Why I stopped my WhatsApp notifications.
The eventual step towards increasing my productivity.
WhatsApp has become a household name, and like everyone else, I use it for some of the most important conversations every day. I have been using it ever since I got a smartphone- for roughly ten years. Gradually I decided to stop the notification for most apps on my phone and most recently for WhatsApp.
Setting wrong expectations
I was both lucky and unlucky in growing up in a rapidly evolving world. I had the privilege of enjoying the perks of advancing technology but at the same time exposed myself to a multitude of its subtle negative effects. I have been active on many popular apps-Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter out of FOMO. And frankly, some of these are occasionally fruitful in their ways. But the constant bombardment of notification is usually distracting.
The most detrimental to me were messaging apps. Every time I received a message, I felt obliged to reply as soon as possible and have similar expectations from others.
College phase: hyperactive life.
Major college updates, off-class plans, and discussions were carried on Slack and WhatsApp groups. There was a good reason to be online and available since even a minute’s delay could cost a good opportunity in terms of participation, invitation, or celebration. Faculties and organizers often posted updates in class groups about competitions, open college club positions, cultural fests, workshops, yadda yadda. On top of these, there were online college bulletins, newsletters, and alumni networks flooding my email. At that time, these were of utmost importance.
I have always been part of a cause bigger than me, whether a college club, a startup, or an NGO. This meant I was always a part of dozens of group chats. Back then, I had clear goals out of college and these online platforms and groups were conducive to fulfilling those goals. Yet, group chats were the avenues that squandered most of my time while constantly replying to messages and bantering around in Whatsapp groups.
Job phase: new learnings
On the first day at work, I got onboarded to many other desktop apps at work— Outlook, Zoom, Slack, and Atlassian suite. What surprised me was the culture of installing the mobile version of these apps to stay notified about work at every hour of the day. Even I wanted to shine at work, yet, adding another set of constant disruption was a big lesson. Together these professional and personal alerts started a distraction loop. Hopping from one app to another at every notification prompt, and at times even forgetting the purpose of picking my phone. Such distraction loops subtly ingrain habits that eventually have a detrimental effect in the long term.
Unlike college, now I have clear segregation between my professional and personal responsibilities. Hence, a check on distraction is an absolute necessity for fostering a productive mindset in my time off work.
What I learned the hard way
Delaying response to a message and limiting hours spent on Twitter and Youtube does not mean ignoring them, instead, it should be perceived as a temporary break from shallow work. As Cal Newport suggests in his book Deep Work — take routine breaks from digital distractions to wholly focus on one thing. The pandemic has helped me pick this habit. Now I never put my phone on silent but have blocked notifications from most apps. So people can call me during urgency but might have to wait before they hear back by email or text until I respond as per my routine. And frankly, not everyone is in a hurry to tend to every task and conversation as that might interrupt more meaningful work, so there is no harm in possessing a similar mindset. In fact, this mindset is possessed by world-renowned professors, writers, athletes, and businessmen. Their productivity is a testament to such habits.
Blocking notifications from Youtube, Twitter, Gmail, and Whatsapp was a gradual process and has helped me prioritize the importance of these digital tools in my life. It also helped me measure the hours that were unknowingly wasted in a day.
Cal Newport’s wildly popular book Deep Work is a must-read. Its action-based advice is very practical and effective. It changed my perspective on the limited hours we have daily.
Thank you for reading.
I would love to hear your views and opinions! Feel free to connect with me.
Cheers,
Yashraj Shrivastava
Photo source: Google
