Turning off all social media notifications brought peace to my mind

A while ago, I turned off all social media notifications on my smartphone. Now, almost nothing rings except for LINE.

At first, I was a little anxious. I thought things like, "What if I miss important information?" or "Would it be rude if I'm late to notice comments or likes?"

But once I actually did it, there were almost no problems at all.

■ Notifications were stealing my time in small increments

Every time a notification rings, I look at my phone. Then I go back to work. Then it rings again.

Even if it's just for a few seconds, my concentration is broken every single time.

Before I knew it, I felt like I was being summoned by my phone all day long.

■ Specifically, what I turned off

Here is what I turned off:

• All notifications for social media apps like Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok, and note

• Notifications for news apps are also off

• Message notifications from official LINE accounts are also off

• For email, notifications are off for everyone except for a very limited number of VIP contacts

The only things I left on were LINE and phone calls.
I make sure I can receive messages from my family and school in real time.

By the way, when a sales call comes in, I tell them "I'm not interested" and end it immediately.
Then I set it to block incoming calls (lol).
It's a method of politely declining noise that tries to interrupt me right at the entrance.

■ It was enough to check them when I wanted to

By turning off notifications, I became able to decide for myself when to check social media.

In the morning, after I finish writing on note. After I eat lunch. At night, while relaxing on the sofa.

It was enough to just open them when I thought, "I'll look now."

From a life of being summoned by my phone, to a life of opening my phone on my own terms.

It is only a small difference, but my feelings have changed quite a bit.

■ Increased mental space

Just because notifications have decreased does not mean that my free time has suddenly increased by several hours.

However, the feeling of being constantly rushed by something has disappeared.

Instead, I have more time to read books, zone out, talk with my daughter, or think of ideas for my notes.

Those kinds of "nothing special moments" have increased.

■ Information hasn't decreased, only the noise has

It is strange, but even with notifications turned off, the necessary information still reaches me properly.

Conversely, the things I "didn't need to know right away" have decreased.

It feels less like I reduced information and more like I reduced noise.

■ I will confess honestly: I used to check every single "Like" notification

Actually, when I first started using note, I was the complete opposite.

I used to check every single one of the notification emails for likes and follows.

After all, I was truly grateful for anyone who "liked" my articles.
Out of gratitude, I would go and read every single article written by those who gave me a like.

But as my followers increased, that became the cause of my staying up late...
Before I knew it, my sleep debt had piled up, and I ended up getting sick the other day.

Now, I have stopped being chased by notification emails, and instead, I have adopted a style of glancing through the timeline and slowly reading the articles that catch my eye at that moment.

I feel sorry that I cannot read everyone's articles.
However, my feelings of gratitude have not changed at all.
I want to continue supporting those who follow me or send me messages as best as I can in my own way.

Gratitude and being swayed by notifications are two different things.
After getting sick, I was finally able to think that way.

■ It is not that I have come to dislike SNS

I did not turn off notifications because I came to dislike SNS.

Because I wanted to start spending my time on the things that matter most, in order of priority.

Time to write notes. Time to talk with my family. Time to do nothing at all.

I wanted to choose how to spend that time myself, rather than letting my smartphone decide.

■ Conclusion

Lately, I find myself thinking more about "what to reduce" rather than "what to increase."

Whether it's possessions, money, social interactions, or information.

Just by turning off notifications, the time I spend being pushed around by my smartphone has decreased, and I feel like I've reclaimed my own time.

Instead of accepting every convenient thing, I choose a distance that feels comfortable for me.

Now that I'm in my 50s, this way of living feels just right.

If you are feeling tired from receiving too many notifications, why not try turning off just one for now?

You might be surprised at how much quieter your mind feels just from that.😊

Thank you for always coming to visit.
I appreciate your likes, comments, and follows.♪