After a large uptick in notifications, I’m experimenting with turning off notifications on all devices except one. This change helps me maintain focus and feel less overwhelmed.
I realized this was important when sitting at my desk working and receiving four notifications for the exact same thing—desktop, phone, watch, and tablet. What was more maddening was when a notification triggered an app notification and an email, effectively doubling the noise. This created a cacophony that was maddening.
Having one location with notifications, either the desktop while I’m working or phone (I also stopped wearing the Apple Watch) when I’m outside the house, squelches the noise. I don’t worry about missing something important (I’m not completely on do-not-disturb) and my attention isn’t constantly thrashed between my phone, watch, and desktop.
See also:
- Work-related notifications might contribute to the Ringelmann effect as companies grow (more notifications because there are more people gives the illusion more is happening and more likely to let others do the work)
Links to this note
-
Schedule Time Every Day to Work on Your Top Goal
It’s easy to get swept away by requests from other people and other demands on your time. This is why it can feel like you do a lot of work but make little progress on what’s most important. Blocking off time each day to work on your top goal ensures you make progress above all else.