Blackberry Productivity: How Discipline and Email Go Hand in Hand

The recent trend in productivity posts is unmistakably clear: iPhones are sexy and Blackberrys are not.  Worse yet, some have suggested that Blackberry devices may even downgrade one's productivity.  With some recent outages from RIM headquarters, users are wondering if their famed "crackberry" PDA's are still valuable. The answer in short, heck yeah.

Before we get to the advantages of using a Blackberry, let's look at the con's to using a device which enables all-the-time email access. 

First, there is the simple temptation to check email- all the time. When I got my Blackberry 8830, I found this to be true.  It's somewhat of a novelty but the temptation fades over time.  After two weeks of use, I now check my email when I want to rather than as an automatic habit.  Some have dubbed the Blackberry handheld as the "crackberry" exactly for this 'constant checking' pattern.  It even won one dictionary's award for 'word of the year' in 2006.  There have even been reports of potential health risks to using a keyboard with such frequency. Sure, if you're not careful it could crimp your productivity but as with all tools, with discipline it works just fine.

Another con to using a Blackberry is the shortsightedness of thinking that it can do all things.  I can remember when I got my first FranklinCovey day planner.  I tried to use it for everything from meeting notes to my contacts to scheduling.  Like all tools, my planner failed after a few weeks of use.  Ok, it didn't really fail but I realized that taking notes in my big clunky planner wasn't as efficient as using an old fashioned legal pad.  The result: a hybrid approach which integrates multiple tools.

The Blackberry is no exception to this integrated approach to productivity.  It is great with email so long as your response is less than a paragraph.  It does calendaring very well and its phone capability is strong.  Where it falls short (who can blame it?) is in its use as a ubiquitous capture device. It's just plain faster to use paper.  That's why I still use a small pad of paper in my jacket pocket. (read my review of pocket notepads here )

So as long as you don't treat your Blackberry like a drug and put it down for not being as fast as pen and paper, you're all set.  Now on to the advantages.

Email management: RIM is king when it comes to push technology and while the iPhone may be breathing down its neck with coolness and the release of SDK, my Blackberry allows me to stay on top of email at precisely the times when I need it.  Here is another advantage: in my industry, fast email response is surprising and makes a bold statement.  It tells my reader that I'm on the ball and can solve their problem, fast.

Speed, pure and simple: I was a Palm Treo user for years and it was really lagging towards the end. Having demoed a Motorola q9m w/Windows Mobile, I had to jump ship and try something new.  The WM device seemed about as stable as a 1980's Dodge K Car and I really can't see anyone who is serious about their PDA using something with that OS.  The Blackberry is blazing fast with zero lag time in switching programs, etc.  I have to reset the device about once per month and that's quite good in terms of market standards.

Google Calendar & Outlook syncronization: Because my Blackberry syncs with Google Calendar which also syncs with Outlook on my PC, I have redundancy built right into the three-way system.  Update one and all three get touched.  Very smooth.

Jott: while I would be dishonest to say that Jott is only for Blackberry, it's a near perfect product for use with a superfast Blackberry.  Program one key to dial up Jott (in my case the J button) and you have about the fastest to-do software available.  If you haven't tried Jott yet, it takes your voice and in about ten minutes, converts it into an email.  Amazing stuff.

How do I love my Blackberry?  It just works.  Sure it may not be as sexy as the iPhone but like a finely tuned German automobile, it has staying power and is rugged as they come.  By my estimates, it has boosted my productivity by about 10%, not a bad return on investment for a device that fits in your pocket.

Comments

[Brick Andrews]

I have a Blackberry and an iPhone. My biggest gripe with the Blackberry has always been that I had to pay (expensive) cell data charges for email and the web when I was in the vicinity of a perfectly good wi-fi network. The iPhone addresses this gripe completely.

Using a web browser from an iPhone is simply superior to the Blackberry. The email client in the January upgrade is pretty slick. The calendar does not synch to Google calendar as far as I know - so that is a con.

I like both devices, although I am leaning towards the iPhone as my favorite device. I use it more.

BTW, the Blackberry is great for capture if you use iwantsandy. Although Remember the Milk has a nice iPhone application. Ah, choices! You really need them both!!!

[Mike]

Really enjoyed this post. I work in the wireless carrier industry and I have to say, at least before sdk, the blackberry is king of the business professional phones.

I personally carry the 8100 aka the pearl and I love the ability to be out and about and check up on my gmail. I try really hard to not look at work email during off hours, but just having it there on my hip makes it very difficult.

As long as you put boundaries on when and where you will take the wonderful crackberry I believe that it can improve anybody's productivity.

[lazymale]

Mike, the cons are real and the pros just reminds me that the blackberry is one of my favorite gadgets ever. I hv written a very recent post about the blackberry, on my website. Its a fun take on how this gadget changed my life.... Please do read "The Affair" at http://lap31.com/flyer/?q=node/23 and do drop in your comments.

[Jason Womack]

Just got an iTouch yesterday, and am mixing that in with my BB Curve. So far, there are distinct uses for each one; there are different technologies that I'm interested in learning about and maximizing.

I'm looking for a way to demonstrate the "learning advantages" of each. Pushing text and e-mail to BB users, and audio and video to iPhone/iTouch/iPod users.

It's going to be an interesting quarter!

[Mike St. Pierre]

Jason, keep me posted! The Touch looks pretty slick and it needs more blogging about its productivity powers.

Stop back often, Mike

[Ken Stewart]

I really enjoyed the post. I have been a recent user of the BB, albeit a forced sacrifice. I must say there are some definite pro's and con's to the BB, iPhone, and WM devices all.

My summary, after many years of using smartphones, is there is no 1 tool for every job. Sometimes the yellow-notepad works the best ;-)

If you are intersted, I had a few comments on the subject a while back:

http://www.changeforge.com/2008/03/18/will-apple-eat-rims-lunch-with-the-iphone/