Into the clearing

Here are some scenarios you may know.

1. You’re trying to get the kids out the door in the morning. You’re running late and you feel a bit sweaty. Then your phone starts buzzing. Someone is messaging you and it couldn’t be a worse moment. Your pulse rate goes right up.
2. Your best friend just poured out her heart to you and you are both about to start weeping. Then – ding dong – your electricity company messages you about a new deal.
3. Your boss has you in an appraisal meeting. It’s tense. Then your phone starts plinging. The kids are arguing over whose turn it is to clean the bathroom and decided to message you about it. Now.
4. You are wondering if you might be getting dementia because your brain is getting the beginning mixed up with the end of every idea you had all day. If you think about it, every time you get deep into thought someone sends you a message on (iMessage, WhatsApp, fbmessenger, signal).

If this is you, you are not the boss of your phone. Your phone is like a toddler in your life, interrupting at all the worst moments. But way less cute than your toddler.

You don’t need to delete all your friends and apps reclaim your life though. It is not you against your friends. It is you against the designer of Notifications. The person who assumed everyone should, by default, be opted IN for every sound and banner and buzz of every single app.

I think not.

I went into Settings and into Notifications and turned them all off. Except for the ring signal and a 3 to 4 others that felt important.

No conversations interrupted. No thought processes interrupted. My brain has peace and quiet.

And I can be fully in the moment and I can be polite to those I am with.

I check messages many times a day, but in batches, when it works for me.

IF anything drastic was going on I know people would ring. And ring.

You too can become the BOSS of your phone. You only have one mind and one brain and they deserve respect!

Siobhan