You don’t have to put on the red light.
– Sting
If you have ever used a Blackberry or some other smart phones, you know that the blinking red light tells you that you have a new e-mail It seems harmless enough.
But I know people who allow that little red light rule their lives. Each time it begins blinking they are compelled to check their new messages. When the light isn’t blinking they begin to feel unwanted, unimportant or out of the loop.
You don’t have to have a smart phone to become a victim of this sickness. Our lives are full of programmed, automatic interruptions. For example the pronouncement that says “you’ve got mail.”
These well meaning reminders are akin to Chinese water torture; a constant interruption that steals your precious attention. They elevate what should be a routine task (opening the mail) to the level of a fire alarm.
Take a few minutes this week to turn off your red lights and take back your attention.
Wednesday I’ll show you how to disable auto reminders on several popular devices and software packages.
– Bob