There was a time when I wanted to be notified of everything that was happening online. If somebody commented on my Facebook status, I wanted to know as soon as possible so that I could respond to it! When I got an email, I wanted to be on-the-spot and reply right away! I wanted to know when there were more tweets for me to read! And it doesn’t stop there, for many. There are extensions, plugins, and other downloads that will notify you when your Google Reader has new items as well.
It’s not just the computer anymore, either. Your basic smartphone can vibrate, ring, and light up any time somebody says something on Facebook or sends you an email. You can view your tweets and other messages and respond in a matter of seconds. It’s great, isn’t it? How cool is today’s world?
The answer: well, not so cool. We live in an age of instant notification, but I would argue that it’s starting to do more harm than good. It was a big step, but recently, I decided to turn off all my notifications, both on my phone and on my computer. I’ve never been happier, because shutting off all these notifications brings some awesome benefits:
- Increased focus and productivity. This was the main reason I decided to give it a shot. Especially in my freelance writing, I need to be focused on the task at hand. Think about it: you are in the middle of something important, and the corner of your screen displays a little mail icon saying that you have a new message. Your eyes immediately drift to the corner, and the only thing on your mind is checking out the new message and clearing it out. What if it’s somebody important? What if it’s a new client? What if it’s that job offer? Instead, you pull yourself away from what you were doing to see that somebody commented on a photo that you liked on Facebook. Yee-ha. Now, you need to re-focus your brain on your task. You lose lots of time by switching gears so much. Ease some stress on your brain by allowing yourself to finish that task at hand before pulling away to your email. The best way to do that is to switch off the notifications so that you can get some work done.
- Better manners. Imagine you are hanging out with a friend of yours, and some guy keeps following you around, getting in your ear while you guys talk, saying, “Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!” Sounds annoying, doesn’t it? So why is it less annoying when it’s coming from a phone? It drives me crazy when I see friends walking through a store, not even talking to each other because they are punching buttons on their phones. Or a guy on a date with his cell phone on the table at the restaurant. News flash: we’re not that important. Unless somebody’s in the hospital or something, we don’t need to wait on our phones. And I don’t care how many articles are posted on the Web about the “new manners” and how teens are rewriting what it means to hang out – put the crap away and enjoy the company you are with.
- Setting realistic expectations. If I get an email from a client, I may sit on it for a few hours before answering. Why? Because I don’t want the client to think that I am available 24/7 to answer their questions. The same goes for Facebook stuff; we’ve all got friends who have nothing better to do than sit on Facebook and comment on your stuff. If you instantly reply to what they are saying, they will expect that all the time, and start annoying you when you take more than 20 minutes to respond. Temper people’s expectations now and you can answer them on your own time without offending them.
- A life. You might have a different viewpoint than me, but I want my life to be about more than what I tweet or what I do on Facebook. I want communication to go deeper than emails sometimes. In short, I want a real life and I want to enjoy it on my terms. That’s not always possible, but notifications are something I can control.
So where are the biggest problems? Here are the big three that suck up all your time:
Desktop: Unless you are at work (and even there sometimes), turn off the desktop notifications. That’s the first step. This was particularly hard for me, because there is an awesome notification app for Linux called CheckGMail, which I used to get all my pop-ups. I could mark emails as “read” and hit a “reply” button to respond right away, all within a slick interface. Then I realized that I had a hard time concentrating on anything when that little Gmail icon was red. I always felt the need to empty it out. Instead: Designate regular times throughout the day for you to pop in to your email and go through messages. You will plow through them much quicker and you won’t feel like a slave to your inbox.
Mobile: One of the most desirable advantages to having a smartphone is having access to your email at all times. It’s a great benefit. But there are times throughout the day when email is unnecessary, particularly when you are with your friends. Turn it off. Instead: If you find yourself waiting in line for something or whatever, feel free to pull out the phone and check your email manually. But again, do it on your time. Don’t respond to the little ringing.
Desktop: Desktop notifications for Facebook are available, but not as widely used. If you do have one, you are also likely to have several hundred “friends”. That means every other minute, you are getting 47 notifications for stuff that they are doing. Again, turn it off. In addition, turn off all email notifications. This was one of the best things I’ve ever done. The only notification I left on was the one for receiving Facebook messages, since they are essentially emails. The rest of it – off. Facebook’s web page has a little notification icon for activity related to you, and that’s all you really need. There’s no point in getting emails for everything. Instead: Use Facebook’s web interface and check it – again – at regular times throughout the day, if needed. Better yet: regulate Facebook down to a spare time activity. Facebook is a social place, and you do not need to be available there all the time. Your social life is not your entire life. And if you want to update your status quickly, just set up your phone to allow you to text it in. Nice and quick (but don’t turn on the text notifications!).
Mobile: Just turn it off altogether. Please. Instead: Facebook has a fine mobile site that gets the job done.
Desktop: I hunted high and low for the best Twitter desktop app. I found several I really liked, but man, it just kept getting more and more difficult. Plus, again, when the Twitter icon lit up, I felt the urge to check the messages. Delete your Twitter desktop apps altogether. Instead: You got it – use the web interface. Twitter’s web interface is actually quite good and clean. It doesn’t have all the notifications you need, but just click around a little bit. It won’t hurt you. Now, when I want to crack off a quick tweet, I just grab my phone and text it in. Infinitely quicker and easier.
Mobile: Again, off. Instead: Twitter’s mobile web site is very nice and slick. Use it.
So that’s how I do it. Does anybody out there have any tips? Have you tried it before? Share your experiences in the comments!
Tom is an entrepreneur and freelance writer, working out of his apartment full-time, or wherever he feels like taking his laptop. He doesn't take long European vacations or blogs on the beach. He's an Average Joe that took control of his life. He wants you to do the same.
