Eliminate Notifications...
Hi.
Welcome.
When you subscribed -- or if you are thinking of subscribing -- to this weekly LinkedIn newsletter, I promised to share actionable tips about increasing productivity by doing less.
One. Per. Week.
Usually it's published on a Thursday (I figured it's one day closer to Friday and you may need a mental push before you start your Friday to close out the work week!).
One of the things I am finding valuable (and I hope YOU do too) is that I ask YOU -- yes YOU -- and other people reading these editions to please share your thoughts in the comments.
In reality, this is all about you and sharing with other subscribers here. Good stuff.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
The Problem:?Distractions Abound
The week, let's pretend you and I are starting a conversation while taking a stroll down a deserted beach while the tide in coming in. The water is pretty cold (not like where I grew up in South Florida with the warm ocean currents from the gulfstream).
ME: "Hey, how are you?"
YOU: "I really want to...."
[notification ding]
[conversation STOPPED]
How many times have you been guilty of having a conversation with someone (or attending a meeting via zoom or in person) and your notification goes off.
Killing the conversation and train of thought.
Me? Oh of course... never (lol).
Huh. It does happen.
The Actionable Tip:?Turn off ALL Notifications
I am super intentional about making sure all my notifications are OFF in real life.
领英推荐
Phone ringing OFF (call me at +1 262.MVIZDOS and you'll see how I handle that).
Incoming e-mail notification OFF.
Slack notification OFF.
Message notification OFF.
WhatsApp notification OFF.
Mobile device - all notifications OFF.
[Insert Noisy App here] notification OFF.
Really?
Yep.
It's sometimes tough for me to BE (or STAY) present when I am present. It matters.
I also realize people who are always on the hamster wheel of receiving notifications get a great dopamine hit and feel rewarded by constantly responding to them.
And.
Well.
Your Next Step...
Take a look at a great resource (book) that I try to review once in a while at www.HyperActiveHiveMind.com.
Think about the problem and my actionable tip.
In the comments below, share?ONE?actionable tip on which ONE notification you could turn off today -- and why (assuming you are thinking "Mike, you're nut's to think I will turn off ALL my notifications").
I sincerely appreciate it and look forward to learning more together with you.
Thank you.
Michael Vizdos
Agile Coach / Scrum Master / Project & Program Manager / Product Delivery Manager
2 年Echo some of the comments wrt 'it depends' as some interruptions are indeed important. But most are not. In my last engagement one of our managers had ALL her notifications turned on so when she participated in a Zoom mtg we got to see some interesting dings LOL. Then folks in the mtg would start messaging each other and that pretty much ended any meaningful results.. ??
Owner, LeanAgileTraining.com, Kitty Hawk Consulting, Agile Coach & Trainer, MBA, CST (Certified Scrum Trainer)
2 年Distractions -- such a big and important subject. Just reducing the number of dings helps a lot. We do NOT need to be connected to the Matrix at all times. And you can check your apps - like once a day. And, as Rob says, we can have some rules for real emergencies. Thanks, Mike, for raising this issue. With ONE actionable suggestion! (and there are tons more. One is the Pomodoro Technique -- maybe known by many readers. Similar in some ways, but different.)
Build on what works. - Author, Executive Coach, Strategic Advisor, Speaker - Best Selling Author of "Attention!" and "Success Frames"
2 年I find setting rules and communicating them to be very helpful in this regard. For example: If I am working on a project, I won't answer phone calls from my wife. She knows this. However, if she calls a second time, that's the "Bat Signal" that tells me it's truly important and I need to answer.
Project Manager | Implementation Manager | Program Manager |Technology Specialist | Coach | E.S.T |
2 年Great suggestion! I do this periodically just to be present with myself, any task, and sometimes just not to be interrupted.