How do you folks do it??

The notifications are hidden (no icons on top near the clock) inside the notifications tray. And then, the notifications from locked screen also disappear when I unlock the phone.

If I leave a message unanswered to check later, I completely forget it’s there, hidden in the notifications panel.

I’m not used to go after notifications, they usually are there waiting for me on android. And I know that by check the icons near the clock. Do you all have the habit of checking the notifications panel? How do you do it?