Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Am I using technology, or is technology using me?

This was the question I was confronted with while listening to Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World on audiobook in early February of this year. Around the same time, I watched the 2020 Netflix documentary called “The Social Dilemma,” the full version of which is now available for free on YouTube. Two things became clear to me by the time I finished engaging with both the book and documentary. The first? I was more enslaved to the digital world than I had been willing to admit. The second? If I wanted to reclaim my leisure time and find more joy in life, my relationship with technology and digital media needed to change.

Prior to listening to Newport's book, I probably would have rated my technology addiction very low on a scale of one to ten. In fact, I prided myself in my ability to “have a life” beyond screens. I rarely ever watched TV or movies (compared to many of my Netflix-binging peers), spent very little time texting or messaging during the day (compared to the average smartphone user), and only used Facebook and Instagram to stay informed and maintain contact with “friends” (my scrolling habit wasted more time than I would have liked to admit, I very rarely posted anything). If I had to go a day without my phone, it would certainly be difficult (how would I navigate without google maps or complete housework without podcasts to listen to?) but I would survive. Or would I? It was an uncomfortable scenario that I had never allowed my mental faculties to engage with.

After finishing Digital Minimalism, it became clear that I was making a few dangerous assumptions while mistakenly complimenting myself for my detachment from digital devices. The first assumption was that I was doing well in this area simply because I was less attached to my electronic devices than the people with whom I lived and interacted. The error of this thinking became obvious once I held it up to the light for examination. It is a basic principle of self-improvement that comparison with the successes or failings of others is a poor measure of your own progress. It is quite easy to find someone who is worse than you at overcoming a particular vice or vanity and determine that you need make no change because you are better off than they. It is far more difficult (but more productive and rewarding) to engage in self-reflection and independent goal setting, comparing yourself to where you would like to be, rather than to where those around you are at.

The second assumption I had been living with was that I needed to use all the technology, apps, and media I was currently engaging with. If I didn't, I would be missing out on vital benefits that I simply could not do without. This was a comical assumption, but I was completely blind to the illogical nature of it at the time. I was also clueless to the fact that this false premise was affecting my everyday decision making (or lack there-of) when it came to technology use. I felt an obligation to engage with social media, check my email app a dozen times a day, and read messages as soon as the notifications popped up on my screen. This sense of obligation was partly driven by a psychological addiction that I was oblivious to the effects of, but also stemmed from the reality I had never taken the opportunity to evaluate how and why I was using the technology and media that I was. I had grown up with some of it, some of it was added to my daily routine later in life (I didn't join Facebook until I was in university, initially only using it for project-related chat groups). But using all the media I engaged with on any given day felt as natural and necessary as breathing, although it triggered stress and negative emotions in a way that an intake of fresh air never had (perhaps that should have been my first clue that I had a problem on my hands!)

Although I had not yet started my blog at the time that I listened to Digital Minimalism on audiobook, I took notes on all the details that stood out to me. For those who are interested in a preview, or who may want to skip reading the book altogether, I will highlight some of the key takeaways and themes that I have used to implement practical changes (to be detailed in a future post).

First, one key point to remember before we begin: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

Ok, here we go.

Ten takeaways from Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

1. Intentionality is an essential (but often absent) aspect of our relationship with technology.

Becoming a digital minimalist does NOT mean giving up all technology and digital media. It DOES mean making intentional decisions about which technologies, apps, etc. add meaning to your life (yes, meaning). You must be prepared to only use those features of social media and other websites or apps that actively benefit you and contribute to your pre-determined goals and priorities. Newport explains that digital minimalism can be contrasted with digital maximalism, where FOMO (Fear of Missing Out, for my non-millennial readers) rules the day. When we live by this latter mindset, we think that if we can gain any benefit from a particular platform or media, we ought to fully embrace the platform regardless of its negative effects.

2. Psychological addiction to technology and social media is real, and most of us experience it on some level.

There is simply no getting around this. Technology and social media are made to be addicting. Newport’s book (as well as The Social Dilemma) do an excellent job of making you begrudge profit-seeking “Big Tech” companies such as Google, Netflix, and Facebook. You might be surprised to realize just how much intentional control tech companies and marketing gurus have managed to obtain over your schedule, spending habits, relationships, focus, productivity, emotions, and mental health. The good news? You can claim that control right back by intentionally detaching from your use of their services. Your attention is their product, and while they may be devising secret weapons to hold onto it, you are still in the driver’s seat at the end of the day.

3. The key to overcoming technology addiction is to discover or

re-discover other pleasures and activities in life that bring you joy and fulfillment.

Newport emphasizes that in order to break the hold technology has over us, we must rediscover the pleasurable pursuits and hobbies that once occupied our time before we became obsessed with our screens and devices. If we have no recollection of enjoying non-digital pastimes, we must make an intentional effort to cultivate a love for hands-on activities that interest us. The goal is to awaken a desire to do something purposeful and meaningful, something other than scrolling newsfeeds and binging TV shows. Once we have found activities and hobbies we want to prioritize (such as reading, painting, playing an instrument, sewing, cooking, building, gardening, or exercising), we will become more motivated to set aside uninterrupted time devoted to improving ourselves at these activities. Mindless technology use will consequently seem far less interesting and necessary over time.

4. Time is our most valuable currency.

Modern society encourages working beyond the typical 40 hour week in order to have the money we need to enjoy all the luxuries it has to offer (or just have enough to pay for rent, gas, and insurance, if you live in cities like Vancouver or Toronto…). But what does it benefit us if we use all our time (which we must think of as a currency) to pursue more money (another type of currency) if the former is more useful and efficient for bringing us true joy and happiness? Newport highlights the value of our time using the example of Henry David Thoreau’s “new economics,” which he developed while living in the middle of the woods, devoting himself to writing and observing nature. Instead of trying to outline’s Thoreau’s unique lifestyle and political theory, I will encourage my readers to watch this engaging video.

5. Deciding which technologies to use is important but optimizing how we use them is even more essential.

Let’s say you decide that Facebook is a media platform that brings you great benefit and adds meaning to your life. No problem. Digital minimalists would support you in your decision, but they would also push you to ask a difficult question: how am I going to use Facebook so that I can harness many of the personal benefits but limit the drawbacks? (i.e. all those unnecessary distractions). This is where you get to be creative. Are you going to unfollow most of your “friends” and liked pages? Disable your newsfeed altogether and only log in to check updates from specific groups? Limit yourself to checking once or twice a week for a set amount of time? Delete the app off your phone and only log in on a computer? (I HIGHLY recommend the last suggestion). Here, the theme of intentionality gets to shine. You are in control. You get to make decisions about how you use this media. Are you going to restrict your Netflix watching to specific days and hours? Will you only watch movies and TV with family or friends, and never alone? A strategic plan is necessary if we are to have any hope at winning the war against the people creating digital services that are so cunningly addictive.

6. Reclaiming conversation is essential to detaching from social media and nurturing personal relationships.

Many of us are so used to living our lives in the digital realm that we don’t even notice the fact that our basic human relationships are suffering as a result. When is the last time you talked to any one of your Facebook friends in person or over phone/video chat? Do you spend more time liking posts by Instagram influencers that intentionally influencing the lives of those around you in a positive way? Do you feel more comfortable sending a text or email than picking up the phone? All of these are traits that are not uncommon for generations raised on (or weaned onto) smartphones and social media apps. But they are not healthy traits. Newport recommends a few drastic measures (such as never pressing the like button on a social media post again!), but he also suggests a few “easier” basics. For example, trying setting up “office hours” so that friends and family members can call you at specific times of day and you can have meaningful conversations about each other’s lives. Instead of liking pictures of your friend’s new baby, cook for her, collect baby items for her, or arrange meal delivery. Go for regular walks and coffee dates with a few close friends instead of worrying about “keeping up” with the lives of the hundreds of other people you follow on social media. In short, rediscover the essential social interactions that “social” media (or “anti-social” media, as some prefer to call it) is threatening to eliminate.

7. Modern society is suffering from solitude deprivation.

A certain Blaise Pascal quote instantly came to mind when I listened to Newport’s analysis of

the effects of solitude deprivation: “all of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

Most of us live in a world where we are inundated by constant stimulation and never-ending opportunities for digital entertainment. Our minds are overloaded by text messages, emails, phone calls, music, YouTube videos, news reports, and social media posts. It’s no wonder we’re so stressed and exhausted! An incessant stream of input prevents us from having the space to engage with our own thoughts.

When we are constantly taking in information, we have no mental capacity left for processing that information or developing new ideas and reflections. As an antidote to this mental oversaturation, Newport recommends learning how to be able to periodically separate ourselves from this noise and develop a habit of writing down what we discover as a result. Going for long walks in nature (without our phones) and journaling our thoughts and ideas (preferably analogue style, with paper and pen) top his list of suggestions. For a short summary of this concept, its usefulness, and how to put it into practice, you can read this article.

8. Engaging in active leisure can help us learn to live without the constant need for distraction.

Listening to this section of Newport’s book called to mind an excellent read from my university days, which was Josef Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture. Newport describes active leisure in ways that readers unfamiliar with classical definitions of leisure might reject. For example, Newport describes homebuilding and homemaking, hiking, working out, and maintaining personal property as “active leisure” activities. If the image that comes to mind when you think of leisure is lounging in a chair with a cup of tea and reading a good book (this might be a biased example…), then it might take some pondering for Newport’s argument to compute. However, if leisure is understood as something that contains meaning and purpose, or as any activity that makes us more human, then work and leisure can (in certain contexts) look very much alike. What does this have to do with digital minimalism? It’s simple. The more we engage the mind and body in intellectually and physically stimulating activity (often oriented towards fulfilling a personal goal, centered around a predetermined priority), the less we will be tempted to fill space or soothe boredom by reaching for our phones or turning on the TV. Meaningful projects and activities, once they become part of our routine and we find satisfaction in engaging with them, are much more compelling than mindless scrolling and frequent binge-watching.

9. Deleting social media apps will drastically reduce unnecessary use of these services.

Probably one of the biggest (and most difficult) steps you can take towards fighting back against technology addiction and getting the upper-hand over big-tech companies is deleting social media apps from your smartphone. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, etc. are likely taking up far more of your valuable time than you would like (remember point four?) simply because they are always within arm’s reach.

The reality is that many of us treat our phones like pacifiers. Social media apps are an easy distraction to reach for whenever we experience negative emotions that we would rather not have to face (boredom, loneliness, guilt, frustration, anxiety, etc.). We might tell ourselves we can stay off of social media without deleting those apps, but that might be equivalent to an alcoholic believing they can get sober while having liquor in the house, or a smoker planning to quit while always having cigarettes and a lighter readily accessible. These are more than bad habits we are dealing with. These are addictions. We need to treat them that way.

Using social media services only on a computer has been a huge game changer for me. The only social media apps I have on my phone now are messaging apps, and I have turned off all notifications for these. True, deleting apps you spend hours a day on can be a very difficult adjustment to get used to. However, my experience has been that this change is ultimately more freeing than restrictive in the long run.

10. Your life as a digital minimalist will look completely different from everyone else’s. You get to set the rules.

Newport acknowledges frequently that the way digital minimalism is lived out will be different for everyone, since a lot depends on your lifestyle, employment, and personal needs. That’s the beauty of making a game plan and taking the 30-day media fast challenge (and creating a follow up plan). You get to set the rules. There is no cookie-cutter, ready made manual to follow. If you are anything like me, this might be a slightly terrifying concept at first. But it’s designed to help you succeed. Think about it. If someone else tells you what to do with your time and how to shape your interactions with the digital world, you would probably write them off and create all sorts of defensive justifications for your choices. But it you’re the one making the decisions and choosing your priorities out of a desire for intentionality and self-improvement…well, that’s a whole different story. Believe it or not, you might actually find yourself enjoying the process (especially when you see the results!)

As a disclaimer, I should clarify that by no means have I figured all this out and become a hard-core, never-regressing digital minimalist. I find myself needing constant resets and re-evaluations. The important thing is that I now have tools to know how to do that, as well as the motivation that comes with knowing why intentionality is so crucial to developing a healthy relationship with technology and digital media. I have also seen the benefits of cutting back my use of digital devices, and now it is difficult to imagine giving those up for the constantly distracted and distressed state I once existed in.

“The more a man uses moderation in his life, the more he is at peace, for he is not full of cares for many things.”

- St Anthony the Great