.23.09): The transition is nearly complete. We're headed to get new (non-smart) phones this week. Free at last!

Goodbye, BlackBerry. We solved many problems together. Your keyboard is the best. You will be missed.
Luke

UPDATE (11.13.09): It's been almost a week and the world has not stopped turning. I'm significantly less informed than I was a week ago, but I'm a lot more peaceful and focused. It's a trade-off.

I still don't miss getting email notifications at all hours. I DO miss the quick note-taking, but my wife pointed out that I could use my iPod Touch for taking notes and just email them to myself when I find a WiFi signal. Duh! I also miss having Google Maps on me at all times.

In terms of productivity, I check my email both less and more. Less in terms of frequency, but more time spent in front of the computer. It's a wash.

However, my evenings are MUCH more mellow and restorative. When you've got a smartphone, you feel like you're "on the clock" at all hours, which means you don't get that down time necessary for your brain to relax, which leads to burnout and lost effectiveness, which means you work later, which means less time to rest, which means ... [vicious cycle]

In the end, I'm finding it's about personal choice. If you decide you'd rather not be connected at all times so your brain can regenerate, skip the smartphone. If you get more peace out of knowing everything little thing about everything all the time, well, you're not me!
Nicole Rae

Well, I guess...I understand... as I spend most of my time gaming (so I'm not really one to comment on the subject) but, I truly think that most important to me is spending more time with HUMANS IN REAL TIME - emails can be answered later, twitter can be updated sporadically and FAMILY IS MOST IMPORTANT! :-)
You can do it!
Brigitte

Coffee, Blackberry.....Do I sense an all-or-none personality (aka addictive). Anyways, I fully agree. I refuse to do Twitter b/c although technology is suppose to make life easier, I feel like it takes up more of our time. Bread. ummmmm. I'm sure Sara is already enjoying the change.
Luke

I do tend to go all in on things. At least I know when to stop myself!

I hear you on Twitter. It's fun and weird, but you have to put in so much to get so little out. You would get more out of sending one real email a day to one friend than updating all your Twitter followers on what you had for breakfast. Neo-Luddites, UNITE!
Luke

DJ, I may run screaming back to the BlackBerry soon. The hardest thing to get used to so far is carrying a pen everywhere I go. I took notes like crazy on the B'Berry.

Kris, it was your selfless downgrade to that little Nokia that made me think it was even possible. Of course, now you and I both have none of our special phone numbers in our new phones!
Kris

Luke, any update on how you're feeling without the BlackBerry? Any withdrawal symptoms such as email hallucinations, phantom phone noises, reflexive BlackBerry thumb typing, or a general sense of depression?
DJ

Don't run screaming, Luke. You'll wake the baby.
Kris

You know I support you even though your addiction often benefited all of our productivity!

Anyway, I've also shunned constant connectivity. Though I never fully connected my Palm Treo, I still downgraded to a simple Nokia that came free with my mother's cell plan and she wasn't using.
DJ

I, for one, support this endeavor. Soon, I hope to find a way to follow in your phone-phree phootsteps.