It feels like yesterday that I was opening the box to my first BlackBerry. That’s right, a BlackBerry.
I remember thinking how cool it was, all those keys. I could connect to my email. BlackBerry Messenger!
I used to get email notifications. Every time a new email came in I would see it. That didn’t last for very long. I can’t even imagine operating like that today given the amount of emails both work and personal that come through with only a very small fraction of them being relevant.
Nowadays every application you have on your phone requests to send you notifications. In other words these applications are begging you to come back and use them.
I decided two weeks ago to get rid off all notifications on my phone with the exception of two things:
- If my wife calls or messages, I’m notified.
- I use an app at the gym it sends a notification when my rest timer is up (this is actually useful).
That’s it, I receive no other notifications (this includes lock screen, notification centre, banners, badges, sounds, etc).
I can tell you this few weeks have been interesting. I’ve been more focussed with my work. I check and respond to messages way less frequently. I feel more in control of my life. I feel happier.