No Notifications

One of the first bold moves I took at work for my mental health was turning off all notifications.
 
This started on my office computer.
 
That noise--whenever I received an email or whenever I was reminded of a meeting starting shortly--became triggering (like Pavlov's dogs).
 
When I would be in someone else's office and that sound would occur: shudder.
 
It's been years since I turned it off and I still shudder when I hear them--you know that moment: you're on a conference call or video call and someone isn't on mute and DING goes their email or calendar. My nightmare.
 
Not only did it become triggering, but the constant interruption kept me from focusing.
 
It prevented me from doing truly deep work.
 
Fast forward nearly 7 years, and now: I use ZERO notifications.
 
None on my computer.
 
None of my cell phone.
 
None on my office phone.

That's right: I never hear a notification and I never see that little red number telling me how many missed emails, calls, or texts are piling up.
 
I know what some of you are thinking, but:
 
😲 I've missed very, very few time-sensitive calls or emails (I can think of two, maybe).

😲 I've never missed a meeting because my computer didn't remind me of it (I was once, recently, late to a meeting, full disclosure).

Personal text messages are another thing (although I get no notifications there too). Even so, I think we can all agree: response times there are less important and if it is important, they'll call you.

I have zero regrets about this boundary with my devices.

How do you protect your mental health when it comes to technology?

#lawyerwellbeing #work #technology #mentalhealth