My iPhone and I have an “it’s complicated” relationship.
We love each other, but we rarely agree—especially about notifications. It’s feast or famine: Either I get alerts about everything or nothing at all. I prefer the latter, but it isn’t exactly bliss to “wake up” to dozens of voicemails and hundreds of emails when my Focus timer fails me yet again.
With the world seemingly on fire 24/7/365, I’m doing my best to spend my “fuck budget” wisely. If I let my iPhone call the shots, though, I’d be out of fucks before breakfast.
Once upon a time, I had a job where my mornings usually involved digging out of an inbox avalanche. I regularly had over a thousand emails waiting for me when I turned on my computer. Most demanded a reply. But since I don’t respond well to demands, most got scanned and archived. If it was really important, someone would call. I just didn’t have the bandwidth—or the fucks—for that daily avalanche.
Here’s the punchline: even though I was ignoring all the banners, beeps, pings, and pop-ups, I was still getting most of my work done. In fact, I was at least as effective—and maybe more so—as my colleague who dutifully read every message like he was studying for a pop quiz. Even our shitty manager said so.
Needless to say, I didn’t last long in that job. But I’ve had plenty of roles where waking up to 100+ emails overnight wasn’t unusual. I just can’t process or respond to that much information. My brain tends to shut down, so I tune out most of the noise before things get too bad. It still stresses me out sometimes, but if I can’t change the volume, I can at least change how much attention I give it.
Anyone else have strategies that work for them?
In this so-called “attention economy,” I can quickly run out of the only currency that matters: my attention. With all the apps on my iPhone vying for my attention, I’ve had to start paying most of their notifications no mind. Or turn them off completely.
SHUT DOWN THE NOISE, SHUT DOWN THE FUNK
The good news? We don’t have to toss our phones into the toilet to reclaim our time (and attention). Both iOS and Android have decent tools to tame notifications—if you know where to look:
iOS (iPhone + iPad)
Open Settings → Notifications. Tap an app to choose whether it can show banners, sounds, or badges.
Need a total break? Swipe down from the top-right to open Control Center and tap the crescent moon icon to turn on Focus/Do Not Disturb. You can schedule Focus modes for work hours, bedtime, or anything in between.
ANDROID (Mobile + Tablet)
Go to Settings → Apps & notifications → Notifications (sometimes just Settings → Notifications). Toggle alerts app by app or change how they appear.
Long-press any notification in your pull-down shade. A small gear or “turn off” option appears—tap it to silence that app’s future alerts instantly.
Use Do Not Disturb (often under Settings → Sound & vibration). You can allow calls or texts from select contacts so you don’t miss true emergencies.
EXTRA TIPS
Delete apps you barely use. No app, no alert.
Turn off sounds and vibrations first. Visual banners are easier to ignore than audible interruptions.
Group high-volume apps into a folder on a back screen. Out of sight, out of mind.
Even a few of these tweaks will help make your phone feel like a tool again instead of like a boss. Your attention stops leaking out one ping at a time, and you get to decide when—and whether—to check what’s new.
In a world where tech cries wolf all day long, ignoring isn’t just bliss. It’s survival.
Keep calm and “do not disturb” on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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ON THIS DAY = SEPTEMBER 27
BIRTHDAYS
1389 = Cosimo de’ Medici = Italian banker and politician
1840 = Thomas Nast = German-American cartoonist
1885 = Harry Blackstone, Sr. = American magician
1904 = Alice Rahon = French-Mexican artist 🌈
1917 = Carl Ballantine = American magician and actor
1920 = William Conrad = American actor, director, and producer
1922 = Arthur Penn = American director and producer
1936 = Don Cornelius = American tv host and producer
1947 = Denis Lawson = Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter
1947 = Meat Loaf = American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
1963 = Marc Maron = American comedian, actor, and podcaster
1974 = Carrie Brownstein = American musician, writer, and actor 🌈
2002 = Jenna Ortega = American actor
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1822 = Jean-François Champollion informs the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres in France that he has deciphered the Rosetta Stone.
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1912 = W. C. Handy self-publishes “The Memphis Blues,” considered to be the first blues song.
1938 = The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth is launched in Glasgow.
1954 = The Tonight Show, co-created and hosted by Steve Allen, premieres on NBC.
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PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
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Meat Loaf
This is great advice my friend! One that I need to learn!
Words of wisdom.