Notifications in OS X Mavericks not only let you see what’s up, they let you get things done as well (and all without leaving the app you’re in). You can interact with your notifications, so you can quickly reply to a message or reply to or delete an email. If you receive a FaceTime video call you don’t have time to answer, simply reply with a message or set a callback reminder. In addition, you can now sign up with websites to get notifications about breaking news, sports scores, auction alerts, and more.
Sometimes, however, it's nice to have some quiet time. There are two ways to enable "Do Not Disturb" for Notifications:
1) Manually
2) Scheduled
Manually Enabling "Do Not Disturb"
Manually enabling "Do Not Disturb" is great for the "I just need 5 minutes to myself" moments. To temporarily enable "Do Not Disturb" for your Notifications, simply open Notifications (which can be done by clicking on the Notifications icon in the top right corner of your Mac), swipe down, then switch "Do Not Disturb" on.
Scheduling "Do Not Disturb"
We are creatures of habit, and as such, we typically have a routine to our average day. We wake up at 6:30a, go to work at 8:00a, come home at 6:00p and go to bed at 11:00p. It shouldn't be a surprise that most of us also have a reason to set specific times where we just don't want to be disturbed with a constant barrage of notifications. We can easily set Notifications to give us a break, on a regular schedule. To do this, open System Preferences then click on Notifications. You'll see the following screen, full of options:
