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Users Guide: Tech-tethering might necessitate reprioritization

Users Guide: Tech-tethering might necessitate reprioritization

I just got back from a vacation, and boy are my fingers tired.

That's because I spent a good part of the time I was in Vermont checking my e-mail. In fact, my brother, my fiancee and I all brought laptops to the cozy lodge where we were staying. My brother also had a BlackBerry, and I had an iPhone.

Since the lodge's wireless Internet was available only in the lobby, bar and pool area, we made special trips to get online. That made me feel even more sheepish about spending my precious days off glued to a computer screen.

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When I got back to work, I got a call that made me realize I wasn't alone.

A new survey found that 83 percent of e-mail users check their inboxes at least once a day while on vacation.

Researchers from America Online and the Opinion Research Corp. based their conclusion on online surveys about e-mail habits with 4,025 people age 13 and older in 20 cities.

The researchers asked people how many e-mail accounts they have, how often they check them, if they have a BlackBerry or portable device and whether they've ever e-mailed in the bathroom, while they drive or in church.

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Although the term "e-mail addiction" has a negative connotation, I'm not here to say this behavior is good or bad. Whether you check your e-mail every time a new message arrives or only several times a day, you should feel comfortable with how often you check your e-mail and be able to manage your messages.

"You need a game plan, and you have to stick with it," said Regina Lewis, AOL's consumer adviser. "The survey is a good reminder to look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'Is this making me more productive or is this a disruption to my life?' "

Here's some advice from Ms. Lewis on taking control of your e-mail:

1. Turn off the audio prompt telling you when you have a new message.
If your computer or BlackBerry is always on or with you, turn off the sound or vibration that signals a new message has arrived. That way you won't be drawn in every time you hear the noise.

2. Follow the 10-minute rule on vacation.
This is something I should have done in Vermont. If you must check your e-mail on vacation, do it for only 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night.

3. Set start times and curfews.
Check your e-mail for the first time at 8 a.m. and for the last time at 5 p.m., not when you wake up and before you go to sleep. Checking e-mail first thing can suck you in and wreak havoc on your schedule.

This strategy has worked well for Larry Hendrick, 50, of Apopka, Fla. He's a self-employed telecommunications consultant who sells phones and data services to businesses.

"My clients know that if they e-mail me at 6 p.m., I will not reply until the next day," Mr. Hendrick said. "Part of the reason I run my own business is so I am not controlled by work. So why let it happen with e-mail?"

4. Use the out-of-office reply.
Ms. Lewis says a big part of controlling e-mail is managing the expectations of others. If people expect you to reply immediately, it's a good idea to set an automated reply when you can't.

Although checking my e-mail on vacation did make plowing through my inbox a little easier when I got back, I was still overwhelmed. I had so much e-mail to read that I created an out-of-office reply telling e-mailers that if they needed to reach me right away, they should call.

First Published: August 4, 2007, 2:45 a.m.

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