Digital Minimalism

by
Cal Newport
What’s in it for me? Learn how to take back your life from
the powerful forces of the attention economy.
There have been many technological hallmarks over the past twenty years or so,
but one that may not spring immediately to mind is the “Like” button. When this
click of approval debuted in 2007, on the long-forgotten social feed aggregator
FriendFeed, it was only a matter of time before it became a standard feature on
every social media platform to come. After all, this simple feature, and the endless
notifications it generates, is a great way to collect data on our preferences and
behaviors, and to keep users hooked.

It’s no wonder people are finally starting to push back against social media and
recognize that these technologies may be doing more harm than good. Indeed, a
steady output of research has been opening our eyes to the many negative effects
related to social media and smartphones.

In this book, professor Cal Newport conducted his own experiment. 1,600
volunteers followed his guidelines for a month-long technological sabbatical,
providing him with valuable feedback. The result of this study is digital minimalism:
a way to step back from the onslaught of digital distractions and find a more
satisfying and rewarding way of life.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

how social media is like big tobacco;

how the Amish can help you to better use your smartphone; and
how your attention became more valuable than oil.
These days, devices intended for telephone calls and
portable music have turned into addictive and dangerous
tools.
In 2016, New York magazine ran an article by the popular writer Andrew Sullivan.
In 7,000 words, the author described how the constant onslaught of news, images
and online babble finally “broke” him. There’s a good chance you’re familiar with
the symptoms of what Sullivan was writing about – the constant urge to take out
your smartphone and check your texts, email or social media feeds, the strange
dull sensation of a moment when you’re not using digital media. How did we end
up here?

One important thing to realize is that the technology at the center of this problem
was never intended to be used in the way it is now. When the first smartphone,
the iPhone, debuted in 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the device as “the best iPod
ever.” It was a cool way for you to make phone calls and also listen to your music.
According to Andy Grignon, an Apple engineer on the first iPhone project, Jobs
dismissed the idea of the iPhone becoming a platform for third-party apps and
gaming.

As for Facebook, it’s well known that in 2004 Facebook was considered a clever
novelty – a way to find out more about a friend of a friend – not a major source of
news or even a popular time waster. For most college students in 2004, the
computer strategy game Snood was far more popular than Facebook.

So, when people first brought iPhones and Facebook into their lives, they weren’t
signing up for something they would spend hours every day looking at. This
dangerous and addictive side to technology is something that’s crept up on us,
thanks to the very intentional work of social media engineers. In a 2017 episode of
the HBO talk show Real Time, Bill Maher referred to the “social media tycoons” as
being the new big tobacco, selling products designed to be as addictive as
possible.
Indeed, much has been written about the tactics used to get and keep our
attention, including the way some tech companies take advantage of the natural
human desire for social approval. One of the most significant developments took
place in 2009 when Facebook introduced the thumbs up button, a variant of
FriendFeed’s “like” button. Now, when someone posted something, it became a
deeply interactive experience. How many people in my tribe would like what I
posted? There was a primal urge to keep checking in and we have become finely
attuned to the notification sounds accompanying these responses.
Digital minimalism is based on the philosophy that less can
be more.
If we hope to protect ourselves against the bright minds of Silicon Valley, eager to
exploit our vulnerabilities, we need a strong defense. This is why the author, Cal
Newport, proposes a lifestyle he calls digital minimalism.

There are plenty of people recommending quick fixes like simply disabling the
notifications on your smartphone, but Newport doesn’t trust these little
adjustments to make much difference in the long run. After all, the author of one
such article said he disabled the notifications on 112 apps, which begs the
question, do you really need that many apps in the first place?

Cue digital minimalism, which is about the time-honored philosophy that better
living can come from less. The name is purposefully similar to the minimalist
lifestyle promoted by people like author Marie Kondo, who propose only letting
things into your life that bring joy. Newport is applying this to the apps and digital
media you take in, suggesting that you ask: Does this website, app or service really
support what I value in a way that nothing else can?

Digital minimalism takes a further step in asking you to optimize this technology in
a way to maximize the value while reducing the cost to your time and energy. So, if
Twitter is something that your career clearly benefits from, you can use it wisely
by setting purposeful rules around it that allow you to go in, do what needs to be
done and get out.

Tyler was one of the 1,600 people that signed up for the author’s experiment with
digital minimalism. He’d signed up to a few social media platforms because he
valued staying connected to friends, entertainment and networking. But following
the principles of digital minimalism, he realized that the benefits of social media
were actually small compared to the time it cost him. Tyler closed his social media
accounts, and a year later, he’s still thrilled with the change digital minimalism has
brought to his life. He’s getting more exercise, reading more books, volunteering
and learning to play music. Even with all this, he has more time to spend with his
family and feels more focused at work. Tyler knows people who say they can’t quit
social media, but at this point, he can’t see any reason to continue using it.
 “The average Facebook user, by
contrast, spends around 350 minutes
per week on this company’s services.”
The principles of digital minimalism are based on two
economic hallmarks and the wisdom of the Amish.
Digital minimalism is based on three principles – clutter is costly, optimization is
important and intentionality is satisfying.

The first principle relates to the New Economics famously promoted by Henry
David Thoreau in his book Walden. Basically, New Economics includes life costs
when calculating what something is really worth. For instance, if you want to buy a
car to drive into town instead of walking, Thoreau would remind you that the
price you pay for the car isn’t its only cost, it’s also the time, stress and effort it
takes to earn this money and to keep the car secure and in working order. In the
end, the cost may far exceed the healthy act of walking into town. This same
scrutiny should go into every bit of digital media you let into your life. Ask yourself
what you are really gaining from it, and what the time and attention costs are. Are
you sure you can’t perform the same task in a different way?

The second principle relates to another economic hallmark. That is, the Law of
Diminishing Returns, which explains why you can’t just keep adding stuff and
expect continued improvements. For example, if you’re manufacturing cars, the
first workers you add will increase your output. But you’ll eventually reach a point
when the assembly line can’t handle anymore strain. Workers are bumping into
each other, and things begin to slow down.

Let’s say, instead of making cars, you want to stay informed about current events.
Going from zero to two news sites will be a big improvement. But if you’re
cramming a social media feed with dozens of different sources, it’s bound to
become a never-ending, incomprehensible distraction. Instead of adding sources,
you need to optimize your tools. For example, maybe the Instapaper app would
work better than social media. This app allows you to collect interesting pieces
throughout the week and read them over the weekend, without any ads!

For the third principle, let’s look at the Amish way of life. People often mistake the
Amish for being anti-technology, but in reality, it’s not that simple. The Amish
don’t reject technology without testing and questioning it first. Sometimes, as
with a state-of-the-art milling machine, they’ll happily use it. However, if it doesn’t
support their fundamental values of family and community, it’ll be banned. You
should apply the same value-based approach to every tool you use. Does it really
benefit and support your values and what you’re trying to do, or are you better off
without it?
Undergoing a digital declutter begins with a thirty-day
break, followed by a critical reintroduction of certain tools.
If the principles of digital minimalism sound good, then the way to begin is to
undergo thirty days of digital declutter. It’s important to recognize that this isn’t a
digital detox period since a detox implies that you’ll return to your regular habits
afterward. This period is about stopping what you’ve been doing in order to
consider a new way forward.

With this in mind, for thirty days, plan on cutting all non-essential technology from
your life. This means anything that you don’t absolutely need to keep working and
functioning on a day-to-day basis.

At first, you might feel down when you realize how many addictive habits you’ve
developed. But most of the people in Newport’s 1,600-person experiment
reported that they soon forgot about their smartphone or whatever app they
would reflexively open up. When identifying what is and isn’t essential, don’t
confuse convenience for necessity. You may think you’ll irreparably damage a
relationship if you quit Facebook. But you might find that without social media
you’ll actually strengthen the relationship by calling the person, meeting them and
speaking more often.

The other task during this period is to look within and understand what’s really
important to you. What are your interests, the things you value in life and enjoy
doing outside of the world wide web? This is important because the next step is
about finding something that will fill the void created by the absence of social
media and new technology.

After these thirty days, a carefully thought-out reintroduction period begins. This
involves asking yourself three questions about any technology you’re considering
keeping in your life. The first question is: Does this technology support something
I deeply value? If so, move on to the second question: Is it the best way to support
this value?
Instagram may support the value of staying in touch with faraway relatives, but
calling them on Skype every Sunday may be the far more meaningful way to do
this. In fact, most people find that social media does not pass this screening
process.

But if something does pass the first two questions, it’s time for the final question:
How can I use this tool in a way that maximizes its benefit and minimizes the harm
it causes? A digital minimalist doesn’t just use or not use something. If they use
Twitter, they probably don’t use it on their phone. They use it once or twice a
week and only follow meaningful people they couldn’t otherwise connect with.
To prevent the symptoms of solitude deprivation, practice
leaving the phone at home and walking more often.
The problem with a lot of “life hacks” and quick fixes is that they don’t set you up
for sustainable change. They might prompt you to start a healthy new habit, but
once you hit a snag or run into a problem, it’s all too easy to give up and say the fix
didn’t stick. This is why digital minimalism has a variety of recommended practices
that align with the lifestyle and are proven to have the kind of meaningful and
rewarding value that is missing from a lot of digital-based activities. The first
recommendation is solitude – a valuable commodity that new technology often
takes away.

If you were born before the mid-80s, you probably have clear memories of life
before the smartphone. But people born between 1995 and 2012 essentially grew
up with smartphones, and now spend an average of nine hours a day on these
devices. World-renowned generational researcher Jean Twenge noticed a
shocking uptick in psychological health issues with this group, dubbed the “iGen,”
with a higher percentage of depression, suicide, eating disorders, homesickness
and, above all, anxiety.

Another term for what iGen is suffering from is solitude deprivation, a lack of time
away from screens and input from outside sources, which is crucial for processing
emotions, reflecting on relationships and what’s important in life, and giving the
brain a chance to find some calm clarity.

The silver lining is that solitude is easy to find. It can be experienced in a crowded
cafe or subway train, just as long as you’re free to be with your thoughts and your
thoughts alone.

So the next time you go out, try leaving your phone at home. If you remember the
days before smartphones, you know that this isn’t a dangerous or crazy thing to
do. However, if you’re worried about an emergency, you can compromise by
putting it in your glove compartment or somewhere where it isn’t readily
accessible.
Likewise, long walks are one classic source of solitude, with many of the great
thinkers in history extolling its virtues. Thoreau was perhaps its greatest
champion, but Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Friedrich Nietzsche
also considered walking the inspiration for their best ideas. Of course, this is to be
done without earbuds or a screen in sight.
To feel less alone, stop clicking and instead schedule your
texting and calling times.
We’ve spent thousands of years developing a brain that has a complex network of
neurons for the purpose of processing an intricate social life. It stands to reason
that this brain would not be satisfied with emojis and hashtags. It may come as no
surprise, then, that according to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the
more time spent on social media, the more likely you are to feel lonely.

So the next recommended digitally minimalist practice is to stop clicking “like.”

In fact, don’t even leave any of those superficial comments like “so cool” or “love
it.” Don’t fool yourself or anyone else into thinking these are meaningful human
interactions or a valid alternative to a real conversation because they aren’t.
Instead, stay silent and save your comments for the next time you call your friend
or meet up with them for the kind of face-to-face conversation that we’re built to
find satisfying.

If you’re worried your friends will find this social media silence troubling, just tell
them you’re stepping back from these kinds of interactions. And remember, if you
visit a friend and bring some food with you, it will mean more than a hundred likes.
The reality is that less social media equals a better social life. This is because you’ll
be more prone to actually meet and talk to people.

The same goes for texts, messaging and emails as well. An actual phone call is
more rewarding to our social needs than any number of emojis. Of course, texts
are extremely useful when you’re running late to a meeting or just need a quick
confirmation. But when it becomes your standard means of communication, it can
raise your level of loneliness.

One Silicon Valley executive has come up with a pretty useful practice that you
can start implementing, which is to set regular conversation hours. He tells
everyone that any weekday at 5:30 p.m. you can call him and discuss anything. This
is an effective way to discourage getting into a lengthy text-based back-and-forth,
since he often writes back to say, let’s discuss this – just call any day at 5:30.

This doesn’t just apply to phone calls, either. You can have a standing invitation to
be joined at your favorite coffee shop on Saturday mornings at 11 AM, for
instance. Whatever you prefer, just promote real conversations, and you’ll be
happy you did.
For more meaningful leisure, embrace strenuous and
virtuous hobbies and schedule low-quality activities.
You shouldn’t underestimate the value of quality leisure time. As the legendary
philosopher Aristotle pointed out, to live the good life, one must have the
downtime needed for deep contemplation, for no other reason than to enjoy the
activity itself. As Aristotle expert Kieran Setiya elaborates, activities that provide a
“source of inward joy” are vital to a satisfying life.

The author calls these activities high-quality leisure while calling digital distractions
such as social media and absent-minded bingeing low-quality leisure. Therefore,
one aim of digital minimalism is to make more room for the high-quality while
purposefully limiting low-quality time.

In looking at what exactly makes a high-quality activity, the author has found that
hobbies requiring strenuous effort are often among the most rewarding. This may
sound tiring at first, but as the influential British writer Arthur Bennett once
noted, the more effort you put into your leisure activities, the more you’ll be
rewarded with satisfaction and even come away feeling energized.

Engaging physically with real, three-dimensional objects is also key, as Gary

Rogowski points out in his book Craftsman. As such, poking your finger at a small
screen is unlikely to ever be a truly satisfying or rewarding human endeavor. This is
why one of the “leisure lessons” of digital minimalism is to engage with the
physical world by applying skills and working to create things of value. And for this,
technology can be a great aide. With the abundance of YouTube tutorials out
there, you can easily spend a rewarding weekend either building your own wooden
headboard or learning some basic techniques to become a weekend carpenter.

You could also set leisure-time goals, like learning the guitar parts to five Beatles
songs in time for a mini-concert at a friend’s Sunday barbeque in three weeks.
Deadlines like this are great for keeping high-quality momentum going. To make
sure you don’t succumb to the weekend-killing temptations of low-quality leisure,
the best plan isn’t to go cold turkey, but rather to schedule these activities for
specific times.

Going cold turkey can easily backfire and result in a relapse of old behavioral
patterns, so start by scheduling isolated chunks of low-quality time on evenings
and weekends while you give the rest of your free-time over to high-quality
activities. Chances are you’ll feel the difference in quality, and the digital
distractions will gradually become less of a concern.
Advice from the Attention Resistance includes
downgrading your phone and using single-purpose
devices.
With so many people glued to their smartphones and social media accounts, you
may think of digital minimalism as an extreme and unusual idea. But the truth is,
digital minimalism is just one part of a growing worldwide movement known as
the Attention Resistance.

This movement gets its name from the industry that many of today’s major tech
businesses are in – the attention economy. Companies like Facebook make their
money the same way tabloid newspapers did in the 1800s. They draw a big
audience and then sell that audience’s attention to advertisers who pitch them
their products and services. The more people they attract, and the longer they
can keep their attention, the more money they get from advertisers. These days,
getting attention is more valuable than getting oil, with Google valued at $800
billion, Facebook at $500 billion and ExxonMobile at $370 billion.

With this much money at stake, companies in the attention economy are serious
about exploiting human vulnerabilities and doing whatever it takes to keep you
distracted. This is precisely why people have gotten serious about retaining their
autonomy and resisting these tactics. One of the many effective methods used by
the Attention Resistance is to dumb down your phone. So, if you see someone
with a circa 2000 flip phone, this is likely a member of the Resistance who’s
decided to remove themselves from the attention economy.

Another method is to make your computer a single-purpose device, just like the
earliest versions of Macs and PCs. You can do this by using popular blocking
software like Freedom, which author Zadie Smith thanked by name in the
acknowledgments of her 2012 bestseller NW.

Now, some people think it’s heretical to revert your computer to a single-function
machine like early versions of Macs and PCs as if you were purposefully making
your computer less powerful. But whether you make your computer run
programs simultaneously or not has nothing to do with its power. In fact, you
could say you’re making it more powerful, since you’ll be more productive while
using it as a single-purpose device!

While the bright minds in Silicon Valley may have a lot of resources to gain your
attention, with digital minimalism and the tools of a growing resistance, you can
maintain your autonomy and stay focused on what really matters.
 “Digital minimalism definitively does
not reject the innovations of the digital
age, but instead rejects the way so
many people currently engage with
these tools.”
Final summary
The key message in these blinks:

Digital minimalism is a way of life that attempts to respond to the emerging

dangers of today’s digital media landscape. An increasing amount of data is
contributing to two realities – that businesses in the attention economy are
purposefully making their products addictive and that increased exposure to these
products is detrimental to our health. It is only sensible that we reexamine our
relationship to these services and our smartphones in general. By following the
methods and principles of digital minimalism, we can reclaim our attention and
gain an increased sense of satisfaction in life.

Actionable advice:

Delete social media from your phone.

When most people apply the screening process of digital minimalism to any social
media platform, they find that the costs outweigh the benefits. But if you have
good cause to maintain a presence on social media, it is then recommended that
you at least delete the app from your phone and only engage with it through a
web browser. Not having constant access to social media will already noticeably
improve your life. By putting in this small amount of extra effort, many people
either realize that social media was not beneficial at all, or they become optimal
users who spend as little time as they need, thereby gaining more time for high-
quality pursuits.

What
to read next: Deep Work, by Cal Newport

Digital Minimalism is, in many ways, a continuation of the research Cal Newport
did in his previous book Deep Work, which details the ways in which technology
can interfere with productivity. So, if you like the idea of gaining more control over
your technology, this is the perfect next step. You should be the master of your
technological tools while making sure that they work for you and not the other
way around. With the tips and insights of Deep Work, you’ll be on your way to
more productive days and higher-quality work.

Buy Digital Minimalism from Amazon