Disconnecting your phone

My cellphone has been is stealth mode for the past month. No more push notifications, auto fetching email or ringtones. I degraded my phone to a passive communication device. You can call me, but I likely won't answer. You can email me, but don't expect me to get back to you within 10 minutes.

I don't get called all day, but every phone call seemed to be badly timed. My phone gave a small buzz for every email it received and it drove me crazy. I'm back to working on my own terms, not on those of the people who are wishing to communicate with me.

The result? I'm more focussed when meeting people, take more time to respond to messages and get more things done in the same timeframe. I now check my email about three times a day and my phone whenever I feel like it, instead of continuously. And I'm loving it.

Inspired by Timothy Ferriss' 4-Hour Workweek and 37signals' REWORK.