Notification Overload

I’ve been cutting out notifications. I’ve got them all off on Twitter. The only way to know is to open the app and see. E-mail notifications were shut off a year ago. I check it when I want to, not when something shows up on my phone.

Facebook has been a battle. Just when I thought I had things off, the little red number kept showing up on app. I’ve been all through the app & Android settings and its still there. Finally I found a way — un-install. I’ll just load it up in the browser when I want to see it.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I know have a rouge notification running everyday from Google. I took the reminder off the note. Still did it. I un-installed Keep. Still did it. I reset Chrome. Still get it! I’ve deleted the note permanently. In an hour I’ll know if this has worked.

This got me thinking. What did I do before I had a computer in my pocket? There was a time I just had to look at my calendar and remember what I had to do and when. I also didn’t have the power to know what my extended family & friends were doing. How did I keep up with them? The answer is — I didn’t. I may call home once or twice a month. I may write a letter to distant friends every few months. For close friends — I had to go out and see them.

I don’t think going back to the way it was is the answer. I can’t make my friends do this. I also don’t want to. Its nice seeing pictures of my niece and nephews. I enjoy seeing what my brothers and my in-laws are up to. But I don’t need to see things everyday. Maybe once a week? Maybe a few times a month.

Most notifications are not urgent. Most aren’t even important. Its time to come up with a new way of using technology.