Tag: cell

Notifications and the Work We Miss

Post author By jrlsage
Post date April 6, 2016

That buzz is annoying isn’t it?

Every zing, ding, badge, buzz, and pop sound instantly grabs my attention.

In a few minutes, I go from working diligently to finding an excuse to get to my phone. Soon I start “the cycle” and next thing I know, 20 minutes have gone by.

This only happens when I don’t intend to use my phone.

Thinking back on it, I’ve never gotten a text that needed a direct answer immediately. That goes double for email. Phone calls have more importance, but we all have free answering machines (who calls people anymore anyway :-]).

Notifications are a bane on our existence. Nothing effects day-to-day concentration like them.

The effects are widespread, pulling us out of flow and depth and leaving us very superficial and disjointed. That superficiality and disjointed nature leave a lot of work on the table. Instead of the interesting stuff that we have the power to craft now, we spend more time creating tweets, texts, and Facebook comments that don’t push our skills or help us grow.

Serious, right?

I turned off my notifications for almost all my apps on my iPhone, and most badges (still have one for text, I should get rid of it). The hope is, I stop looking at that buzz so much and focus on whatever I do.

I hope you join me, there is so much work to do.

Tags cell, cell phone, craft, ding, make, notifications, phone, serious, ship, stuff, the cycle, zing

Blog Post

My Phone… Get Away From Me.

Post author By jrlsage
Post date April 3, 2016

How much sleep do you get

I overestimate and under value the sleep I get.

This happens because I count the hours in bed as the hours of sleep. The thing is, for an hour before I go to sleep and an hour I wake up, I am not asleep.

My phone has to get the “cycle.”

The cycle is texts, emails, “Boom Beach,” and social media I can fit in before I start to feel tired or there is nothing less. Then I allow myself to put on some music and go to sleep.

I know intellectually that this isn’t good for me, but I still do it.

Last year I wrote about not taking my cell phone to work, and the changes it made.

This month, I am removing my cell phone from my bed room before bed.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Tags cell, cell phone, cycle, phone, removing, sleep, work

Blog Post

Choice, Notifications, And PUT THE CELL PHONE AWAY!

Post author By jrlsage
Post date December 18, 2015

I hate notifications

I am like a dog. Whenever notifications come on my phone, I turn my head and get obsessed with everything about the phone. At first, it starts with whatever that notification is about, then check email, then Twitter, then Facebook, and and and… several minutes go by.

Each decision you make leaves a few decisions on the table. By looking at my phone, I decided not to connect with someone I am talking with, losing concentration on one of these posts, some meditation, or anything else that doesn’t have to do with my phone.

It’s why I cut off the notifications to my phone, but the break in period for me is always a rough one.

There is always a choice

In everything we do, there is always a choice. Our emotions may lie to us, tell us we have to react to any and everything that happens to us, but that puts us in a severe disadvantage. We get as deluded as we want to, especially when it comes to this. I’ve seen people throw away million dollar opportunities to get loyal to things they didn’t need to especially if it’s a reaction.

We lose ourselves, in the motion or the energy of change, that we end up losing ourselves in reaction.

Get proactive.

We aren’t robots. Choice isn’t something that just happens, we all have that ability, we just need to cultivate it.

A great way to explore is with your cell phone. Try to turn it off for an hour. Leave it in a dresser, and just walk away. When this gets normal, try it for two, then three, then a day etc.

This builds up the proactive tolerance, avoiding the problems that come with looking for something to happen. Its hard at first, but step away long enough, you eventually find life much more satisfying, just because you got proactive with your attention.

It’s a small start, but that’s the best way to do it.

Proactive example:

A great example is Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring.While everyone is trying to go for the knockout blow and reacting, Floyd is rolling his shoulders and jabbing. He creates this tension, and gets the fight to come to him.

Tags attention, cell, cellphone, fight, proactive, react, reactive, tolerance