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yasminwilnis 's review for:
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
by Cal Newport
26.02.23 1st Read
I started reading this book on my birthday trip in 2022, though was, ironically, too distracted to continue. Since I’ve received the memo to slow down my mind this book jumped out to me and I entered my own digital declutter only a week after restarting this book! I’m on day 19 out of 30 days of rephrasing my relationship with the digital world including devices! The time I’ve reclaimed back has been immense, the relationships I’ve deepened in that time has expanded. I still deal with impulses to slow down though my mind feels a lot calmer and conscious of those thoughts. It’s not about eliminating digital media completely it’s about using the devices to support the life you value so highly. I’m a big Cal Newport fan since this book and am excited to continue this growth with Deep Work.
Biggest lesson from the book: The power of a general-purpose device is in the total number of things it enables the user to do, not the total number of things it enables the user to do simultaneously! If you want to join the attention resistance, transform your devices into computers that are general purpose in the long run, but are effectively single purpose in any given moment. Therefore you become more intentional about your usage ✨
Highly recommend this book to anyone feeling distracted and like they don’t have enough time. To anyone feeling overwhelmed, which can largely be due to our attention being pulled in 101 different directions. To anyone feeling alone or feeling they lack connection with real world around us including people and connections. For anyone who has difficulty being in solitude. This is the book for you ❤️
21.01.2024 2nd Read
At the start of rereading this book I deactivated all my social media accounts, and the peace and quiet it has given my mind is immense. Digital minimalism isn’t just about eliminating social media, it’s about cultivating a high quality life and understanding how you use technology instead of focusing on why you use it.
Reading this book the 2nd time around from a completely different perspective and relationship with technology was so refreshing! It helps to embrace slow living, and pursue high-quality leisure (like relearning to play the piano, working on home build projects, learning new skills) instead even more strongly. It’s allowed me to completely redevelop and optimise my relationship with my phone as a general-purpose device in any given time of the day (especially through the different focus modes on the iPhone). It helps to also keep my phone in a prominent place in my house at all times, in this case I leave it next to our home phone (yup, we still have one). The extra challenge of having to go there and grab my phone when I need it makes using the device extra intentional. Same goes for how I use my laptop and iPad. The purpose of these devices is so much more clear now and at which moments of the day (even days of the week) I use them as supportive devices.
Other changes have been unsubscribing from a huge number of YouTube channels and using it as a search platform and only as entertainment at certain times in the weekend. Netflix has turned into a social activity, allowing myself to only watch movies with others, which has been so much more fun!
If I decide to reread this book next year, it’s going to be exciting to reflect on what other changes have been made in that time! This book remains a constant favourite towards a slow intentional and minimal lifestyle
I started reading this book on my birthday trip in 2022, though was, ironically, too distracted to continue. Since I’ve received the memo to slow down my mind this book jumped out to me and I entered my own digital declutter only a week after restarting this book! I’m on day 19 out of 30 days of rephrasing my relationship with the digital world including devices! The time I’ve reclaimed back has been immense, the relationships I’ve deepened in that time has expanded. I still deal with impulses to slow down though my mind feels a lot calmer and conscious of those thoughts. It’s not about eliminating digital media completely it’s about using the devices to support the life you value so highly. I’m a big Cal Newport fan since this book and am excited to continue this growth with Deep Work.
Biggest lesson from the book: The power of a general-purpose device is in the total number of things it enables the user to do, not the total number of things it enables the user to do simultaneously! If you want to join the attention resistance, transform your devices into computers that are general purpose in the long run, but are effectively single purpose in any given moment. Therefore you become more intentional about your usage ✨
Highly recommend this book to anyone feeling distracted and like they don’t have enough time. To anyone feeling overwhelmed, which can largely be due to our attention being pulled in 101 different directions. To anyone feeling alone or feeling they lack connection with real world around us including people and connections. For anyone who has difficulty being in solitude. This is the book for you ❤️
21.01.2024 2nd Read
At the start of rereading this book I deactivated all my social media accounts, and the peace and quiet it has given my mind is immense. Digital minimalism isn’t just about eliminating social media, it’s about cultivating a high quality life and understanding how you use technology instead of focusing on why you use it.
Reading this book the 2nd time around from a completely different perspective and relationship with technology was so refreshing! It helps to embrace slow living, and pursue high-quality leisure (like relearning to play the piano, working on home build projects, learning new skills) instead even more strongly. It’s allowed me to completely redevelop and optimise my relationship with my phone as a general-purpose device in any given time of the day (especially through the different focus modes on the iPhone). It helps to also keep my phone in a prominent place in my house at all times, in this case I leave it next to our home phone (yup, we still have one). The extra challenge of having to go there and grab my phone when I need it makes using the device extra intentional. Same goes for how I use my laptop and iPad. The purpose of these devices is so much more clear now and at which moments of the day (even days of the week) I use them as supportive devices.
Other changes have been unsubscribing from a huge number of YouTube channels and using it as a search platform and only as entertainment at certain times in the weekend. Netflix has turned into a social activity, allowing myself to only watch movies with others, which has been so much more fun!
If I decide to reread this book next year, it’s going to be exciting to reflect on what other changes have been made in that time! This book remains a constant favourite towards a slow intentional and minimal lifestyle