Did you know that the average person checks their phone 96 times a day? That’s once every 10 minutes! I read that stat a while back and honestly, it made me a little sick to my stomach. So I tried something wild a few months ago: I turned off ALL notifications every single Sunday. No texts, no email dings, no Instagram likes buzzing my pocket. And let me tell ya, the way it changed my Monday mornings was kind of shocking.

The Sunday Scaries Are Real (And Notifications Make Them Worse)

I used to spend my Sundays in this weird half-panic mode. You know the feeling, right? That dread creeping in around 4pm because Monday’s looming and your phone won’t stop buzzing with work emails. I’d tell myself I was just “staying on top of things.” Really I was just marinating in anxiety, one notification at a time.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you: notifications are literally designed to hijack your attention. Tech companies hire actual behavioral scientists to make that little red dot impossible to ignore. It’s not just you being weak-willed or whatever. Your brain gets a tiny dopamine hit every time, and over time, that adds up to some serious mental exhaustion.

My First Notification-Free Sunday (It Was a Disaster, Honestly)

So I decided to try it. Turned off notifications Saturday night, went to bed feeling proud of myself. Woke up Sunday and immediately reached for my phone out of habit, like a reflex almost. Nothing happened. No badges, no buzzing. I actually felt a little lost for like an hour, which is embarrassing to admit.

By noon though, something shifted. I noticed I was actually present at brunch with my sister instead of half-listening while scrolling under the table. We talked for two hours straight. Two hours! When’s the last time that happened without me sneaking a peek at Slack messages?

• I turned off all app notifications (not just muted, actually turned off)
• I put my phone in another room during meals
• I told close family and friends to call twice if it was truly urgent
• I left one alarm on for waking up, that’s it

That last one is important, don’t disable everything or you’ll oversleep and start Monday in a frenzy anyway. Trust me, I learned that one the hard way on week two.

Why This Actually Boosts Your Monday Energy

This part surprised me the most. I always assumed Mondays were just naturally exhausting because, well, it’s Monday. But after a few weeks of notification-free Sundays, I noticed my Monday mornings felt different. Less foggy. Less like I was dragging myself out of bed with dread sitting on my chest.

Turns out there’s actual science behind this. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that constant notification checking is linked to elevated cortisol levels, which basically means your stress hormone stays cranked up even when nothing bad is happening. Give your brain one full day of quiet, and it gets a chance to actually reset.

My Monday energy improved because I wasn’t starting the week already depleted. I’d spent Sunday recovering instead of pre-gaming my stress for the week ahead. Sounds simple, but man, it makes a difference.

Practical Tips If You Want to Try This Yourself

Okay so if you’re thinking about trying this, here’s what actually worked for me (and what flopped, because I definitely messed some stuff up along the way).

• Start with just turning off notifications for social media apps first, that’s the easiest win
• Tell people in advance you’re doing a “digital Sunday reset” so they don’t think you’re ignoring them
• Keep your phone on airplane mode for a few hours if turning off notifications feels too scary at first
• Use the extra time for something tactile, like cooking or a walk outside, not just staring at a wall
• Don’t check your phone first thing Monday morning either, ease into it

I’ll be honest, there were Sundays I caved by like 6pm because I was anxious about a work deadline. That’s fine! It’s not about being perfect, it’s about building a habit that mostly sticks. Progress over perfection and all that.

A Small Ritual That Made a Big Difference

One thing I added later was a tiny “digital sunset” ritual around 7pm on Sundays. I’d light a candle, put my phone in a drawer, and just read or journal for thirty minutes. Sounds a little woo-woo, I know, but it signaled to my brain that the week was ending on my terms, not the algorithm’s terms.

This tiny ritual became the bridge between my chaotic old Sundays and my calmer Monday mornings. It wasn’t instant, took maybe three or four weeks before I really felt the shift in my energy levels. But once it clicked, I wasn’t going back.

Look, I’m not saying you need to become some off-grid hermit who never checks a phone again. That’s unrealistic and honestly kind of annoying when people act all superior about it. What I am saying is that giving yourself even a few notification-free hours on Sunday can genuinely change how you show up on Monday. Try it for two weeks, tweak it to fit your life, and pay attention to how your body feels differently by Tuesday.

Just remember to keep emergency contacts reachable and don’t ditch anything safety-related, obviously. If you’re craving more ways to build small rituals that actually make your week feel lighter, swing by the AM Ritualist blog for more real-life tested ideas. Your Monday self will probably thank you.