The notification lit up again. You didn’t mean to open anything, and now your finger has unlocked the phone and 20 minutes are gone.

Maybe just turn every notification off — if you’ve thought that, here’s a study to see first.

Is turning them all off the right answer?

There’s a report that a full blackout is actually a poor bet.

In a study of 237 people (Fitz 2019, single study), three ways of receiving notifications were compared: (1) as usual, (2) batched at set times three times a day, (3) fully blocked.

The best result came from the “batch three times a day” group. The fully-blocked group, meanwhile, showed worse anxiety and FoMO. Zero notifications doesn’t quiet the mind — it seems to raise the number of times you go check the phone yourself, wondering if something came in.

Why is “batching” the right amount?

It cuts the interruptions while keeping the reassurance of knowing when things arrive.

The problem with notifications is timing more than content. Because you don’t know when they’ll sound, focus fragments, and even silence makes you uneasy. But if they’re set to arrive at noon, evening, and night, there’s no reason to check at other times. Not a blackout — predictable. That’s the design idea behind batching.

Is it safe to delay messages from people too?

Keep messages from people as they are.

In practice, split notifications into two kinds. Messages and calls from family, friends, and work stay instant. Only the app “alerts” — recommended videos, sales, “so-and-so posted” — go into the batch.

On iPhone, Settings → Notifications → Scheduled Summary batches the apps you pick at times you choose. Android varies by model, but you can organize the same way from each app’s notification settings. You can cut the interruptions without sacrificing your relationships, can’t you?

Tonight’s step: batch just one

  1. Think of the single loudest app (it’s a social or video app).
  2. On iPhone, open Settings → Notifications → Scheduled Summary and add just that app (about 2 minutes).
  3. Don’t touch messages, calls, or anything from people.

You don’t have to organize everything. Turn one loud notification into a “notification that arrives at a set time.” That alone visibly cuts tonight’s interruptions.