How Do You Overcome Alert Pollution?

I just started setting up a new audio interface on my computer, but had to stop to do some work. Disconnecting my audio interface meant muting my entire computer, and the effect was very nice. I didn't get annoying system alert sounds when I started searching for a word on a web page that didn't exist. Pinging noises and IMs flashed on my second monitor, but they weren't accompanied by tones. I thought, "this is great." I think I might start muting more things on my computer to help overcome the constant noise pollution accompanied by the many, many alerts.

That said, there's the risk of not knowing about a certain alert. My phone's alerts are on mute for the majority of the day, and I rarely miss anything important, but it does happen. It would be nice to have the best of both worlds. What have you done to avoid alert pollution and how have you maintained a good balance?