I purchased my first BlackBerry back in April 2005. The main reason was when I was at Universal Studios Florida a few months prior a major server problem came up at work.

This would have taken me 5 minutes to fix with an SSH client, but I ended up spending an hour and a half on the phone explaining to someone how to fix it.

Since I have purchased my BlackBerry my mind has been put to complete ease. The ability to keep up with work when out of town and to be able to respond to issues is priceless.

The problem is I feel like I am not doing anything, or not as busy as I should be because of how much time the BlackBerry has saved me. Sometimes I feel a bit of anxiety as if I have been slacking, even though my response time is better than ever now.

Has anyone else had this strange problem? ;)

Use that free time wisely- learn a new language, go for a run, write the Great American Novel, whatever. Tools like Blackberries make our professional lives easier so we have more free time for the fun stuff!

Its probably just a little guilt.

IT guys often feel like the "Maytag Repair Guy" when they've managed to stream-line operations so that everything is running smoothly--even when they're not.

Just take comfort in how much money you're saving your employer.

Thanks everyone for the comments, I have definitely been taking more vacation time since I purchased it. Without a doubt it was the single greatest purchase I have made in the last number of years.

I hear you. I have that strange feeling, too. Last week, I took a shower, got ready for work, then sat down in my recliner in my living room, laptop and Blackberry at hand. I read through all my e-mail and read the paper, just like I would have done the first hour or so while at work, but instead I did it from the comfort of my family room. Then I went to work and got right into it right away and was able to get a lot more done that day. But I felt so guilty sitting in my leather recliner working from home.

And, OMG, when I was in Germany, the Blackberry was a godsend. The city manager for one of the cities I cover (I'm a reporter) resigned halfway through my trip. I found out and immediately dispatched an e-mail to him. We corresponded back and forth that day. Later, when my editor e-mailed me about the situation, I told him I had already talked to the city manager and had the situation covered. Sweet.

Then, when I got back from my trip, I didn't have to spend half a day going through my e-mail because I had been sorting through it as it came in while on my trip. That 30 minutes a day of dealing with e-mail saved me so much time when I returned.

Honestly, I have no clue how I managed to function without this thing.

No anxiety. Just relief! I don't understand how I got anything done without my BB.

cheers! isn't life good?! i'm rather new to this phenommenon, although i have experienced it in less drastic ways w/ other smartphones. i believe i'm on my way to crackberry addiction!