{"id":5430,"date":"2016-06-05T02:41:15","date_gmt":"2016-06-04T21:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=5430"},"modified":"2016-06-05T02:41:15","modified_gmt":"2016-06-04T21:11:15","slug":"switch-off-notifications-whatsapp-smartphones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=5430","title":{"rendered":"How to Switch Off Your Notifications and Stop Being a Slave to Your Smartphone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

W<\/span><\/p><\/div>

hen the <\/span>iPhone<\/span><\/a> launched around 15 years ago, in addition to revolutionising handheld technology and our daily lifestyles, it also introduced the world to a new type of business \u2013 the attention economy.<\/span>\n\nA lot of the apps you know and love are VC-funded and likely, don\u2019t make a profit yet (in some cases, it doesn\u2019t look like they ever will). These companies have built massive valuations on the back of getting millions of users and (more importantly) \u201cactive\u201d users \u2013 people who currently engage with the app in some way. The benchmark for this could be as low as opening the app, but whatever makes for a better-looking slide to investors, eh?\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThe other type of app monetises its own real estate \u2013 think news apps, content apps, and, yes, social media. More usage means more ad space to sell. But especially in the case of apps following the first model, there definitely is a war for our attention, a point which activists like <\/span>ex-Googler Tristan Harris<\/span><\/a> have been trying to get into public consciousness.<\/span>\n\nSo, what does this mean for the average <\/span>smartphone<\/span><\/a> user? A deluge of notifications, imploring you to do everything from checking out an unmissable offer to ordering food so you can focus on that cricket game instead of cooking.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nAs work started finding its way to the phone via email, Slack, and (ugh) WhatsApp groups, this deluge became more overwhelming. After all, notifications don\u2019t discriminate \u2013 the \u201cding\u201d for an important campaign change is the same as for a stupid <\/span>WhatsApp forward<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\n\n

I\u2019ve always felt notifications were more about what the apps wanted me to see rather than what I might actually like.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nOne day, I just had enough, and switched off all notifications. Yes, all of them \u2013 even WhatsApp. It seemed like a simple enough thing to do, but telling my phone to block all notifications seemed like a big step. What if I miss something important? What if that offer truly is unmissable? Despite my misgivings, I was shocked by how much it helped in just a week. Are there withdrawal symptoms? Yes, for a couple of days you might kept turning to your phone, expecting it to light up, but you cope faster than you think you will, like you do after a <\/span>break-up<\/span><\/a> or kicking the butt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\n\nThe most immediate thing you\u2019ll notice is how you can work without distraction. You get to work at your natural pace, and give time to tasks, rather than being constantly interrupted. This is important because it\u2019s really difficult to restart or get the flow back, you\u2019ll always have something new on your mind. A study showed that it takes <\/span>over 23 minutes<\/span><\/a> to get back on track following an interruption. Over time, people realise this is your working style. You can always counter a \u201cDid you not get my Slack?\u201d with \u201cWhen I work on your task, do you want me to get interrupted by <\/span>other<\/span><\/i> messages?\u201d This also has an added benefit, in the Slack era, where briefs often come ad-hoc, it gives a sense of perspective rather than reacting in real-time. Let the \u201cbriefer\u201d get it all out, so you can read it all at once.<\/span>\n\nAnd hey, switching off notifications also helps you do justice to leisure. When you\u2019re <\/span>listening to music<\/span><\/a>, pay full attention to the artist. When you\u2019re reading an article, immerse yourself. You\u2019ll take away more this way than when your mind is in four places. Despite statements made by motivational speakers and \u201ctime-hackers\u201d, humans are biologically not wired to multi-task (our ancestors were not thinking of how to optimise fire while trying to escape a saber-toothed tiger).<\/span>\n\nMy ding-less life helps me plan my day better \u2013 instead of reacting to FB notifications, I rewarded myself with \u201c<\/span>social media<\/span><\/a> breaks\u201d after an hour of working. But it made me wonder if thumbing through the daily outrage is the best way to spend my hard-earned break. Instead, I choose to do something I found more fulfilling. Recently, for example, I got hooked to <\/span>Need for Speed<\/span><\/i> but was quick to switch off all notifications, choosing to play at predetermined break times than when a new challenge came up.<\/span>\n\nGoing notification-free also helps in <\/span>social situations<\/span><\/a>, even if you are the type to not look at your phone when speaking to someone, the ting or even a buzz of your phone becomes a\u00a0 distraction and leads to an unsaid \u201cwill they, won\u2019t they\u201d situation.<\/span>\n\n

A phone is supposed to be a slave, not a master.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\nAn added benefit for control freaks is that you become less of a slave to the algorithm. I\u2019ve always felt notifications were more about what the apps wanted me to see rather than what I might actually like. Turning off notifications helped me discover things myself. For those worried about <\/span>FOMO<\/span><\/a>, sign up for newsletters. This also should give app makers an incentive to be good enough where people come to the app on their own.<\/span>\n\nAll this leaves you with notifications for things that are actually important. WhatsApp notifications only from a few specific people or groups. Slack messages only where you\u2019re marked. Apps that mean breaking news when it\u2019s more than a cow crossing the road. Think of this as the 21<\/span>st<\/span> century equivalent of the boy who cried wolf: The app that cried \u201cUnbeatable Offer!\u201d<\/span>\n\nOh, and of course, it helps <\/span>battery life<\/span><\/a>, but you knew that.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nWhat if there\u2019s actually an emergency? People will call you (even <\/span>clients<\/span><\/a> know \u201cmake the logo bigger\u201d is not worthy of more than an email). Or they find you. Like in the good ol\u2019 days.<\/span>\n\nIf you\u2019re still not prepared to mute every interrupting ding, just turn off notifications for apps as and when they come up, leaving the things you actually want. Trust me, this will help you whether you\u2019re working at your <\/span>computer<\/span><\/a>, working on your phone, or even just having leisure time.\u00a0<\/span>\n\nA phone is supposed to be a slave, not a master. (It doesn\u2019t have feelings, it won\u2019t get offended.) Keep it that way, and regain control of your life from the attention economy.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The average smartphone user faces a deluge of notifications, imploring you to do everything from checking out an unmissable offer to ordering food so you can focus on that cricket game instead of cooking. 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