Closely linked with meetings is messaging. We have to constantly interact with others. It is not always possible or even necessary to meet them in person or call. That’s where the messaging apps come in.
There are three messaging apps in my life: email, WhatsApp and Slack (recently switched from Flock). Maybe because I am an older person, email is much more central to my life than the other two. I check email multiple times a day (Thunderbird on desktop, and the native apps on the mobile and iPad); I do try to reply to most messages within a day or two. In my email inbox, I use a few folders to organise messages. I don’t use a lot of them because the search function tends to work quite well, and every additional folder means additional bandwidth to be used to decide when the message has to be moved. I like the inbox to be as clean as possible. A zero inbox is a rarity – I normally get to that state only when I am going on vacation. But that’s a momentary high because very soon the new emails arrive in the inbox!
I resisted WhatsApp and Flock for a long time but eventually had to give in a few years ago. My colleagues at work found it hard to send me an SMS or an email of something that was being discussed in a WhatsApp or Flock group. The one advantage I have is that I have very few people directly reporting to me. I also ask them to make decisions on their own as far as possible. So the inflow of messages that need immediate action are limited.
I try to avoid checking messages when I am in a meeting. There is nothing so urgent that it cannot wait for a few more minutes. It is also extremely disrespectful to the other persons in the meeting when one is on the mobile; it is the clearest indication that one has “switched off”. There are perhaps only 3-4 people in the world whose call needs to be answered right away. For me, they are my immediate family and Kalpit (Netcore’s CEO). Everyone else can wait.
I have muted notifications for most individuals and groups, and there are no sound alerts when new messages come in. My approach, like dealing with incoming calls, is to control when I see and reply, rather than being in a continuous reactive mode. Also at times, the impulsive answer can land one into unnecessary trouble. Wrong words spoken or messaged cannot easily be taken back.
It is very important to ensure that our lives are not run by our messaging apps. We need contiguous time to think, read and write. Every interruption brought about by a message requires a context switch, so it is best to control when we see them rather than letting them run our life.
PS: Among other apps, there is a game I play for a few minutes daily (prodded by my son, Abhishek) is “Clash of Clans.” I think everyone should have a game where they can create a mini-world and play for years. There’s a lot to learn from games – how they use micro-incentives to create long-lasting habits. (I have been playing CoC for nearly 7 years. The only rule Abhishek and I have is that we will not spend any money in the game.)
