One of the reasons I like working very early in the morning, or very late at night, is because no one else is, and I can enjoy the blissful silence. And it’s not just silence in between notifications, but a silence that will not be interrupted for at least several hours.
I just spent the entire morning from about 9:00 on, hearing a ding, beep, or chirp every few minutes. It has been nearly impossible to make progress on any single task this morning..with the exception of responding to notifications and making some delightful tomato soup.
I found myself cursing the notifications, wishing they would all just go away for a few hours.
On the flip side, I have people in my network who don’t respond to text messages for hours. It drives me insane because I answer almost immediately as I often give in to the technology.
Though it’s frustrating, I have to respect that some people have avoided the trap of technology addiction and attention deficit.
Much like everything else, these technological advancements are both a blessing and a curse and it’s up to us to define how we interact with these technologies.
I think today is going to be one of those days where I step out of my comfort zone and just shut off all notifications.