Review your notification settings monthly and tighten them

Apps re-enable notifications through updates; a monthly review keeps the detox from drifting back.

Why it works

App updates frequently reset notification permissions or add new notification categories. Without a review cadence, the detox erodes silently: each permission reset adds a small notification volume that feels normal in isolation but accumulates to the pre-detox baseline over months. A monthly review converts the detox from a one-time intervention to a maintained environmental standard.

How to do it

1. Set a monthly calendar event: "Notification audit — 10 minutes."
2. Go to Settings → Notifications and scan each app for any new or re-enabled alerts.
3. Apply the same Tier 1/2/3 standard used in the initial detox.
4. Also check for newly installed apps that have defaulted to maximum notifications.

Evidence

Behavior maintenance research shows that habits erode when the environmental conditions that supported them are not actively maintained. Scheduled reviews are the simplest maintenance mechanism for environment-design interventions. (mechanistic)

Notification drift via app updates is a documented technical reality; the monthly review cadence is practitioner advice rather than a studied maintenance protocol.

Common mistake

Treating the initial detox as permanent and never reviewing it — most users find their notification volume has silently doubled six months after the original audit.