The same distractions that exist for a student in class also exist for adults in the office. It begs the question of whether you should think about ditching your Apple Watch there as well. — Photo by Corinne Kutz on Unsplash
If you were a middle or high school teacher, the last thing you would want is one more thing to have to fight with for your student’s attention. That’s why most US schools don’t allow students to use their iPhones in class. It’s just too distracting.
That's not just true for students, by the way. If you're trying to build a business, or just get work done, you don't need anything that could distract you. The same goes the people who work with you – keeping your team engaged can be a challenge.
Of course, one thing that is universally true about teenagers is that if you make a rule that they can't be on their iPhones, they'll just find another way to do basically the same things anyway. Instead of passing notes in class, today they just text their friends from their Apple Watches.
So, as you can probably imagine, some schools have also started banning Apple Watches. Apple has tried to help solve the problem with a "School Time" mode that limits the functionality of the watch during certain times. It's fine except that, again, teenagers will find a way.
I'm reminded of the scene in Jurassic Park where the scientists try to explain that they have bred all of the dinosaurs to be female so they cannot reproduce on their own. Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, isn't having it:
“The kind of control you're attempting, it's not possible. If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territories, and it crashes through barriers – painfully, maybe even dangerously. Life, uh, finds a way.”
Just substitute "15-year-old high school student" everywhere you read the word "life" and you understand the daily struggle of every sophomore English teacher.
Of course, if you think about it, the same distractions that exist for a student in class also exist for adults in the office. It begs the question of whether you should think about ditching your Apple Watch there as well.
You can certainly make the case for leaving your watch at home. If the thing you really need to do is focus, any extra technology could be a problem.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch is a powerful tool for helping you stay connected, without the distractions of a phone. If you find that your watch is constantly interrupting you, there are things you can do before you leave it on the dresser at home.
Look, I'm a huge fan of the Apple Watch. I wear mine every day. One of the things I love is that it helps me use my iPhone less. Most of the time, when I get a notification, it's some piece of information that doesn't require me to respond. Even if it is, say, a text message, I can respond directly from my watch.
That means I don't get nearly as distracted as if I pick up my iPhone, where there's always something else to distract me and steal away my attention. A text message turns into a quick look at unread email messages, which turns into a look at my to-do list and calendar, and the next thing I know, an hour has gone by and I'm binge-watching YouTube videos.
One of the simplest reasons is that the Apple Watch is a terrible device for, say, browsing the internet. Technically, you can. If you tap a link in an email, it will open in a small browser, and you can then navigate. There's just nowhere to type in a URL for another website.
If you do find yourself distracted by your Apple Watch, or if it's becoming a problem for someone on your team, the good news is it's relatively easy to control notifications on your watch. I highly recommend turning off notifications for almost everything. I only have it set to notify me when I get a text message from certain people (my wife and kids, basically), as well as from a few other apps. Importantly, I don't get notifications from email or Slack on my watch.
Even if you decide to allow more notifications, you can use Apple's relatively new Focus feature to limit distractions when you need to, well, focus. You can choose to only allow notifications from specific people or apps, and you can create a different Focus for, say, Work, Meetings, or even Vacation.
The bottom line is that the Apple Watch is an incredibly useful tool. When you understand how to set it up, it can help you stay connected and be productive, without the distractions. – Inc./Tribune News Service
