S06E029, Notifications Aren't Always Helpful, Andy B 2 Minute Video

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In this Andy B 2 Minute Video, Andy B explores the pros and cons of notifications. From alarms for medication to check engine lights, some notifications are essential. But constant pings from social media, or devices, can become distractions - pulling us away from what matters.

The key is discernment: pay attention to critical alerts, but don’t let unnecessary notifications control your life! Sometimes, the best approach is to turn them off and stay focused on what’s truly important.

Just a thought...

Andy B

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Andy B, two minute video. Are notifications helpful or not? When I'm doing lots of Zoom interviews, I try and turn off my phone, make sure that's on silent. I try and turn off things on my computer that might ping up with a little notification because it's distracting. And I want to focus and concentrate on the person I'm talking to in an interview.

It's important. Notifications are great. I used notifications when I had to take medication at a very, very specific time. I had an alarm on my phone. It went off every 12 hours. I could take the pill that I needed to take and I needed to take it very, very specifically. It was a great notification on my phone with that alarm.

When I stopped taking those pills, I turned off the notifications. I turned off the alarm. I don't need to take them anymore. I don't need to be reminded to not do something. Notifications can be brilliant and they can be really unhelpful too. Got a little check engine light on your dashboard. It's worth paying attention to that notification because you don't necessarily know what that means.

It could be nothing. It could mean something really important. But either way, that notification should be listened to. Here's another notification on a traffic light here in the UK. When it's red on the traffic light, that is a notification to stop and not cross the line. Notifications can be very, very helpful, and they can also be incredibly distracting.

I've got all sorts of social media accounts we have for the BerryBunch or Pure Media family, Pure Radio, my own personal ones, my Andy B ones, and they're managed by a team of people. But if we're not careful, those notifications can get into our lives. So what do we do? We turn them all off, actually, is what we do.

And if we want to go on and find out if someone wants to say something, we'll go and take a look. Why? Because if we responded to every notification, all I'd ever do is live on social media, and I don't want to do that, thanks. Notifications can be really helpful. Brushing your teeth, blood in your mouth, probably need to get that checked out.

Maybe you've got a sore gum, a bit of a cut, maybe you brush too hard, maybe you need to floss, I don't know. It's a notification. It's a good notification, actually. Walking on your shoes, you've got a pain in your foot, when you move. It's a notification by your body that there's something wrong in your shoe, quite possibly.

You've got a stone in there. Take your shoe off. Get the stone out. Notification will be reset. And off it goes. We need to clear important notifications, appropriately and righteously. But sometimes, especially on computers in this age, my advice is simple. Turn off the notifications. Don't wait for someone to get hold of you.

Or I'll wait for the notification. If you need to get hold of them, get hold of them. Make a phone call, send an email, grab a text message. Notifications can be great, but sometimes it's better to turn them off. Just a thought.