Do not disturb means calls are ignored (except starred contacts). Text messages and alerts are silenced.

I knew the pings were detrimetal. I watched The Social Dilemma (2020) and saw how companies were fighting for my attention.

My phone was no longer a tool. Each notification alert, text message ping, and call ringtone eroded my attention span.

I could take back control if I could silence them.

I was nervous about setting do not disturb perpetually because I thought I’d miss an emergency phone call. One year later — that hasn’t happened.

Starred Contacts and Emergency Calls

Android has a feature that allows starred contacts to ring while do not distrub is enabled. I starred a handful of close contacts on my phone.

There’s also a feature where a non-starred call goes through if dialed twice within 15 minutes. This is great for emergencies.

All text messages and app alerts are silenced. App alerts are especially annoying. Do I really need to be alerted when a new YouTube video is uploaded?

If I’m expecting an important call and I don’t know the incoming number, I turn off do not disturb until I finish talking with the person on the other line.

Easing Anxiety

After months of continuous do not disturb, I noticed how much noise my friends’ phones make. Each ping begs for attention. It induces anxiety.

Attention span grows shorter with a noisy phone. Deep work turns shallow. Your phone is a tool. Don’t let it control your life.