Get the latest tech news

I set my phone to 'do not disturb' three years ago – and have never looked back

WhatsApp notifications in the middle of the night were the final straw. I switched those off – and every other alert – and it helped my wellbeing, sleep and parenting

It’s in this moment that I make my change, swiping my finger down from the top right-hand corner of my phone to bring up its control centre; thumbing, wildly, at the little crescent moon icon that stops notifications in their tracks; and hanging up my virtual door sign: Do Not Disturb. This is, arguably, the hardest part – the lure of a potential unread message can be profound – but I remain convinced the net gain to my wellbeing, my sleep and my parenting is positive. If I had to choose, I’d rather give that attention to the three-year-old trying to climb the curtains/put the dog in the washing machine/feed his baby brother a stick of chalk, than a phone that fizzes and bleats with alerts that masquerade as urgent but, really, are anything but.

Get the Android app