Decreasing distractions caused by message overload

A method for implementing communications software to minimize recipient distractions from receiving messages comprising:

• receiving, at an application running on a computing device of an application user referred to as a sender, input for a message to a recipient address;
• upon receiving a user command to send the message, conveying the message to the recipient address;
• receiving a notice of a delivery attempt of the message to the recipient address at a distraction free messaging (DFM) server managing a communication account linked to the recipient address;
• the DFM server querying settings established by a recipient linked to the recipient address to determine a delivery time for the message, wherein the delivery time is an hour or greater from a time of the querying, wherein the recipient expressly established the queried settings with the DFM server to restrict times during which messages are conveyed to the recipient address to reduce distractions experienced by the sender from receipt of received messages;
• prior to the DFM server delivering the message to the recipient address, the DFM server conveying over a network the delivery time to the application running on the computing device of the sender;
• prior to the DFM server delivering the message to the recipient address, the application of the sender visually presenting notice of a delivery delay consistent with the determined delivery time, wherein by default, the application delivers a message from the sender in real or near real time without the delivery delay, wherein the sender did not initiate the delivery delay, wherein presentation of the delivery delay to the sender informs the sender of the delivery delay, which adjusts the sender's expectations of when to anticipate a response;
• upon visually presenting the notice of the delivery delay, the application presents the sender with an option to expedite handling of the message through delivery to an agent of the recipient prior to the delivery time, wherein the agent is a human having a not displayed delivery address, which is not presented to the sender and has not been entered by the sender;
• and
• upon detection of a sender's election of the option to expedite handling, conveying the message to the not displayed delivery address in real or near real time, wherein identity information of the agent and not displayed delivery address is intentionally hidden to minimize overt distractions and forwarding of messages directed to the recipient while permitting an avenue to have more urgent messages handled in an expedited fashion despite the delay specified by the recipient;
• and
• at the delivery time, the DFM server delivering the message to the recipient address enabling the recipient to view the message as a delivered message, wherein prior to the delivery time the recipient is permitted to preview the message via a distraction free message application operating in a pre-delivery mode.

A method for implementing communications software to minimize recipient distractions from receiving messages comprising:

• receiving, at an application running on a computing device of an application user referred to as a sender, input for a message to a recipient address;
• receiving a notice of the message from the application to the recipient address at a distraction free messaging (DFM) server managing a communication account linked to the recipient address;
• the DFM server querying settings established by a recipient linked to the recipient address to determine a delivery time for the message, content to aggregate with the message, and contacts to display in the message, wherein the delivery time is an hour or greater from a time of the querying, wherein the recipient expressly established the queried settings with the DFM server to restrict times during which messages are conveyed to the recipient address to reduce distractions experienced by the sender from receipt of received messages, wherein the content to aggregate is based on recipient established DFM settings and includes external content targeting a recipient of the recipient not received at the recipient address, wherein the contacts is based on the recipient established DFM settings and includes at least one contact from a communication platform external to that over which the message is delivered;
• the DFM server conveying over a network the delivery time to the application running on the computing device of the sender;
• at the delivery time, the DFM server delivering the message to the recipient address enabling the recipient to view the message as a delivered message, wherein prior to the delivery time the recipient is permitted to preview the message via a distraction free message application operating in a pre-delivery mode;
• the DFM server modifying the message to include the external content added or linked to the message by the DFM server per the DFM settings;
• and
• the DFM server modifying visible contacts in the message to include the at least one contact from the external communication platform and to hide at least one contact entered by the sender per the DFM settings.