My phone rarely lights up unless I reach for it. That is because I have switched most of my notifications off.
Julia Fox, in an interview for British Vogue, explained that she has all her notifications switched off on her phone. I saw this at the end of last year and decided to follow suit to aid the break I took from work. When January rolled around, I decided that I liked it, so I simply kept it.
My phone doesn’t chime or vibrate at all. It only lights up on the rare occasion I get called, WhatsApps from my nearest and dearest, and when my mum texts me. All social media is muted, and I only see emails when I refresh the app.
Controlling how my phone - and work life - reaches me has offered me more space to think. It doesn’t mean that I am unreachable, or even a recluse, it simply means that I have a more intentional relationship with the world that exists on my phone.
There is so much noise, that it pays to find ways to turn it down a little. By going off-grid in a style - whilst still being connected - I am more at ease in the relationship I have with my time and my intention. The pressure that self-employment exerts upon me still exists, but I am more intentional with how I enter the dialogue of work and the attention it asks of me.
It may not work for you, but it has certainly worked for me. I certainly recommend trying to go off-grid and switching to fewer or no notifications. Be intentional with how you are reached - and see how the ripples of this process affect you.
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