The user should operate the phone, not the other way around. I have all notifications turned off except incoming voice calls and SMS messages. Anything that co

The user should operate the phone, not the other way around. I have all notifications turned off except incoming voice calls and SMS messages. Anything that comes in via Whatsapp / Signal / email I will see when I happen to open those applications. I don't have many apps and I don't allow notifications from them. So I can take a look at Google Maps if I need to, or add something in my todo list, and not be bombarded with messages and events. I do browse news while in public transit, for example, but I'd be reading something anyway. What matters is that I choose to open and use my phone whenever it's convenient/sensible for me and not the other way around. I still remember the excitement of dialling into a BBS and seeing there are 10 new messages, then downloading them home and reading them via an offline reader. That excitement is gone if you see everything right away. I still try to create moments where I go through all my messages, and ration those moments so that my life won't be ruined because of notifications and I could actually enjoy the "you've got mail" moment when it happens.