It's not about simply switching your phone off though, especially if you use your BlackBerry for business and pleasure. The best way to ensure your own time stays your own time is to effectively manage your emails.
The most effective way of doing this is to decide when you want to see messages and when you are off duty. Turn off notifications unless you are waiting for an urgent message and check your BlackBerry only when you have free time. If you really can't stop yourself checking for messages, use the 'Auto On/ Off' setting (under 'Options') to power-down the device outside of working hours - then you can use your BlackBerry and still have a life.
For most people, however, the problem isn't being tempted to check email just because they can; it's the sheer number of messages they have to scroll through to see whether there is one they absolutely have to deal with.
Having one inbox for all of your messages means you won't miss a text when you thought someone would email - and having the messages you write in the inbox can also be useful. But it means even more messages on screen at once.
If y?u use your handset with the Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) for work (rather than using a web page run by your mobile operator), you can clear out your inbox by filing messages into folders; simply click on the message and choose 'File'.
The most recent versions of BES will allow you to file the message in other mail tools, such as Outlook. But if you want to see the messages you file through Outlook as well, you'll need to synchronise that folder to your BlackBerry.
You can set up this using 'Redirector Settings' in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager by choosing Advanced > Folder Redirection > Selected Folders > Choose Folders. Alternatively, on your BlackBerry, choose Options > Email Settings > Folder Redirection: choose your mailbox, then your inbox and select 'Expand'. Now you can select individual folders to sync and choose 'Change Option' for each of them. Remember to open the menu and click 'Save' when you are done.
To stop these messages showing up in your BlackBerry inbox, you may need to change a setting on the handset. In the Messages window, choose Options > General options and ensure 'Hide Filed Messages' is set to 'Yes'. Now you can choose 'View Folder' from the menu (and use the 'Alt' shortcuts or back button to get out of the folder again).
If you want to permanently keep a message on your BlackBerry, click the menu button and press 'Save'. You can opt to see all saved messages by selecting 'View Saved Messages', but they will always show up in the main inbox as well.
You can automatically file messages into folders on your device by setting up rules in BlackBerry Desktop Manager based on who the email is from or keywords in the message. However, unless they are messages you definitely want on the handset, it probably makes more sense to use filters to limit the number of messages you receive.
If you use the BlackBerry Internet Server (BIS, which means you set up your handset through a website run by your mobile operator rather than your company), you can only file messages into folders you create on that website - and filing messages there won't put them into folders in any other emaii tools {apart from the operator website). On the site, choose 'Manage Folders' and click 'New'. Give the folder a name and decide whether you want to automatically d?lete old messages; if you do, set the 'Auto-ageing' options. You will now be able to file messages in a folder by clicking on them and then use 'View Folder' to switch to the folder.
FILTERING MESSAGES
You can use filters to prevent messages from appearing on your BlackBerry. If you subscribe to a mailing list - or you don't want to see messages from, say, Facebook or a particular person - you can create a filter that sends the header, but not the message, or that stops the message altogether.
With BES, you can set up filters using the Blackberry Desktop Manager, under Redirector Settings > Filters > New, or with your BlackBerry under Message Options > Email Fitters > New. if you use the Blackberry Internet Service, click the Filter icon (next to your email account on the website) and click 'Add Filter'.
Whichever way you do it, the options are the same. Give the filter a name and choose whether to filter by subject or by the 'from' address, then type keywords or the address to look for in the 'Contains' line. Choose 'Do Not Forward Messages To Device' and save the filter.
Instead of blocking certain messages from your BlackBerry and receiving everything else, you can decide which messages you want to see and block the rest. This means adding a filter for every new contact you want to hear from and it's a system that won't suit everyone. To make it work, you need to change the default filter for the account.
On the BIS site, select an email account and change the option 'When No Filters Apply' to 'Do Not Forward Messages To Device'. In BlackBerry Desktop Manager, look under Redirector Settings > Fitters > Forward Messages To BlackBerry Device or, on your BlackBerry, look under Message Options > Email Filters for the default filter. Now you can set up filters for every address and subject line you want to read on your BlackBerry; simply choose 'Forward Message To The Device1 as the action for each new filter.
DELETING MESSAGES
You don't need to delete messages to make space on your BlackBerry, but if you like a clean inbox - and you don't want to refer to the messages again - you can remove them.
If you just want to thin out what you see on your handset, go to Messages and choose Options > Email Reconciliation > Handheld.
To permanently delete emails, change this to 'Mailbox & Handheld'.
If you want to clear out old messages that you have seen and dealt with elsewhere, scroll to the first date after the oldest message you wan? to delete, click 'Menu' and choose 'Delete Prior'.
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