Device Discipline: The War Against Notifications [E039] - Speak Up! Effective Communication

About this episode

Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-BoundWatch Full Video EpisodeTodays Show Post -  Our notes today will be in a different format, written by our host.Welcome to another episode of Speak Up - Effective communication.Your place for focusing on elevating our communication skills in the auto repair industry - I’m your host Craig O’Neill…. I want you to ask yourself a question today - each time you receive a notification on one of your devices:Do I need this?Do I need to do something about this RIGHT NOW?This has been my question for any number of the alerts that pop onto my screens on a daily basis. - - As I’ve been at war with distractions in my life.  Loyal listeners have become familiar with my growing concern on the topic and I feel that I’ve begun to find some more balance slowly as of late and will share whats working for me.Of note - I’ve been reading a book titled, “Stolen Focus - Why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again” by Johann Hari.This read was a referral from Carm Capriotto - and it’s worth your attention.In our episode today, I have some thoughts on the topic of notifications - and hope to get you thinking differently on what YOU are allowing devices to compromise YOUR focus!Our Word of the Day:Frenetic: fre·net·icadjectivefast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.Listen to this excerpt from the book, Stolen Focus - the author, Johann Hari, writes about a conversation with a friend who was getting notifications for things he didn’t want… and I’ll quote: “... All this frenetic digital interruption is “pulling our attention away from our thoughts,” and I think we’re almost in this constant stimulus-driven, stimulus bound environment, moving from one distraction to the next.”  If you don’t remove yourself from that, it will "suppress whatever train of thought you had.”  That is a quote from Stolen Focus - Why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again.”The consequences of distractions are real - not just from tasks - but from our creative thoughts and even healthy mindwandering. Hari mentions in his book that “a distraction such as looking at an image from a friend pulls the average person away for up to 20 mins!  Not just one!  And if you look around, you’ll recognize that the distractions are EVERYwhere - and we now have this habitual tendency to scan for them, in our own pockets, and on our own wrists!  Look around you now - how many people do you see distracted by devices?Before you blame yourself or feel bad about this - let me state - our technological world has been engineered this way in a deliberate attempt to get more engagement from us.  I will say - while I, like all modern humans, struggle with distractions, I have come to develop a few VERY simple and reasonable disciplines regarding notifications.I feel sometimes a little old-fashioned on this… but as I discussed recently in episode 35 with Darren Mclea, I feel like I came of age with technology enough to appreciate a slower pace of information than what has been engineered around us now.Here we go.  My thoughts for LESS distractions - and being MORE present (be it with your own thoughts - or for the people you are with)1.)  Silence your device - I don’t care what tech eco-system you favor - noisy notifications are not just a distraction for you - they are distracting for others.  2.)  Don’t keep your devices in your pocket at home or work.  3.)  Disable notifications from all non-essential applications - (or uninstall all non essential applications)4.)  No social media notifications.  This doesn’t mean no social media (but more on that another time).  You can check it as you want when you want.  5.)  Silence that group chat thread…   you know the one.  Texting and group texting… really does function like social media.  Check at intervals.6.)   Smart Watches.  Don’t.  This is my opinion but it’s a strong one.  I think one of three things when I see you look at a smart watch while in conversation: 1.)  You have no time for this.  2.)  You have something more important to do.  Or 3.)  This interaction is causing a blood pressure spike.7.)  Organize your emails - filter or unsubscribe from ALL non essential emails.8.)  Email Away Messages are OK!  (There are conflicting schools of thought on this.)9.)  Set Expectations for availability with colleagues and loved ones.10.)  Replace the activity with something else - just turning off things on one device will often lead elsewhere.Thank You To Our Partners The Institute, AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound:The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com.  "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.comAutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software! Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings. In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound. Contact InformationEmail Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.netJoin Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmastersThe Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching. https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/