# Silence nonessential notifications

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/silence-nonessential-alerts/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 74 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#silence-nonessential-alerts

Turn off the alerts you don't need, so your next task starts quieter.

**The number:** Turn off notifications during a task ([Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, 2025](https://oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/mindset/skills/concentration/disconnection/))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in people with ADHD.
- Evidence grade: C. Grade C: small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
- Basis: ADHD-specific NHS guidance recommends it; the only measured effect is a brief general student laboratory experiment; no formal certainty rating.
- Benefit: 43/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## Why it matters

In a short lab experiment with general students, phone notifications alone disrupted an attention task, even when people didn't pick up the phone. It wasn't an ADHD treatment trial and didn't measure long-term effects. NHS ADHD guidance recommends turning notifications off during a task, and NHS information lists being easily distracted as a common adult ADHD sign, so silencing optional alerts is a reasonable experiment.

## How to do it

1. Pick one task that needs uninterrupted attention.
2. Mute optional sounds, vibrations and pop-ups while you do it.
3. Keep an agreed way for essential or urgent contacts to reach you.
4. Check messages at a chosen stopping point and see whether you finished more easily.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Pick one type of notification that can safely wait until your next break.
- 5 minutes: Turn off one optional app's sounds, vibrations and banners.
- 15 minutes: Try one quiet task period, then check whether important contacts still reach you.

### What it looks like

- Mute shopping and news alerts while you finish a form.
- Keep calls from a dependent's carer available while optional apps stay quiet.

### Common mistakes

- Silent mode still buzzes on the desk. Check vibration and banner settings too.
- You miss someone you needed to hear from. Set exceptions for essential contacts before you start.

### A structured start

**Keep the useful alerts**

1. Remove one frequent optional interruption.
2. Test urgent-contact exceptions.
3. Keep the settings that help your actual tasks.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [Disconnection](https://oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/mindset/skills/concentration/disconnection/), Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- [Autism and ADHD](https://www.bytespcn.nhs.uk/autism-and-adhd/), BYTES Primary Care Network, NHS

## Sources

- [Disconnection](https://oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/mindset/skills/concentration/disconnection/), Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [The attentional cost of receiving a cell phone notification](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26121498/), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 2015 (Tier 2 study)
- [ADHD in adults](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/), NHS, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.

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