You are sitting at your desk when you hear that notification sound from your mobile.

You are working on something, you are trying to concentrate and get things done, but you cannot resist.

You reach your smartphone because you feel like you have to check what that notification was. Done. You are lost.

A few years ago companies were competing to have space on your smartphone real estate. They wanted you to have their application on your screen, possibly the home screen.

Then the competition moved, they wanted your attention. They wanted you to use their application.

Nowadays there is another form of competition. They want your attention and the easiest way to get your attention is using notifications.

Everyone is now competing on notifications.

They even moved the notification to your wrist to make sure you are not missing a single one.

Somehow it’s a new form of digital slavery. It reminds me the Blackberry blinking led that was like a “Siren” luring a sailor while sailing dangerous seas.

I confess: I want to be free. I want to decide where my attention goes.

I have hence disabled all notifications on my mobile phone, and I have disabled push e-mail.

Give it a try, it works.

P.S. As a caveat I must add that only my wife, and my babysitter can go through my mobile phone through notifications.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.