So addictive it’s nicknamed the “CrackBerry,” the BlackBerry has removed barriers we used to enjoy between work and home. Back in the day, when people tried to reach you after hours, they were limited to using the land line in your office, or if they reluctantly called you at home, they didn’t expect you to respond unless it was a four-alarm emergency. Now, people expect us to respond to just about any message at any time, no matter how trivial. Luckily, you can limit these electronic intrusions by establishing some boundaries with your co-workers.

Use a written document, such as an e-mail or memo, to make it clear to co-workers that you won’t respond to after-hours messages unless they’re defcon-one emergencies. And be sure to spell out exactly what you mean by “after hours” and “emergency.”

Once you put these limits in place, it’s important to enforce them consistently — no matter how tempted you are to answer messages after hours. So check your messages no more than once or twice a night, or three or four times on the weekends, and only respond to true emergency messages.

Both you and your co-workers will need time to adjust to your new boundaries. But if you follow through on your end, they’ll soon learn what is and isn’t an appropriate reason to contact you after hours.