Every day, I’m puzzled by the number of people I see checking mobile email in the darndest of places – during meetings, mid-conversation on a pub patio, etc.    

Even worse is where you see people’s thumbs hard at work sending a message. As they enter an elevator (presumably minutes, if not seconds, from plunking themselves in front of their desktop).  Driving (here’s a tip – you look really foolish). Even crossing the street in heavy traffic (as if your response can’t wait until you’re clear from harm’s way - in this case, the “harm” being the foolish person driving and sending an email).  

We’ve all read or heard endless stories about email etiquette or email addiction – there’s not much more new to add to discussion in this area. Don’t pull out your device and start tapping away when you’re speaking with someone, and if you need to be checking email at 3:30 a.m. you may have issues. But as someone who recently (and somewhat begrudgingly) waded into the deep end of pool and is now connected to work email 24/7, I sheepishly admit that I’m getting hooked.

There’s a curiosity factor at play in all of this, and in a strange way, I think email validates people’s sense of self-worth. Be it on your laptop, desktop, or handheld – people with desk jobs want to see messages in their in box.  Bing.  You’ve got mail.  Bing. You matter.

When I went on a vacation, I used to feel that I could indeed take a true break.  But as my smartphone now carries my work email, all it takes is a simple press of a button.  I used to make fun of these people.  I’m now one of them. 

Taking a break and a week off at a cottage, I was initially relieved to discover that I was out of service range.  But all it took was a quick trip into town and I was getting meeting alerts, voicemail prompts, and yes – I checked email (despite my out of office alert firmly stating that I would not).

And while I sifted through roughly 150 emails and was feeling pretty confident that the world could get on without me, one “welcome back to the office email” (the sender obviously did not believe I would be checking for messages) sent my mind racing for hours.   I’ve learned my lesson.

Don’t get me wrong. There are a thousand business reasons why it makes sense (for me) to be connected – and there’s no going back. I still resist the urge to proactively communicate on my Centro, as my thumbs are not yet finely-tuned lethal typing machines that can hammer our and send typo-free, meaningful emails.  But the ability to quickly get in and out of email when you’re out of the office is a time saver and a client service godsend. Just please - try and resist the urge to tell me so after 8 p.m. or on the weekends.