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hadeanstars's review
4.0
My journey toward being screen neutral is well under way now, so I did not need to read this book to convert myself, on the contrary, I was already irrevocably convinced that screen addiction is one of the most insidious problems in the world today, causing untold misery, not just on an individual scale, but across entire societies.
And to be fair, most people with a screen problem have no idea that they have a screen problem. I certainly didn’t, until I decided to switch my phone off for a day. If you don’t believe me, try it. It’s strangely difficult.
So, I’ve been learning, and now I am quite good at managing my screen time.
But that’s only half the challenge, because what I wanted to be able to do was to take the good stuff out of technology, while rejecting the bad. And this book, is an excellent foray into the intentional use of technology.
The last book I read on this topic (Stolen Focus) was excellent, and really detailed all the unthought of consequences that you are accumulating if you look at your phone for anything more than responding to a few texts or emails in a day. This book does cover some of those consequences, but it’s also much more thoughtful and measured in its message. It’s less of a frantic alarm call, and more of a contemplative polemic.
In this sense, it’s a great follow-up to Stolen Focus. Once you’ve got the message that you ought to be using tech more mindfully, this book gives you some really balanced perspectives on how to go about it. I would say it’s a manifesto for mindfulness in your relationship with screens. There’s some good philosophy here too, Lincoln and Thoreau, and going back to some fundamental ideas about how to live life well.
I am very keen on the idea of living with greater intention, and unless you are very self-aware about how you spend your time, it’s just too easy to undermine your own objectives. This book has helped me to approach technology with intention, without having to become some sort of Luddite and thereby throw the baby out with the Bath water.
And to be fair, most people with a screen problem have no idea that they have a screen problem. I certainly didn’t, until I decided to switch my phone off for a day. If you don’t believe me, try it. It’s strangely difficult.
So, I’ve been learning, and now I am quite good at managing my screen time.
But that’s only half the challenge, because what I wanted to be able to do was to take the good stuff out of technology, while rejecting the bad. And this book, is an excellent foray into the intentional use of technology.
The last book I read on this topic (Stolen Focus) was excellent, and really detailed all the unthought of consequences that you are accumulating if you look at your phone for anything more than responding to a few texts or emails in a day. This book does cover some of those consequences, but it’s also much more thoughtful and measured in its message. It’s less of a frantic alarm call, and more of a contemplative polemic.
In this sense, it’s a great follow-up to Stolen Focus. Once you’ve got the message that you ought to be using tech more mindfully, this book gives you some really balanced perspectives on how to go about it. I would say it’s a manifesto for mindfulness in your relationship with screens. There’s some good philosophy here too, Lincoln and Thoreau, and going back to some fundamental ideas about how to live life well.
I am very keen on the idea of living with greater intention, and unless you are very self-aware about how you spend your time, it’s just too easy to undermine your own objectives. This book has helped me to approach technology with intention, without having to become some sort of Luddite and thereby throw the baby out with the Bath water.
taklamakan's review
1.0
1.5 stars
a 300 pages book, whose good concepts can be expressed with the same effectiveness in less than 20 pages.
I recommend listening to the author's podcast with Brett Mckay (Becoming a Digital Minimalist) and save your time.
a 300 pages book, whose good concepts can be expressed with the same effectiveness in less than 20 pages.
I recommend listening to the author's podcast with Brett Mckay (Becoming a Digital Minimalist) and save your time.
mindofaaronw's review
4.0
Digital Minimalism is a thought-provoking look at what social media has done to us in the 21st century. While I don't think all the advice is sound or approachable for all people, it's a good reminder to take a step back every once in a while and use social media less.
nikasbookcollection's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I listened to the audiobook, and I think I might get a physical copy to reread, highlight, and make notes on it. The audiobook felt a little confusing at times, and I think that because there was so much information, I struggled to absorb it through audio.
As someone who grew up in the age where everyone had a mobile device, this was an extremely thought-provoking novel that led to a lot of reflection on my own use of technology and social media. This is why audio also was not working for me; my thoughts often wandered away from the novel to reflect on the information and apply it to myself, so I was often pushing the rewind button. But I think that shows how captivating the studies and information was. I think there was a good blend of the main theory of digital minimalism, stories of other's experiences and reflections on past influential figures. At times, I felt it was repetitive at times, and personally, for me, the structure was difficult to follow through the audio version.
This is a really informative read, and I urge anyone who uses social media or technology as a daily part of their life to pick it up. This book is not about anti-technology; rather, it encourages readers to utilize technology as a productive tool in their lives to support important values rather than allowing for social media and technology to capitalize on our attention. It has made me rethink some of the ways I use my devices and social media due to societal norms.
As someone who grew up in the age where everyone had a mobile device, this was an extremely thought-provoking novel that led to a lot of reflection on my own use of technology and social media. This is why audio also was not working for me; my thoughts often wandered away from the novel to reflect on the information and apply it to myself, so I was often pushing the rewind button. But I think that shows how captivating the studies and information was. I think there was a good blend of the main theory of digital minimalism, stories of other's experiences and reflections on past influential figures. At times, I felt it was repetitive at times, and personally, for me, the structure was difficult to follow through the audio version.
This is a really informative read, and I urge anyone who uses social media or technology as a daily part of their life to pick it up. This book is not about anti-technology; rather, it encourages readers to utilize technology as a productive tool in their lives to support important values rather than allowing for social media and technology to capitalize on our attention. It has made me rethink some of the ways I use my devices and social media due to societal norms.
coffeedumps's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Honestly punk as fuck. I have been interested in digital minimalism as a way to protest the idea that social media is like normal and necessary, or that like we need to have access to each other all of the time, but this has taken that gut feeling and really put it into context. The “digital attention economy” is lowkey like… really REALLY fucked up. Dude is clearly old white guy and u gotta take some of his anecdotes with a grain of salt but this fucks. To me it read less like self help and more like a research backed plea for everyone to understand that your brain power is quite literally being sold to corporations.
icedviennalatte's review
5.0
In the past year, I've been making mindful choices in my life in order to be more present and overall happier and one of the best things I have done is cut back on the digital noise in my life. This is a great book for someone who is interested in going in this direction, or someone who is skeptical of the benefits of digital minimalism. I think that most of us know that too much social media and internet time are not good for us, but I always search for the "why?". This book lays out some great background information to support the author's stance, and he offers excellent advice for living an intentional, peaceful life as a digital minimalist. While I must admit that I won't be adopting every practice that he suggests, this book encouraged me to be more mindful with my digital life, and so far the benefits of digital minimalism have given me so much more time to focus on things that actually matter. Check this book out!
forgottensecret's review
5.0
'Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.'
I have misjudged the purpose of digital minimalism. The purpose of digital minimalism isn't to deselect TV and films for the sake of having that goal achieved. It is rather that, but most importantly, substituting a well-intentioned, well considered other outlet. It is about creating intentionality in your life, rather than being bundled around by the slot machine in your pocket or screen. I for weeks have missed that distinction. One could easily cut out all technology from their lives, live in a cabin and be a glutton, or just be depressed sitting there. In fact, by default many prisoners are digital minimalists - but does that ensure a purposeful life? Removing technology is to be hand held with what a good life is to you, what eudomania represents to your core. I have not watched TV shows or movies alone for around 50 days but I have used podcasts instead. Isn't that just the same as if I bought a Nintendo Switch and used that? They all share the compellingness to make you unintentional about your life, whatever guise they might come in. So, imagine you only used your dumb phone, or only read a physical newspaper. How would your life look then? Don't be seduced by other avenues and still consider it a virtuous path.
Digital Minimalism could be summed up by Thoreau 'simplicity, simplicity, simplicity', or the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius 'You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life?' This is a manifesto, 'we cannot passively allow the wild tangle of tools, entertainments, and distractions provided by the internet age to dictate how we spend our time or how we feel.' As I learned in Irresistible, it isn't purely the fault of the individual for using a screen, but rather: 'People don't succumb to screens because they're lazy, but because billions of dollars have been invested to make this outcome inevitable.' It is vital to not view your phone as a neutral object, or even as a harmless companion, it is rather 'a slot machine', 'it is not neutral'. Like a cigarette, like a slot machine, that is what is carried around in your pocket. Facebook, which seems to morph more into the atrocity of Medusa each day, had at its formation the question: 'How do we consume as much as of your time and conscious attention as possible?'
The definition for Digital Minimalism is 'A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.' One must constantly apply 'implicit cost-benefit analyses', where we inspect what we value most and then have a test: 'Is this the best way to use technology to support this value?' Therefore, this requires introspection to knowing what you value, who do you admire, and why are you continuing to use technology that doesn't gel with that? 'The minimalist philosophy of working backward from your deeply held values when deciding how live your life.' There are 3 principles to Digital Minimalism:
1. Clutter is costly.
2. Optimization is important
3. Intentionality is satisfying
As Thoreau sums up 'The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.'
So when reading BBC news or on Quora or podcasts, ask yourself: 'How much of your time and attention must be sacrificed to earn the small profit of occasional connections and new ideas that is earned by cultivating a significant presence on Twitter?' Measure the costs against your life. We must 'treat the minutes of your life as a concrete and valuable substance.' The Amish apparently do this all the time.
So now that we have outlined the philosophy, how do we implement it? Cal recommends a digital declutter of 30 days where we take a break from optional technologies. We then reintroduce things by asking WHAT VALUE they serve in your life. Again, it's been really conscious and observing the value of Quora or BBC, if any. After reintroducing it, note that 'The fact that it offers some vale is irrelevant - the digital minimalist deploys technology to serve the things they find most important in their life.' A summary of this process is:
'To allow an optional technology back into your life at the end of the digital declutter, it must:
1. Serve something you deeply value (offering some benefit is not enough).
2. Be the best way to use technology to serve this value (if it's not, replace it with something better).
3. Have a role in your life that is constrained with a standard operating procedure that specifies when and how you use it.'
So everything you have on your phone, ask what is its value? And then if you do decide to keep reading the news SCHEDULE it. It is just so easy to mindlessly click on news sites during breaks. You can still visit them, but just decide when and how, as if you only did have a physical copy. The key is to imagine that 100 years ago, that was the case and any resistance is just an infestation of technology in your mind.
Some practical applications:
1. Solitude. With iPods we can constantly have inputs from other minds, it is psychologically necessary to take some time for solitude. Solitude deprivation is 'a state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds.'
To facilitate this: leave your phone at home, take long walks
2. Philosophy of conversation-centric communication. I really loved this idea, as it is something that I've intuited for a long time. 'It argues that conversation is the only form of interaction that in some sense counts toward maintaining a relationship.' 'Conversation is what counts - don't be distracted from this reality by the shiny stuff on your screen.'
What do you do with all that free time? A man called Pete of the Financial Independence movement writes: 'If you leave me alone for a day... I'll have a joyful time rotating between carpentry, weight training, writing, playing around with instruments in the music studio, making lists and executing tasks from them.' In fact, people within the FI community often 'voluntarily fill these hours with strenuous activity.' In an unintuitive turnaround, we need to view leisure not as a passive downtime, but rather, 'Expending more energy in your leisure, Bennett tells us, can end up energising you more.' Cal calls this the Bennett Principles. 'The value you receive from a pursuit is often proportional to the energy invested.' So Teddy Roosevelt, Pete Adeney are both examples of this. Isn't that true though? You watch hours of TV shows and you feel even more lethargic afterwards? So Leisure Lesson 1 is 'Prioritise demanding activity over passive consumption.'
Number 2 is 'Use skills to produce valuable things in the world.' Number 3 is 'Seek activities that require real-world, structured social interactions.' We need to construct high quality leisure to make sure that when we abolish screens, that we do so purposefully and are happy to do so. As he mentions in deep work, if you do want to watch a movie or something, schedule it. Just don't do it reactively. Make 'seasonal leisure plans', like returning to the piano make an objective out of it. For habits, restrict low quality leisure to 60 minutes only at 19:00-20:00. From your seasonal leisure plan work backwards to your weekly leisure plan. You can use a scorecard to ensure you have stuck to it. 'The more you see these leisure plans as just part of your normal scheduling - and not some separate and potentially optional endeavour - the more likely you are to succeed in following them.'
Cal actually corrects my misuse of digital minimalism in the final chapter: 'In my experience, the key to sustained success with this philosophy is accepting that it's not really about technology, but is instead more about the quality of your life. The more you experiment with the ideas and practices on the preceding pages, the more you'll come to realise that digital minimalism is much more than a set of rules, it's about cultivating a life worth living in our current age of alluring devices.'
Having written this review, I realise how powerful this book is. It isn't a book to simply ponder, but to really install the ideas into your own life. Just imagining it, one feels a little weightless, a little less encumbered. Highly recommended.
I have misjudged the purpose of digital minimalism. The purpose of digital minimalism isn't to deselect TV and films for the sake of having that goal achieved. It is rather that, but most importantly, substituting a well-intentioned, well considered other outlet. It is about creating intentionality in your life, rather than being bundled around by the slot machine in your pocket or screen. I for weeks have missed that distinction. One could easily cut out all technology from their lives, live in a cabin and be a glutton, or just be depressed sitting there. In fact, by default many prisoners are digital minimalists - but does that ensure a purposeful life? Removing technology is to be hand held with what a good life is to you, what eudomania represents to your core. I have not watched TV shows or movies alone for around 50 days but I have used podcasts instead. Isn't that just the same as if I bought a Nintendo Switch and used that? They all share the compellingness to make you unintentional about your life, whatever guise they might come in. So, imagine you only used your dumb phone, or only read a physical newspaper. How would your life look then? Don't be seduced by other avenues and still consider it a virtuous path.
Digital Minimalism could be summed up by Thoreau 'simplicity, simplicity, simplicity', or the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius 'You see how few things you have to do to live a satisfying and reverent life?' This is a manifesto, 'we cannot passively allow the wild tangle of tools, entertainments, and distractions provided by the internet age to dictate how we spend our time or how we feel.' As I learned in Irresistible, it isn't purely the fault of the individual for using a screen, but rather: 'People don't succumb to screens because they're lazy, but because billions of dollars have been invested to make this outcome inevitable.' It is vital to not view your phone as a neutral object, or even as a harmless companion, it is rather 'a slot machine', 'it is not neutral'. Like a cigarette, like a slot machine, that is what is carried around in your pocket. Facebook, which seems to morph more into the atrocity of Medusa each day, had at its formation the question: 'How do we consume as much as of your time and conscious attention as possible?'
The definition for Digital Minimalism is 'A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.' One must constantly apply 'implicit cost-benefit analyses', where we inspect what we value most and then have a test: 'Is this the best way to use technology to support this value?' Therefore, this requires introspection to knowing what you value, who do you admire, and why are you continuing to use technology that doesn't gel with that? 'The minimalist philosophy of working backward from your deeply held values when deciding how live your life.' There are 3 principles to Digital Minimalism:
1. Clutter is costly.
2. Optimization is important
3. Intentionality is satisfying
As Thoreau sums up 'The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.'
So when reading BBC news or on Quora or podcasts, ask yourself: 'How much of your time and attention must be sacrificed to earn the small profit of occasional connections and new ideas that is earned by cultivating a significant presence on Twitter?' Measure the costs against your life. We must 'treat the minutes of your life as a concrete and valuable substance.' The Amish apparently do this all the time.
So now that we have outlined the philosophy, how do we implement it? Cal recommends a digital declutter of 30 days where we take a break from optional technologies. We then reintroduce things by asking WHAT VALUE they serve in your life. Again, it's been really conscious and observing the value of Quora or BBC, if any. After reintroducing it, note that 'The fact that it offers some vale is irrelevant - the digital minimalist deploys technology to serve the things they find most important in their life.' A summary of this process is:
'To allow an optional technology back into your life at the end of the digital declutter, it must:
1. Serve something you deeply value (offering some benefit is not enough).
2. Be the best way to use technology to serve this value (if it's not, replace it with something better).
3. Have a role in your life that is constrained with a standard operating procedure that specifies when and how you use it.'
So everything you have on your phone, ask what is its value? And then if you do decide to keep reading the news SCHEDULE it. It is just so easy to mindlessly click on news sites during breaks. You can still visit them, but just decide when and how, as if you only did have a physical copy. The key is to imagine that 100 years ago, that was the case and any resistance is just an infestation of technology in your mind.
Some practical applications:
1. Solitude. With iPods we can constantly have inputs from other minds, it is psychologically necessary to take some time for solitude. Solitude deprivation is 'a state in which you spend close to zero time alone with your own thoughts and free from input from other minds.'
To facilitate this: leave your phone at home, take long walks
2. Philosophy of conversation-centric communication. I really loved this idea, as it is something that I've intuited for a long time. 'It argues that conversation is the only form of interaction that in some sense counts toward maintaining a relationship.' 'Conversation is what counts - don't be distracted from this reality by the shiny stuff on your screen.'
What do you do with all that free time? A man called Pete of the Financial Independence movement writes: 'If you leave me alone for a day... I'll have a joyful time rotating between carpentry, weight training, writing, playing around with instruments in the music studio, making lists and executing tasks from them.' In fact, people within the FI community often 'voluntarily fill these hours with strenuous activity.' In an unintuitive turnaround, we need to view leisure not as a passive downtime, but rather, 'Expending more energy in your leisure, Bennett tells us, can end up energising you more.' Cal calls this the Bennett Principles. 'The value you receive from a pursuit is often proportional to the energy invested.' So Teddy Roosevelt, Pete Adeney are both examples of this. Isn't that true though? You watch hours of TV shows and you feel even more lethargic afterwards? So Leisure Lesson 1 is 'Prioritise demanding activity over passive consumption.'
Number 2 is 'Use skills to produce valuable things in the world.' Number 3 is 'Seek activities that require real-world, structured social interactions.' We need to construct high quality leisure to make sure that when we abolish screens, that we do so purposefully and are happy to do so. As he mentions in deep work, if you do want to watch a movie or something, schedule it. Just don't do it reactively. Make 'seasonal leisure plans', like returning to the piano make an objective out of it. For habits, restrict low quality leisure to 60 minutes only at 19:00-20:00. From your seasonal leisure plan work backwards to your weekly leisure plan. You can use a scorecard to ensure you have stuck to it. 'The more you see these leisure plans as just part of your normal scheduling - and not some separate and potentially optional endeavour - the more likely you are to succeed in following them.'
Cal actually corrects my misuse of digital minimalism in the final chapter: 'In my experience, the key to sustained success with this philosophy is accepting that it's not really about technology, but is instead more about the quality of your life. The more you experiment with the ideas and practices on the preceding pages, the more you'll come to realise that digital minimalism is much more than a set of rules, it's about cultivating a life worth living in our current age of alluring devices.'
Having written this review, I realise how powerful this book is. It isn't a book to simply ponder, but to really install the ideas into your own life. Just imagining it, one feels a little weightless, a little less encumbered. Highly recommended.