Text messaging can be life-altering convenient – you can do practically anything with just a few flicks of your thumbs – but just because you can harness this technology to avoid phone calls and face-to-face confrontations doesn’t mean you should.

Here’s five times to put your cellphone down.

When you have nothing to say…

Texts are great for staying on the top of your paramour’s mind in an innocent way. Appropriate uses would be sending “I had a great time last night” the morning after a date or shooting off a “good luck today!” note before a big meeting. But have a reason – even if it’s a flimsy, manufactured one! – before hitting send. Don’t waste your date’s time with boring, generic “what’s up?” texts.

When you have too much to say…

You’ll get carpal tunnel syndrome having lengthy SMS conversations in place of simply picking up the phone (the same phone you have in your very hands!). Texting is great for simple bursts of information (i.e. “see you there at 7”), but if it’s something that will require more than three exchanges to hash out, just dial. What else deserves a better form of communication? Heavy topics. It might feel easier to hide behind your phone for big conversations but it’s a coward’s way out.

When you’re crossing the line….

A few well-crafted love notes can break up a boring afternoon, but they can also put an end to a promising romance. Like the real thing, “sexting” requires you to gauge interest and put forth a little effort into foreplay. Start small and watch the replies to make sure your advances are welcome before you slowly up the ante with racier responses. The biggest text-flirting fail? Sending “r u coming over?” messages from a barstool at 3 a.m.

When you’re a little too invested….

Remember not to panic when you send a message that’s not immediately replied; people have jobs and lives and occasional reasons to unplug. Still, you want to be receiving as many (or more) texts than you’re sending out. Consider the timing of your messages, too. If you wouldn’t call at 4 a.m., don’t text then either. Be sensitive to what the person might be doing; don’t assume someone is up early on a Saturday morning, or late on a Friday night. Even if their phone is off and doesn’t disturb them, what message do you think you’re sending when they see that late-night time stamp?

When you’re changing your relationship status…

If you’ve gone out on more than one date, you should not initiate a breakup via text message. (No, email or Facebook isn’t appropriate either). Likewise, you shouldn’t let the accessibility of text messaging tempt you into a reconciliation or post-breakup fling.