Digital Minimalism
Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
by Cal Newport
“Deep Thinking” was the first book by Cal Newport that I read. It changed my relationship to work and thinking enormously so I was pleased to pick up another of his books that might change my habits for the better.
Happily, Digital Minimalism met my expectations!
In the first month since finishing the book it has probably saved me from wasting dozens of hours mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or Twitter.
What is it about?
Cal Newport champions the considered usage of digital products, tools, and services. In contrast to their default adoption by society at large.
Newport talks about everything from basic internet and email to the latest crazes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TicToc.
Newport mentions several people who were instrumental in the popularisation of behemoths of the internet today like Facebook. These insiders admitted in hearings and interviews that the companies they worked for intended to capture the attention of their users and sought purposefully to make their services become as addictive as possible. Newport likens these revelations to those insiders working for tobacco companies admitting that those companies knowingly sought to hide the fact that the addictive substances they sold were harmful.
I’m part of the Facebook generation, so it is hard for me to liken digital products of this kind to something like tobacco, which I learned from a young age was harmful. But if one were to take an objective stance, it is clear that people spend unhealthy amounts of time using social sites. The addictiveness is there, even if they don’t directly cause cancer.
Rather than being strictly Luddite, Newport allows for the measured usage of social media. He suggests that readers take a digital diet for a few months to eliminate the addiction. He encourages the reader to reflect during this time and see if anything is missing. Social media can be re-introduced later but Newport thinks that people will be hesitant to reintroduce their bad digital habits once the mindless default is removed.
Digital Minimalism is short, easy to read and digest, and if you follow any of its ideas will make you feel good about yourself.
It is not the sole book in its field. While reading the first part, I thought I had read it before and had to look up my reading history. It was Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle that I was thinking of.
That there are multiple books on the same topic suggests that there is a need for this kind of information and encouragement. Maybe it also means that I’m tuned in to this particular message…
In any case, I would highly encourage anyone who wants to increase their productivity and peace of mind to read Digital Minimalism. It is here on Amazon. It could be especially beneficial to those who mindlessly scroll social media sites. Even just an hour a day adds up fast!
If Digital Minimalism interests you, you might benefit from Deep Work and So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport.
Did you read Digital Minimalism? Are you a fan of Cal Newport? How much time do you spend on social media sites per week?