Here is how I circumvent Facebook's bullshit algorithm: I disabled all notifications, and set them on for pages I follow (I think there is actually only one). I try to stay away from the homepage also known as feed (the UI is designed to make you mindlessly scroll through the feed, so easier said than done). There is a new function to the search bar, it stores your earlier searches and shows if there is something new about them. That adds a filtering layer to the poorly optimized chaos of Facebook. When I open it up, I type in the URL of the page/user I specifically want to go to or the chat URL.