My New Evening Mode

I just made a new focus mode for my Apple devices that’s all about calm for me. This starts with an automation at 7 p.m. every night. If I’m at home, my devices will enter this mode. If I’m not at home, it’ll stay in the mode I’m currently in. If I arrive home between 7 p.m. and midnight, my devices will also go into evening mode.

So what makes this mode significant? Well, it basically shuts down everything for me, allowing me to settle in for the night, focus on things other than social media or text messages and other distractions, and instead allow me to focus on things that relax me like reading, TV shows, personal fitness, or simply falling asleep on the couch with a cat next to me.

So, this means I’m not alerted to text messages, at all. If I look for them, I’ll see new notifications, but they’re never in my face. They won’t tap my wrist on my Apple Watch either. I’m seriously looking to not be bothered here.

This also changes my watch face on my Apple Watch from an information-rich one to one that shows me the time, date, and outdoor temperature. My wallpaper changes to one of clouds at sunset to show me the mode is activated and I’m locked out of my social media apps. I can read, write, create, or play a game. That’s it. And that’s the point.

This idea comes from Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism, particularly a case he tells of a man who set a two-hour window for phone calls after work, something like between the hours of 5–7 p.m. After that, he leaves his phone in another room and disconnects himself from the outside world.

In part, this post is a courtesy to friends and family to explain why I might go dark in the evening. This is also a continuation of me disconnecting from work life when I’m at home. I already don’t connect with work much outside of work, but this is adding another layer to that.

So, here’s to my peace. I’m going to go curl up with my cat now.