Notification blindness.

I've been struggling with finding balance for years as a front-line manager who codes. I need to be responsive-ish to incoming queries but also have my own tasks. If I am too responsive, it's easy for my work to become my evening time and my working hours for everybody else.

The "weaving" in of periods of focus is maintained by ignoring notifications and checking them in batches. Nobody gets to interrupt me when I'm in focus mode (much chagrin for my wife) and I can actually get stuff done. This happened a lot by accident, I get enough notifications for long enough that I don't really hear or notice them just like I don't hear or notice the trains that pass near my house.

This also worked for me. I flipped to permanent DND mode with clear communication I check notifications at specific times of day.

There are very few notifications that can’t wait a few hours for my attention and those that cannot have the expectation of being a phone call.