People check for messages from home and at work. And at times in their pajamas, just not at work.
We Are Hooked On E-mail 
In an AOL E-mail Addiction survey, the interactive services company found that out of 20 cities surveyed, Miami, San Francisco, and Philadelphia were home to the most ardent e-mail users.
The survey found that 41 percent of people surveyed check e-mail first thing in the morning. And forty percent of users got up in the middle of the night to check for new messages.
More than half own more than one e-mail account (56 percent), having an average of nearly 3 accounts per person. And they’re just as likely to give out their e-mail address as they are their cellphone or home phone number.
If you think you are addicted to e-mail, you may want to start setting some limits on your usage. Turn off e-mail during meal times and vacations with your family. Place a curfew on using e-mail. Don’t reply to every single message just for the sake of replying.
E-mail has been a useful tool for many years, but sometimes when a tool becomes as useful as a hammer, everything else starts to look like a nail. That makes it difficult to put down the hammer, or in your case the BlackBerry.
Any good craftsman knows that tools work for the person, not the other way around. Enjoy your e-mail, but don’t let it become the whole focus of your time.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
