a method and system is disclosed for a device to quickly determine if data is being sent to it . if no data is being sent to the device , the device may return to a sleep mode so as to conserve energy . the present invention includes organizing and transmitting , one at a time , all device destination identifiers . if a message listing search indicates that no message is being sent for a device , the device can continue with any other activity that needs servicing , or if no other activity is pending , it may shut down to conserve power until the next wake up period arrives . if the search returns a positive indication , the count value when the identifier is found can be used to determine the location of the pointer to the message .