9 ms·

Couldn't you solve this problem by simply turning off your cellphone? Or using Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode?

by dankoss 13y ago

hnriot 13y ago
Of course, the whole post is pointless and borderline luddite. I don't get calls every ten minutes, and don't play Ruzzle at dinner. Getting rid of his cell phone sounds like a substitute for not having any common sense or self control.
- nbrogi 13y ago
  Yeah, that's just my personal experience. Being a web developer, I used to get a lot of calls from clients, so much that it got to be hard to work for me.
  - 5555624 13y ago
    That's the problem -- you use it for work. Get a phone and only give the number to close friends, if that. For clients, you coud use a Google Voice number which is not forwarded directly and just sends you e-mail alerts.
    - XorNot 13y ago
      This is the correct answer. You're running a business - enforce business hours on your business contact number.
    - nbrogi 13y ago
      Does it work in Europe/Italy? I remember looking into that and I'd have killed to get it, but it was only available in the U.S...
  - brador 13y ago
    When an emergency does happen you're gonna wish you had one. Car accident, wife going into labor, you'll need it. Other option is to keep two phones, one personal, one private.
nbrogi 13y ago
I tried :-) But then people started saying that I was either not reachable or I ignored them. I didn't get rid of my cell phone on purpose, just used the fact that it broke to not get another one, and it just works great for me.
- dankoss 13y ago
  Hmm. I would think there's a way of setting reasonable expectations for return calls. I would think a client that requires a same-day response ought to be paying a lot of money for that privilege. Returning family calls, on the other hand...
  - so_says 13y ago
    I absolutely agree, setting expectations is key. But I can also see the point of needing the extra push to modify your own behavior. I don't have a TV. It died and I didn't get a new one. I have found new ways to watch TV, but now I cannot idle away hours in front of HGTV. It sounds ridiculous, but the few mouse clicks it takes to watch a program versus the single click of a button is all it took to create a difference between mindless and mindful behavior.
  - nbrogi 13y ago
    I really believe it's also cultural. I'm in Italy, and it wasn't just family and work, but all kind of random people... People don't like to use email, here, so they call you for anything (like your bank, landlord, whatever). Also, then don't trust email: the thing that annoyed me the most was that the rare times they chose email, they would also call me to let me know they had sent me an email, to make sure I'd read it... Go figure.
- oftenwrong 13y ago
  Without a cell phone you are still unreachable, so how exactly is this solving that issue? The real problem here is that the people contacting you do not respect your desire to not be on-call 24/7. In my opinion, this lack of respect is good enough reason to not feel bad about ignoring them. Put your phone on mute and stop letting inconsiderate people push you around. Or just continue not having a phone because that works too.

Couldn't you solve this problem by simply turning off your cellphone? Or using Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode?

by dankoss 13y ago

Couldn't you solve this problem by simply turning off your cellphone? Or using Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode?

Of course, the whole post is pointless and borderline luddite. I don't get calls every ten minutes, and don't play Ruzzle at dinner. Getting rid of his cell phone sounds like a substitute for not having any common sense or self control.

nbrogi 13y ago
Yeah, that's just my personal experience. Being a web developer, I used to get a lot of calls from clients, so much that it got to be hard to work for me.
- 5555624 13y ago
  That's the problem -- you use it for work. Get a phone and only give the number to close friends, if that. For clients, you coud use a Google Voice number which is not forwarded directly and just sends you e-mail alerts.
  - XorNot 13y ago
    This is the correct answer. You're running a business - enforce business hours on your business contact number.
  - nbrogi 13y ago
    Does it work in Europe/Italy? I remember looking into that and I'd have killed to get it, but it was only available in the U.S...
- brador 13y ago
  When an emergency does happen you're gonna wish you had one. Car accident, wife going into labor, you'll need it. Other option is to keep two phones, one personal, one private.

nbrogi 13y ago

I tried :-) But then people started saying that I was either not reachable or I ignored them. I didn't get rid of my cell phone on purpose, just used the fact that it broke to not get another one, and it just works great for me.

dankoss 13y ago
Hmm. I would think there's a way of setting reasonable expectations for return calls. I would think a client that requires a same-day response ought to be paying a lot of money for that privilege. Returning family calls, on the other hand...
- so_says 13y ago
  I absolutely agree, setting expectations is key. But I can also see the point of needing the extra push to modify your own behavior. I don't have a TV. It died and I didn't get a new one. I have found new ways to watch TV, but now I cannot idle away hours in front of HGTV. It sounds ridiculous, but the few mouse clicks it takes to watch a program versus the single click of a button is all it took to create a difference between mindless and mindful behavior.
- nbrogi 13y ago
  I really believe it's also cultural. I'm in Italy, and it wasn't just family and work, but all kind of random people... People don't like to use email, here, so they call you for anything (like your bank, landlord, whatever). Also, then don't trust email: the thing that annoyed me the most was that the rare times they chose email, they would also call me to let me know they had sent me an email, to make sure I'd read it... Go figure.
oftenwrong 13y ago
Without a cell phone you are still unreachable, so how exactly is this solving that issue? The real problem here is that the people contacting you do not respect your desire to not be on-call 24/7. In my opinion, this lack of respect is good enough reason to not feel bad about ignoring them. Put your phone on mute and stop letting inconsiderate people push you around. Or just continue not having a phone because that works too.