Mar 16
No Phone Ringing. No Notifications. Life without Interruptions
Sure, as a freelancer, you know, I am constantly facing money problems. On the plus side, my clients, never call me on my mobile phone, and I never have to turn on notifications on my iPhone, iPad and any of the dozen electronic devices I have to use.
I look back to 2008, my first job. I have, of course, written about it, so many times. Although, I am in technology, I don’t enjoy notifications. I hate it you know. I just really, really hate interrupting other people, and other people interrupting me.
So, yes, the first job. My boss, was kindly. He was always very nice to me. He would occasionally drop to my home. Take me for coffee and dinner. Advise me on my career. He was cool. I have written many times that, majority of bosses are super cool with me.
Still though, he was a boss. He had the usual boss behavior.
Apparently, there was an unwritten rule that I must be available on call, day and night, including weekends. Including when I was sick. Almost 15 years later, I still remember, him trying to make me work when I am coughing and breathing like a dying dog.
He won’t let me rest. He simply won’t.
At first, I thought, it was just him being that way. Four years later, and god knows, how many more bosses, turns out, all bosses are like that. It’s just the way world works brother. Along with many other motivations, this was one more motivation for me to get out of the office life.
One of the reasons I became a Sofware guy, instead of a doctor, because I did not wish to be on call.
Starting in 2012, I just decided to get away from this world of being ‘on call’. But, lo behold! Smartphones and their endless, infinite notifications!!! You escape the wolf, but land in a tiger’s jaw. Whoa!
I was like, if the phone calls were interruptions, notifications are like the same thing, but on steroids.
So, I took a major lifestyle decision. I am going to keep my phone in my permanent ‘do not disturb’ mode. People who are part of my life, clients, women I am involved with romantically or sexually, and close family members and friends…I started educating about the preferred way to contact me.
I impressed upon them, about my need to be, not, disturbed. This is challenging. For unknown reasons, the society is okay with being interrupted every 10 seconds. I don’t know. I don’t understand. I don’t get it.
But, it does not work for me. I decided to go all in on email. Yeah, basic email. Majority of my work happens with emails and “delayed communication” using business chat software. Emails and Business Chat. Yeah. I somehow figured it out. I like it this way.
There you go. That’s 10 years plus of a life without phone ringing, and without any notifications.
I work as a full-time freelance coding tutor. Hire me at UpWork or Fiverr or Stack Overflow or GitHub. see my personal website. see my photography art hobby at Behance and Unsplash and ArtStation. Also, podcast about life. podcast about movies. and Twitch. and YouTube Channel. If you are a student, join my discord server.
