Break the Shackles of Badge Oppression
This is my games folder. It goes on a bit. This is my work iPad. I don’t see a problem with having a games folder on my work iPad. Of course, I’m an adult rather than a teenager with all of the impulse control of Winnie the Pooh at the Barnes Honey factory.
But games in themselves aren’t the problem. Time management is the problem. There have been times, dark times, when I was ruled by the little red badge on the games icon. Or on the Facebook icon. The little red badge and the drop down notification bar were my masters and I pandered to their every will. ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY RED BADGE!
I’m better now.
We are humans. We are not ruled by the robots. That is still coming. For now, we are the ones that should be in charge of the little “smart” phones and other devices we own, not the other way around. To that end, I say:
Take charge! Invade their homes, find the evil time-suckers and kill them and their smug little red, round, everlasting requests for attention.
No, I don’t mean your kids. I mean that there are very few apps on your device that have a legitimate claim to your immediate attention. The rest can wait until you choose to open them and have a look.
Do this, if you are in possession of an iDevice:
- Go to Settings. Click on Notifications
- Choose a particularly annoying app.
- Strip it of all of its power.
Honestly, on your iPad, you might need to know when someone has sent you a Mail. You possibly have a valid reason for knowing that someone has sent you an iMessage. Beyond that, the iPad needs to get its grubby mitts off your life.
It’s time. Time to take back your life. Throw off the red circles of iPad oppression! Break the bars of Banners. Tell Homer Simpson and the Smurfs to get back in their boxes. You’ll get to them when you’re good and ready.
Your homework: go through your apps list in the Notification Center. Decide, with all seriousness, how many of these apps need notifications. And turn as many of them off as you possibly can.
Enjoy your newfound free time.
Finding Damo 