Mac Auto Update
Apple (upper left) > System Preferences > App Store (there may be other pathways).
I get the notifications for updates and patches. I will do the updates, for example, for Safari or any of my apps. But I am not doing the Catalina system update until the problems are straightened out.
The most important thing the setting does is prevent a change in the middle of a job. Finish a job, do a thorough backup and then do updates.
Koz