2024-10-26 13:30:00
On the day of the original release of Apple WatchI had the privilege of being able to be in the United States to receive my unit in the first few hours of availability.
During the setup process, I selected the option to mirror to Apple Watch all notifications arriving on the iPhone. Ah, the future! No longer having to take your phone out of your pocket for each alert and, instead, being able to triage directly from your wrist. It was exactly what we all spent our childhood envying in science fiction films, right?
Wrong. Very wrong! After the umpteenth vibration within a few minutes, the feeling of living in the future gave way to an uncomfortable feeling of overload. Two or three notifications later, I turned off mirroring completely.
Magazine cover Byte April 1981.
The problem is that the feeling of overwhelm hasn’t gone away. On the contrary: she intensified with each notification that continued arriving on the iPhone, which until the day before had never been an issue.
I had no way of knowing at the time, but those initial minutes with the Apple Watch began a process of reflection that continues to this day. I believe this has helped make my relationship with modern technology much healthier, to the same extent that terms and concepts like “burnout”“addiction” and “dopamine” have become part of the lexicon of discussions about digital life in recent years.
Everyone uses their devices however they want. I will repeat: everyone uses their devices as they want. However, thanks to discussions recent what we had on podcasts Clipboard e Desktop about books like “Focused Work” e “Digital Minimalism” of Cal Newporte “The Anxious Generation”of Jonathan Haidt (which I also took the opportunity to explore here), we received a huge amount of comments from people who realized that they have difficulty (or whose friends or family have this difficulty) coping in a way healthy with your devices.
So I thought it was worth taking this week’s article to detail my techniques for dealing with this and then offering a challenge.
The techniques
The overdose of notifications in 2015 woke me up to a subject that was obviously nothing new, but which opened up a new world to me: the issue of cognitive overload.
Summing up the subject to the point of probably distorting it, the following happens: our attention is a system whose capacity is limited. Cognitive load is the mental effort we make to process information. Any stimulus we receive, no matter how small, costs a little attention adds to this cognitive load, and gradually saturates us, tires us and distracts us more and more easily throughout the day.
With that in mind, I made some radical adjustments to the iPhone. The beautiful wallpaper with a photo from a trip gave way to a solid blackand the Home screen only had the apps I accessed every day. Everything else was moved to unnamed folders on the second screen, which, by the way, I never visited because I preferred to open apps through Spotlight 1 search.
My iPhone screens at some point in the past
In fact, here are two workarounds that I had to do: first, I added multiple Safari shortcuts to the Home screen whose icon was black, and whose name was an empty character. This is how I positioned apps lower, almost a decade before this became a native possibility in iOS 18.
Second: I used this same empty character as the name of all the folders on the second screen. If I could have hidden the names of the apps, as iOS 18 now allows, I would have done that too.
I did all this because, even though I kept the (few) installed apps always in the same positions and used muscle memory to unlock the iPhone and quickly tap on the desired app, the explosion of colors started every time I unlocked the iPhone. to seem unnecessary and cognitively tiring against a more neutral background, especially considering the idea of touching your phone multiple times over multiple days, weeks, months and years.
Furthermore, as pleasant as it was to remember the moment immortalized in the background photo, the involuntary action of mentally retrieving that same memory every time I unlocked the iPhone ended up becoming a kind of mental tollmaking my attention wander further until I finally opened the app and returned to focusing on the original task.
Over the years, I have made adaptations and concessions. Currently, I use as a background image the almost imperceptible visual texture of one of my studio’s acoustic panels, and I use a calendar 2 widget next to the calendar widget. Overcast and my most used apps on the Home screen.
Oh, and thanks to iOS 18, I now hide app names, even though detest the lack of alignment between the Calendar widget (Calendar) and everything else.
If Jobs were alive…
Another issue that went through this cognitive fine-tooth comb on the iPhone was the amount of animations of the system. As pleasant and well-finished as they were, my impression was that they also ended up unnecessarily spending some of the day 3’s cognitive budget. Therefore, I activated the option Reduce Movement in accessibility settings, and never looked back 4.
Finally, the notifications, which triggered this entire process. In fact, managing which apps can have the privilege of interrupting your day requires constant reflection. At first, I narrowed down the list of apps that could interrupt me to: iMessage, Todoistmy bank and Gmail. Of these, just Todoist and iMessage could show me the acorn of unread notifications.
When iOS started allowing silent reception in the Notification Center, I did this for Gmail and the bank app. In practice, as I no longer use Todoist, I currently only use iMessage and Telegram show me interruptive notifications. And in the case of Telegram, except for the conversation I have with Guilherme Rambo about administrative issues at Gigahertz, all are silenced.
Besides, I check notifications when it’s most suitable for meand not the other way around. Especially for apps that involve communication, whether synchronous or asynchronous, leaving your concentration at the mercy of other people’s common sense is a recipe for unnecessary stress in everyday life. Especially. If. You have. Friends. What. They send. One. Word. Put. Message. He knows?
Bonus: sounds. My iPhone hasn’t made notification sounds for years. The Apple Watch never did this. I don’t even know if the speaker works. Therefore, when the silent switch 5 is inactive, it just vibrates. When the silent switch is active, it does nothing. Did a message arrive? It turns on, turns off and that’s the end of the story.
The challenge
If throughout this text you reflected on whether there is room to adjust the use of your own iPhone (or iPad, or Mac, or Apple Watch, or emails, or messages)… that was precisely the intention.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking about something like “The 60 Minute Challenge”: if during a task that requires concentration, you manage to pass at least 60 minutes without being interrupted by something that wasn’t as important as what you were doing, congratulations. You have more control over your iPhone than the overwhelming majority of people.
Otherwise, it’s worth doing the following: with each notification that arrives and interrupts a moment of focus at work or even in your personal life, try to reflect on whether this notification should have the privilege to do this. Could it, for example, have reached the Notification Center silently? Did she even need to exist in the first place?
There is, of course, the iPhone’s Focus mode, and many people take great advantage of it. I tried for a while, but even with the settings that automate the activation and deactivation of certain focuses on different days and times, with permissions for different applications, it didn’t work so well. Making these focuses work exactly as I wanted ended up becoming more work than solving the problem alone, and that’s exactly what I did.
If none of this is a problem for you, that’s great. One less neurosis to balance in everyday life. But if just while reading this text more notifications arrived than you would have liked, how about taking a moment on your Saturday to review the apps that can interrupt you in your daily life, which is when things really get going? Your attention thanks!
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Footnotes
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#overdose #notifications #Apple #Watch #transformed #relationship #technology
Interview with Marcus, a Digital Minimalism Advocate
Editor: Today, we’re joined by Marcus, a technology enthusiast and digital minimalism advocate. He has some valuable insights on managing our relationship with devices, particularly focusing on notifications and cognitive overload. Welcome, Marcus!
Marcus: Thank you! It’s great to be here.
Editor: You shared your experience with the original Apple Watch release and how the notification overload impacted you. Can you elaborate on that moment?
Marcus: Absolutely! When I first set up my Apple Watch, I was excited about the prospect of seeing my iPhone notifications on my wrist. It felt futuristic at first, but it quickly became overwhelming. Within minutes, multiple vibrations made me realize I wasn’t ready for such constant connectivity—it led to a feeling of overload instead of convenience.
Editor: That’s fascinating. So, what changes did you implement after that experience?
Marcus: I started re-evaluating how I interacted with technology. I made some radical adjustments to my iPhone, including changing my wallpaper to a solid black for a calming effect and significantly limiting the number of notifications I received. I also turned off mirroring notifications on my Apple Watch entirely.
Editor: Cognitive load seems crucial in your journey. How does that play into your current technology habits?
Marcus: Cognitive load refers to the mental effort required to process information. With every notification we receive, we add to this load, making us more easily distracted and fatigued. By reducing notifications and simplifying my device interfaces, I’m able to manage my cognitive load much better. This leads to more productive and fulfilling use of technology.
Editor: You’ve also spoken about a “60 Minute Challenge” for managing interruptions. Can you explain that?
Marcus: Sure! The challenge is simple: see if you can work for at least 60 minutes without being interrupted by unnecessary notifications. If you can do that, you likely have a good grip on your device usage. If not, it’s worth considering whether each notification truly deserves your attention.
Editor: It sounds like you’ve really honed a strategy that works for you. Any final tips for our listeners who might be feeling overwhelmed by their devices?
Marcus: Yes! Start small. Reflect on the notifications you receive and be selective about which ones you allow to interrupt you. Also, utilize features like Focus mode to help control when and how you engage with your devices. The goal is to take back control and ensure that technology serves you, not the other way around.
Editor: Thank you, Marcus, for sharing your insights on digital minimalism and managing technology overload. It’s been a pleasure talking with you!
Marcus: Thank you! I hope my experiences help others find a healthier balance with their devices.
His approach has transformed my relationship with technology, allowing me to focus on what’s truly important rather than getting lost in a sea of distractions.
Editor: That’s a valuable perspective! You mentioned aligning your iPhone’s interface to minimize cognitive strain. Can you share more about your home screen setup and the thought process behind it?
Marcus: Sure! Initially, I organized my home screen to feature only the apps I used daily, removing distractions from unnecessary apps cluttering my view. I even hid folders and used a solid black wallpaper to reduce visual noise. This minimalist approach helps me avoid cognitive fatigue every time I unlock my phone. I’ve since made some adjustments, but the core principle remains: I want my devices to draw less of my attention while remaining functional.
Editor: That’s an innovative tactic! You also discussed managing notifications. What specific methods do you use to control which apps can alert you?
Marcus: My journey towards reducing notifications has been ongoing. I started by selectively allowing interruptions only from essential apps—like messaging and task management—while silencing or limiting less critical ones. Now, I mostly rely on iMessage and Telegram, and I check notifications on my own terms rather than being at the mercy of constant pings. The idea is to reclaim my focus and prioritize my tasks without unnecessary disruption.
Editor: This “60 Minute Challenge” you mentioned sounds intriguing. Can you elaborate on it?
Marcus: The challenge is straightforward: if you can concentrate for 60 uninterrupted minutes on a task without being sidetracked by non-urgent notifications, it’s a sign you’re managing your technology well. If not, reflect on the notifications that disrupt you and question their necessity. Can they be silenced? Should they be reaching you at all? It’s about being intentional with our attention and using technology as a tool, rather than letting it control us.
Editor: What advice would you give to someone feeling overwhelmed by their devices?
Marcus: Start small. Identify one or two areas where you feel overwhelmed—whether it’s notifications, the number of apps on your device, or distractions in your daily routine. Make a small change, like silencing non-essential notifications or decluttering your home screen. As you see the positive impact, you can build on that momentum towards greater digital minimalism.
Editor: Thank you, Marcus! Your experiences and insights on managing technology are incredibly enlightening. It’s all about finding balance, and your strategies provide a great roadmap for those looking to adjust their tech habits.
Marcus: Thank you for having me! It’s been a pleasure to share my journey and hopefully inspire others to rethink their relationships with technology.
