Question 1

Which phone notifications should I turn off?

Accepted Answer

Turn off: all social media notifications (Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X), promotional emails, news alerts, and app badges for non-urgent apps. Keep only: calls and texts from real people, calendar and alarm reminders, and banking or security alerts. This alone reduces the average person's daily interruptions by 60–70%.

Question 2

How many notifications does the average person receive per day?

Accepted Answer

The average smartphone user receives 65–80 push notifications per day. Each one fragments attention and triggers a micro-dopamine response — even when dismissed without reading. The cumulative cognitive cost is significant.

Question 3

Do notifications really affect productivity?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Research from UC Irvine found it takes an average of 23 minutes to regain full cognitive focus after a notification interruption — even if you dismiss it immediately without acting on it. 10 interruptions per day can cost over 3 hours of deep work.

Question 4

How do I turn off notifications on iPhone?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings > Notifications, then tap each app individually. For each app, disable 'Allow Notifications' entirely, or keep it on but disable 'Lock Screen', 'Notification Centre', and 'Banners' so alerts don't interrupt you. Start with your top 5 most-used social apps.

Which Notifications Should You Kill?