Do you really need mobile, real-time email?

I love gadgets as much as anyone. When I went cell phone shopping not too long ago I certainly doddled around the phone/PDA/Swiss Army knive section but I finally decided to opt for something simpler.

And life has been better ever since.

If I had one of the new data-enabled phones I'm precisely the kind of guy who would be pulling it out to check emails in the middle of a meeting, at lunch, over dinner, you name it. Not only has this behavior become a cliche' in our culture already (e.g., the term CrackBerry) but I think it can erode our quality of life.

David Allen talks about us not really needing to "multi-task" as much as to rapidly refocus all day. Whatever you call it, it's taxing and takes its toll on the amount of focus, attention, and intention we can bring to any given moment.

I realize there are some in high-pressure situations that need to be notified right now of true emergencies that require their attention. But far more of us do it simply because we can and it's cool. And we can use the $40+ a month we'd spend on data plans for buying flowers for a loved one or taking a kid out to a movie and making a simple memory.