Digital life · 15 min
The notification clear-out
Fifteen minutes to turn off the alerts that do not need you, so the ones that matter can be heard.
Phones buzz and ping all day, and most of it is not urgent. Each interruption pulls attention away from what we were doing. A one-off clear-out of notifications can make the phone feel calmer without giving anything important up.
The steps
Four small steps,in your own time.
Open your phone's notification settings and look at the list of apps that can interrupt you.
Ask of each one: do I need to know about this the moment it happens? If not, turn its alerts off.
Keep alerts for people and things that matter: calls and messages from family, the care team, work if you must. Consider turning off sounds for everything else.
Use your phone's quiet or focus setting for evenings and nights, allowing only the people who might really need you.
The reason
Why it helps
Constant notifications keep the mind on alert and make it harder to concentrate or rest. Turning off the ones that do not matter means the important ones stand out. Most people find they do not miss the alerts they turned off, and feel a little lighter for it.
A gentle variation
If going through every app feels like too much, start with three: social media, shopping and news. These are often the noisiest and the least urgent.
WE · TRIBE
Try itwith someone.
Help an older relative do the same on their phone; many people are overwhelmed by alerts they do not know how to turn off. Make sure calls from family and their doctor still come through.
Try it today
Today, turn off notifications for three apps that do not need to interrupt you.
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