It’s acceptable to be naused off….but then you need to do something about it

There are a whole host of things that get us properly cheesed off, things that drive us mad about our day to day, about what’s going on in this country or indeed, the wider world. And that is completely understandable. Also understandable is the need to offload, to have a bit of a moan.

But when it comes to talking about grievances and frustrations, my stance is always the same. Essentially, I’m happy to spend as much time as you need talking through the problem, as long as we spend at least the same amount of time working on the solution. A situation that played out with a friend only recently.

When comms get in the way…of everything

When we met up, my friend was quick to tell me that he is now regularly contacted through fourteen different channels. Fourteen! I winced when he said it. How do you stay on top of that, let alone ever find a moment to switch off?

This kind of set up is not sustainable and is certainly not compatible with living a balanced life. But it is very relatable. Most of us have similar demands on our time and thanks to our phones, those demands are always there. There’s simply no getting away from them.

Today, we have more information coming at us than ever before – messages, notifications, updates from workflow platforms and emails, friends, family, news sites, social media, sports, health and retail apps. The list is endless. How many channels and subsequent notifications a day do you think you get? The reality is that for most people, there will now be hundreds of ‘pings’ every single day.

Understandably, my friend was not particularly happy about having so many ways for people (and apps) to get through to him. But rather than simply bemoaning this situation, he recognised the need for change.

So, what did we do?

We talked it through. First, we clearly defined the problem, then we worked out the solution, one that allowed him to do what he needed to do but without the constant onslaught of notifications.

Weeks later, he got back in touch to say the approach had helped him not just personally, but professionally too. We had taken the time to talk about the frustration but then spent just as much time working on improvements.

The impact was simple – less time moaning, more time moving. It’s always better to be a radiator than a drain.