This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Stop looking at every notification that comes to you right away
Ding! Or whatever sound or vibration your phone sounds off when you get a notification.
Our phones are constantly going off, which is why my phone is usually on silent >95% of the time.
We are glued to these f*cking devices. It’s like watching a real-time addiction. We don’t know how to be unreachable, and we haven’t for a long time.
Whenever someone pings us, we got to respond right away, and if we don’t respond right away, we still feel inclined to look at what the other party communicated to us.
Before technology came about, people had to wait days, weeks, or years before hearing from someone. That is not the case today – thankfully. However, we must be careful we don’t give our time away to every single notification that comes our way.
News apps, social media apps, entertainment apps, finance apps, shopping apps, game apps, and practically every application on our phones now notifies us of something – no matter how small or big.
Everything and everyone is vying for our attention.
“In Stillness is the Key, there is a story about Napoleon’s habit of actively delaying the opening of his mail. Why would he do such a thing? Because most issues resolved themselves and he wanted to let time sort things out for him. We would do well to emulate him and Seneca.
There’s no need to rush. We don’t need to be so reachable – in fact, humans survived for hundreds of thousands of years without DMs, and texts, and Slack channels. You’ll be fine. Slow down. Let it come to you.” (The Daily Stoic)
Work Life
When we’re at work, if we’re constantly checking our emails and chat messages, we will never get any work done! Ever wonder why you’re struggling to get any work done or overwhelmed? It’s usually due to 1 or 2 reasons:
You’re in too many meetings that have little impact.
You’re checking your email and slack messages too often.
If possible, schedule blocks of time where you can address messages and blocks of time where you don’t check messages.
Remedy
Learn to silence your notifications. Use do not disturb mode more often. Put the devices away and get some quiet time – rejuvenating your mental health.
When you take long enough breaks from your devices, you feel better about yourself and your life – one of the perks of less technology use.
Most of the time, the notification you’re receiving is not an emergency. You’ll be okay. They’ll be okay. It’ll all work out like it always does in the grand scheme of things. The universe keeps everything moving in its appropriate time and place.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.