Yes indeed – that is the challenge I have for my subscribers and readers – to turn off their ‘ping!’ for one full day – and if possible, come back to The Dedicated Photographer to comment about your experience.

I did this a while ago with the email alert (I have an iPhone) and it is seriously one of the best changes I have made for a number of reasons.

• First – it doesn’t distract me constantly when I am focusing on a task I am working on. Thus, I increase my chances of being more productive.
• Second – it doesn’t take me away (in my mind at least) when I am in conversation with another person. I think we can all attest to the visceral reaction our bodies naturally do when we hear that ‘ping!’. Even if talking to someone else, we are wondering “hmm, I wonder who that message is from…”. This does a disservice to the people we are interacting with throughout our day and has unfortunately become the norm in our busy lives.

Now I’m not a major texter – so I don’t turn that feature off – but I would recommend doing so as well if you are finding yourself constantly distracted by your text alerts. Perhaps you can decide to check your email/texts once per hour (or better yet – once every two) – or after you’ve completed an important task. Let’s face it – if it is important enough – people can call you if need be.

So, my BOTTOM LINE call to you…

• Make a commitment to turn off your alerts for one full day (I know you can do it!)
• Decide on the time-frame ahead of time in which you will check messages (e.g. every hour)
  
• No matter what (even after the challenge) – turn your alerts off when you are out with friends and planning on focused conversation

And hey – if you liked this article – please do me a big favor by passing it on via Facebook or Twitter below and get your friends to take the challenge! Lastly, if you’re new to this blog and would LOVE to receive more wickedly awesome articles and information, please subscribe in the right sidebar. Thanks so much for coming by!

Technorati Tags: blackberry, iphone, Photographers, productivity, smartphone

Tags: blackberry, iphone, Photographers, productivity, smartphone

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