Why App Developer Laura Black Turned Off All Notifications

Laura Black designs productivity apps—but her own screen habits were spiraling. “I couldn’t focus,” she recalls. “Notifications were constant, and I felt burned out.” So she turned them all off. For 30 days, Laura went without pings, banners, or red dots. Her phone was silent. She checked apps on her own schedule, not theirs. The result? A 40% drop in screen time and a major boost in focus. The experience changed how she builds software. Now, her apps include optional “quiet modes” and data on how often users interact with alerts. “We’re designing for attention, but we have to respect it too,” she says. Laura’s story is a reminder that even tech pros struggle with tech overload—and that sometimes, the smartest solution is subtraction.