We've given our phones permission to interrupt our lives
On any given day, we can receive up to 100 notifications on our phones. Some are important. Most aren't. And when we leave these notifications switched on, we risk being interrupted constantly throughout the day, robbing ourselves of the space to focus on a task long enough to finish it, and do it well.
We're choosing not to be fully present with the task in front of us, and the price we pay is huge. We're losing our ability to focus for any meaningful length of time. Every ping, buzz and ring is another demand for our attention, reinforcing the idea that we need to be available and contactable at all times. That we should respond immediately to every message and react to every request for our time and energy.
But what if, instead of reacting to every notification, we put some boundaries around how we respond to these demands?
The simplest way to quiet the noise is to switch most of your notifications off. The social media apps telling you someone liked your latest post, the app that's just been updated, the sale that's about to start, the latest breaking news on the other side of the world. Most of these things don't need our immediate attention, and certainly don't need to interrupt whatever we're doing.
And when every app is competing for our attention, the notifications that actually matter get lost in the noise.
This week: Do a notification audit. Open your phone settings and look at which apps are allowed to send you notifications. Switch off everything that doesn't genuinely need your immediate attention. Then get into the habit of opening your apps to check for messages and notifications a handful of times throughout the day, rather than allowing them to interrupt you whenever they please.
A thought: If you're constantly interruptible, when do you get to live your own life?
Catherine