Notifications: The Hidden Productivity Killer You Can Fix Today
Take a look at the above display. It’s from the dash of a car belonging to one of my friends. When I jumped in last week, I couldn’t help but notice all the little icons glowing across the screen.
“Wow,” I said. “What an incredibly busy day you’ve had.”
My friend laughed. “Oh, I don’t check my notifications. I just ignore them.”
“You ignore them?” I asked. “How do you manage that?”
“Well, I just go in and see what’s new every now and then.”
“Don’t you delete them when you’re done?”
“Nope. I just leave them there.”
(And yes—they manage their email the same way.) 📩
Now, I’ll admit, I’ve given notifications a hard time before. But the truth is, notifications aren’t the enemy. When used wisely, they can actually help us stay focused and aware of what’s most important in the moment. The real problem isn’t too many notifications—it’s unmanaged notifications.
Let’s look at how to fix that.
🔔 Not All Notifications Are Created Equal
We all live in a digital hive buzzing with notifications. Every ping, buzz, or banner is like a little bee trying to get our attention. Some are vital to the hive’s survival; others are just noise.
Here are a few types we all face daily:
Urgent + Actionable: Texts from family, reminders for meetings, or direct messages from coworkers. These deserve your attention quickly.
Important but Non-Urgent: Emails, calendar invites, or updates from platforms like LinkedIn or Teams. You should see them—but not instantly.
Noise + Distractions: Social media likes, app promotions, or “Your friend just posted!” alerts. These rarely move you closer to your goals and often pull you away.
Bees don’t chase every flower—they focus on the ones with real nectar. The same can apply for you.
⚙️ How to Customize Notifications to Work for You
If your devices are controlling your attention, it’s time to flip the script. Here’s how to make notifications serve you instead of sabotage you:
On your phone:
Use Focus Mode (iPhone) or Do Not Disturb / Priority Mode (Android) to allow only certain people or apps to break through.
Create custom “work,” “family,” or “personal” profiles to keep the right alerts at the right time.
In your email:
Set up filters or VIP lists so messages from key people stand out.
Use tools like Outlook’s Focused Inbox or Gmail’s Priority Inbox to automatically sort messages by importance.
On social media:
Turn off notifications for likes, comments, and random app updates.
Keep alerts only for direct messages or event reminders.
Apps to explore:
Freedom or OneSec can mute or delay notifications from distracting apps.
Digital Wellbeing (Android) and Screen Time (iPhone) show where your attention is really going and help you manage it better.
The goal isn’t to silence every sound or buzz—it’s to make sure each one has earned the right to interrupt you.
🧭 Three Smart Ways to Manage Notifications
If you want to improve your focus this week, here are three simple practices:
Make notifications work for you, not against you.
Decide what you truly need to be reminded about. Texts from family? Absolutely. A meeting alert? You bet. Every social media ping? Probably not.Review—don’t roam.
Randomly jumping in and out of apps to “see what’s new” is a time trap. Schedule two or three intentional times a day to check notifications and act accordingly.Act once.
When you open notifications, don’t just glance and move on. Respond, delete, or schedule a time to handle it later. Leaving it sitting there clutters your device—and your mind.
🌼 The Real Buzz
Ignoring notifications doesn’t improve your focus. It just delays decisions and doubles your mental load. Every ignored alert becomes a tiny distraction you’ll face again later.
Your goal isn’t to eliminate notifications—it’s to ensure they only alert you to what truly matters.
Take five minutes today to review your settings. Decide which notifications deserve to make your phone buzz and which should stay silent.
You might just find that managing your digital hive helps your mental one thrive.
📘 Want more ways to protect your focus?
Explore Focused as a Bee for practical strategies to thrive in a distracted world, or subscribe to The Jones Zone for short weekly insights to help you make every moment count.
