Are your notifications non-stop?

Endless notifications from our devices are frequently cited as a major stressor in our lives. With online living, apps for everything, and the way we communicate only likely to increase our dependency on tech, this isn’t a stressor that’s going to go away.

If we want to avoid all these notifications being a major contributor to stress and burnout then we have to choose to interact with our tech differently.

In a previous blog I talked about why we should unplug from tech. In this one, let’s just focus on those pesky notifications.

It’s time to master your tech

Here are my top 5 tips:

1. Engage intentionally with your tech – be the master of your tech rather than its slave by consciously deciding when you will pick it up. At other times it’s on silent and out of reach. (Feels scary, right?!).
2. Re-assess your group chats – group chats have got to be the worst culprits for notification overload. Be ruthless. If you don’t want to be in a group chat then leave it. If you stay in it, mute the conversation. The chat will be there when you are intentionally checking-in, but otherwise, it’s not constantly interrupting you.
3. Review your app notifications – work out which apps you really (and I mean really) need notifications for, and turn the rest off in your settings. It’s worth the time it will take you to do this. And whilst you’re at it – delete any apps you no longer use – extra bonus!
4. Decide what’s on your home screen – keep the most important apps on your home screen and move the rest to a subsequent screen – that way you can’t see any unread notifications winking at you unless you choose to look for them.
5. Put your needs first – remember that every time you break off from what you’re doing to check a message, you’re putting other’s needs before your own. It’s time to change the priority.

If you’re struggling and you know you need support, let’s talk. Book your coaching experience call here – a £99 coaching session for you to discuss your needs.

And if you want to take this a step further and consider how to increase your productivity even more, I’ve got the perfect free download for you – 7 Tweaks To Maximise Your Productivity – just click here to get access.

Photo credit: Benjamin Sow from Unsplash