The Power of Putting Your Phone on Do Not Disturb: A Self-Care Game Changer

If you are anything like me, there is something incredibly fulfilling about being and staying busy, especially with things that feel meaningful and purposeful. My work, most of the time anyway, creates this sense of satisfaction. But one thing I have learned is that spending uninterrupted time to rejuvenate makes a huge difference.

I found myself reconnecting with myself and the things that bring me joy, thus becoming more satisfied in my work by starting from a positive place with a balance of work and life. The biggest consumer of my time is my phone; this is where I had to start to take back time for myself and find moments to disconnect.

One feature in my phone that I have taken advantage of for these moments is the do not disturb...and it's not in the way you'd think! The amount of notifications I receive on my phone has become so overstimulating and I found myself reacting to every little buzz and sound my phone made. I needed relief, a way to detach from the constant notifications and need to check my phone every few seconds -- truly seconds.

Now, apologies in advance to the Android users, as I do not know if there is a comparable feature, but for those of you on iPhone, here are a few of the setups I created for my Do Not Disturb, or what is called Focus in settings.

For different moments of my day, I set up different versions of DND to make sure I don’t miss relevant messages, but I can filter out unnecessary notifications. I have separated them into 5 different categories: Just The Village, Personal, Sleep, Time Alone with God, Work.

Now, there is already a preset DND option that you can, of course, use as you see fit, but there are other categories that I have created that have changed how I enjoy different moments of my day. Obviously, you could customize these to your liking and create your own, but I will share the ones that I use and how I use them. Read until the end, and I will share which one I use the most.

Sleep

This is the simplest version that I have set up. If you are anything like me, you can fall down the rabbit hole of social media, spending way too many hours of your night scrolling through all the things you can get into online. There is an option in the focus settings that allows you to set preset times for focus settings to be activated. I set mine for around the time I'd like to go to bed each night to the time that I wake up. This has been incredible in allowing me to have a more peaceful night's sleep. I no longer wake up to the unnecessary amount of notifications I receive from all the apps on my phone. It also serves as a reminder to get to sleep at a consistent time or even just hop off my phone at a certain time to unwind and give my mind a moment of clarity at a certain point each day. Getting better sleep each night allows me to function better throughout the day, even with tasks that can seem redundant. Sure, I don't get the same amount of sleep that I want each night because... life, but it allows me to get back on track with the reminders as it triggers on and off each night.

Work

When I am ready to lock in and get some work done, I have a setup for working. This allows the apps that I use for work to send notifications, but it keeps out the clutter from all the other apps that aren't as useful at that time. This includes apps like my email, specific work applications, and authenticators. In the settings, it gives you the option to allow certain apps when the specific focus status is activated, in the "work focus" this allows notifications from the apps related to my work needs. This way, I get the important updates, messages from coworkers, and deadline alerts without getting bombarded by random notifications that could throw me off track. Plus, I can tweak this focus mode to let certain people through, like team members, bosses, or clients, so they can still reach me when I'm in the zone. This makes sure I'm available for urgent stuff while keeping out the endless distractions from social media, personal chats, or other non-essential pings. And as a bonus, all other calls, including those annoying spam ones, get filtered out while I'm focused. This not only helps me concentrate better but also creates a more peaceful and productive work vibe. With this setup, I can really buckle down and work undisturbed, making it easier to hit my goals and stay on top of things.

Just The Village

Now this one is of my favorites when it comes to creating a space and boundaries for the clutter my phone tends to add to my life. In our fast-paced, hyper-connected world, it is all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the constant barrage of notifications, messages, and calls that can pull our attention in multiple directions at once. However, there are moments when I don’t necessarily want to completely shut out the entire world and don't mind hearing from those closest to me. It’s a delicate balance that I strive to maintain; I need to carve out some time for myself to recharge and regain my focus, yet I also want to ensure that I remain accessible to those who matter most to me. To achieve this balance, I have set up a focus setting customized to manage the access that different people have to me at certain times. This functionality is incredibly beneficial, as it enables me to select specific contacts who I wish to allow through the boundaries I’ve put in place during my much needed time to myself. By doing so, I can effectively block direct access to anyone else in my contact list. This selective accessibility creates a more tranquil environment where I can focus on my thoughts, engage in creative pursuits, or simply enjoy some well-deserved downtime without the constant interruption of my device. Moreover, there is an additional feature that addresses potential emergencies or urgent situations. If someone I trust needs to get in touch with me urgently, they can call me, and the first call will go directly to voicemail. However, there is a built-in safety net: if they call again within two minutes, that second call will bypass any restrictions and come through. This option is entirely optional, but I find it to be beneficial to my peace of mind. It allows me to enjoy my time alone without the anxiety of missing an important call, knowing that those who are closest to me can still reach me if necessary. This allows me to have a more balanced life where I can enjoy my time to myself, while still remaining connected to my support network in times of need.

TAG

This might be one of the most important opportunities to disconnect from the distractions in my phone and truly engage in my life. Now, I can't take all of the credit as I heard about TAG from a book that I read that stands for Time Alone with God. One of the most important things that I have found has benefitted my life was spending uninterrupted time with God. This became life-changing when I set up an hour each day with an automatic focus status on my phone as a reminder to connect with God. Uninterrupted time for conversation, devotion, prayer, peace, and silence. This might look different for everyone; an hour may not fit into your day, but setting aside undisturbed time, even a short time, growing closer in our relationship with God can make such a difference. This status is set to automatically activate on my phone through settings. At a specific time each evening, it automatically engages, serving as a reminder to slow down and ensure I dedicate intentional one-on-one time with God. Not only did it encourage the relationship that I had been learning to build in Christ but also helped me learn to refocus in silence, enjoy reading, and create a space to appreciate silence—not just to hear God's voice more clearly but to declutter my mind and keep it from racing when the world around me slows down.

Personal

How do you spend time alone? One of my favorite ways is to have a night of self-care. I start the night calm and slow. I prepare my comfy clothes, face mask, snacks, shower, bed... all the things needed to enjoy my night and wind down with minimal effort. First, I pick the type of night I'd like to have: a movie night? An everything shower? (If you know, you know.) The most comfortable night of sleep? I pick just the right outfit, a snack if they are necessary, and a warm shower as soon as a candle is lit. Once I have had one of the most calming and longest showers ever, I snuggle up under my duvet and finish out the night to myself. To pull all of this off, I use a setting that allows me to get rid of anything that distracts me from being in the moment, whatever that moment looks like. I have the option of allowing apps like Spotify or podcast apps that I might enjoy during my time but filter out applications that would take me out of the moment. Spending this time to myself has not only been beneficial in resetting my mind and giving me a moment to relax, but it has also contributed to my self-care. It has given me the opportunity to show up better in my work because I took the time I needed to take care of myself. You can set this up by creating a focus setting that does not allow notifications other than the best options for the time that you need to yourself. I use this setting the most, honestly most of the time this setting is on if I have my phone around. It has allowed me to detach from my phone and spend much-needed uninterrupted time to myself.

I have absolutely loved discovering the full extent of this Do Not Disturb feature. It has been life-changing to use the different settings to filter my day and set up the moments in my life to be the most productive.

I've appreciated getting to learn all the ins and outs of this feature. It's been a game-changer for me, helping me filter out distractions and set up my day to be super productive. Being able to tweak notifications and control interruptions has seriously changed how I tackle my tasks and responsibilities.

At first, I was just curious about the do not disturb concept, but as I explored more, I realized how powerful it can be. I can silence notifications during certain hours, which lets me carve out focused work time or time to myself to rejuvenate. The flexibility of the different modes helps me balance being available with prioritizing my own time and focus.

Besides boosting my productivity, it has improved my overall well-being. By setting boundaries around my time, I can fully enjoy personal activities like reading, working out, or just having some quiet moments. This intentional separation between work and leisure has led to a more balanced lifestyle, where I feel less stressed and more in control of my daily life. Each mode can be customized to fit what I’m doing, letting me smoothly switch between different parts of my life without notifications constantly pulling me away. Some other mode ideas you could explore for your lifestyle could be a workout mode, mom mode, or movie night!

My experience with the focus feature modes has been amazing. It has not only boosted my productivity but also improved my quality of life. I have really appreciated the ability to manage my time and focus on what truly matters, and I hope this can be as transformative in your life as it has mine. Let me know!

🫶🏽💕 Courtney