A few weeks ago I did something I didn't think I would like: I turned the sound off on my phone. I started getting a lot of irritating messages and found it easier to just turn the sound off completely than to filter which apps or contacts created a sound on the phone. I have to admit that I don't miss all the dings and buzzes coming from the device. I don't plan to turn the sound on anytime soon.
Now you may think I am crazy for silencing my phone but it isn't completely quiet. It is connected to my Suunto watch which beeps quietly every time my smartphone receives an announcement. I can quickly look at my watch to see if it is a call, text message, or annoying Uber advertisement. The beep on the watch is accompanied by a short vibration and I never miss one of these announcements. More importantly those around me can barely hear it, if at all.
Yesterday my parents stopped by my house and I made sure to show them a home improvement project my wife and I have almost completed. Mid-sentence my Dad's phone started playing an old rock-and-roll song loudly. It really disturbed the whole mood of the moment. My sister called and wanted to coordinate meeting up with my parents and so the call turned out to be important. That doesn't mean it wasn't annoying. I much prefer the quiet beep on my watch where I could have looked at the caller and politely excused myself before answering.
There are a lot of rude smartphone behaviors that people exhibit in public. Silencing my phone is just one way to keep from offending those around me. Besides it is helping with my own sanity and I am a lot less stressed.
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