Addiction to technology can impair both your personal and professional lives. Follow these 12 steps to start using technology more effectively and improve your personal productivity.

Start your day with a plan, not your e-mail
Do you start your day by looking at your e-mail? This can sidetrack you from your true priorities and waste some of the most productive hours of the day. Don't let your technology override your essential management skills. Identify your priorities at the beginning of the day and stick to that plan.

Schedule personal time
If you don't show respect for your time with family, exercising or personal hobbies, no one else will - especially not your boss or clients. Recognize that sometimes, personal activities are priorities that should be managed too and not just relegated for any time left over after work. Include your 5 p.m. workout or 6 p.m. Little League practice into your daily schedule.

Control your cell
Decide when you will turn on your cell phone and respond to calls, and when you turn it off so you can focus on important personal pursuits. You might want to consider keeping your cell phone number private so that it is truly for just your use and not someone else's convenience.

Ease up on e-mail
Checking your e-mail every 30 minutes or keeping a long list of messages in your In-box are signs of ineffective e-mail management. Learn how to use e-mail to save time, not squander it.

Surf on your own time
Research shows most people use office time to surf the Internet for personal reasons. Don't let an infatuation with the Web rob you of valuable productive time at work. Save the surfing for your personal time and set a time limit before you start surfing to ensure you maintain control of your time.

Don't be a slave to your voice mail
Be disciplined about checking your messages. Don't pick up messages more than 4 times during the day. Otherwise your voice mail becomes a productivity bandit that distracts you from your high priority tasks.

Take a quiet hour
Schedule a regular time each day when you focus on your own business goals and don't let technology interrupt you. Shut your office door, let calls go to voice-mail and ignore the e-mail so you can work on important projects uninterrupted.

Use a single source
Where's that important phone number - in an address book, in a wireless device or on a business card in your wallet? By keeping all contact info, your daily plan and your schedule in one place, you'll save valuable time when you need to access important details.

Don't be a slave to trends
If you frequently change the technology you use, take a moment to consider why. If you think the latest, fastest technology will make you more productive, you are doomed to be disappointed. Stop changing devices and start building your personal management skills.

Don't rob your family
Don't deny your family of your time and attention by being constantly accessible by cell phone, pager or e-mail. One way to de-stress from the work day is to turn off your cell phone 10 minutes before you get home so you can shift from your professional life to your personal life.

Balance your skills
Invest in learning how to master the technology you use. Balance these technology skills with essential management skills - fundamental skills such as planning, managing priorities and delegation - so you can use the technology to achieve your priorities. Make sure your technology is making you more productive and not just busier.

Put your technology to the test
Look at the technology tools you use. Ask yourself how the technology will make you smarter and perform better on the job. By asking this question, you'll save yourself loads of time, stress and money.