Seven ways to break the habit of compulsive e-mail and Twitter check-ins | Social Signal

Talk to a stranger. Part of the excitement of checking your inbox comes from the possibility of a new connection. You can experience that same excitement by striking up an offline conversation with somebody you don't know. Internet cafes are, ironically, one of the easiest places to talk to someone new: just ask someone about their laptop or for help connecting to the network.

Declare a Twitter sabbath. Observant Jews go without electronics -- without turning on electricity! -- from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. You don't have to keep kosher to discover the benefits of 24 hours offline each week. If a day without e-mail feels unimaginable, try a day without Twitter. I went three whole days (!) this past long-weekend, and enjoyed the opportunity to experience memorable moments without boiling them down to 140 characters.

Pick up a new paper or magazine. I am slavish in my devotion to three publications: the New York Times, the New Yorker, and Entertainment Weekly. But when I picked up a copy of Craft (the arts & crafts counterpart to Make) I had my mind blown by a whole world of people sharing tips and ideas I'd never otherwise hear about. If you rely on Twitter to inject a little serendiptious information into your day, reading a publication you've never tried can be a great way of finding that serendipity -- without the character limit.

Get a POFCP: plain old-fashioned cell phone. I understand that your babysitter needs to reach you on date night: that doesn't mean your boss needs to, as well. So pop the SIM card out of your iPhone or Blackberry, and stick it into a super cheap phone that offers nothing more than the ability to make and receive calls. You can't check your e-mail if you can't check your e-mail.

Notice the negatives. How often do you check your inbox with a sense of hopefulness, only to be rewarded with a stab of horror? Whether it's the e-mail asking you for that overdue report, or the tweet about how your competitor just got a big new contract, online life is full of little disappointments. Those disappointments can be a great ally in weaning you off your constant inbox-checking, if you stop to notice and absorb your frustrations. The more you reinforce your awareness of the downsides of constant check-ins, the better you'll be able to resist your compulsion.

Hop on the bus. If you live in a city with public transit, catch a bus or subway to a part of town you've never visited. Hop off at a random stop, and wander through residential streets or shops you didn't know existed. Take a coffee break, and eavesdrop on a conversation. Embrace tiny discoveries -- a new phrase, a different brand of soda, an unfamiliar plant. Are they any smaller than the tiny novelties you find on Facebook?

Ask for gifts. One of the rewards of inbox and Twitter check-ins is the experience of receiving little gifts: The mention from someone you don't know. The helpful message from someone who responded to your request for information. The recent online purchase that just shipped. You need to remind yourself that sudden rewards can appear offline, too -- but it helps if you ask for them. Ask your son to give you the painting he made today; ask the person leaving the grocery store if she can hold the door for you; ask your sweetie to surprise you occasionally with wine or chocolates. Once you start attending to the many surprises of life offline, you'll stop thinking of the Internet as the only place that rains goodies.