Digital Minimalism

Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

by Cal Newport

302 pages

English language

Published Feb. 5, 2019

ISBN:: 978-0-525-53651-2
ASIN:: B07DBRBP7G

View on OpenLibrary

View on Inventaire

(6 reviews)

Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones. They can get lost in a good book, a woodworking project, or a leisurely morning run. They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the experience. They stay informed about the news of the day, but don't feel overwhelmed by it. They don't experience "fear of missing out" because they already know which activities provide them meaning and satisfaction.

Now, Newport gives us a name for this quiet movement, and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips, like turning off notifications, or occasional rituals like observing a digital sabbath, don't go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, …

Drawing on a diverse array of real-life examples, from Amish farmers to harried parents to Silicon Valley programmers, Newport identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a thirty-day "digital declutter" process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.

Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way.

2 editions

zeerooth reviewed Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Mostly accurate and helpful guide to reevalute your online and offline lives

4 stars

I think this book has a ton of valuable insights into how you can extract value from online services and improve your lifestyle, by setting rules in place about access to "new tech", recalculating if social media really gives you the promised value or have you fallen into its addiction trap, taking walks and getting bored again to boost creativity and many more. Everyone can pick up this book, read it, and start applying at least some of it's rules in everyday life, which I did too, and I think it's amazing.

However, some ideas presented seem to me like more of a hit or miss and a few come from questionable sources, like financial independence communities or religious groups. On top of that, I think social media giants aren't put through rigorous research and blamed enough. They know about what happens with users and choose not to act up …

Eric Ireland reviewed Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Thoughtful advice for the hyperonline

4 stars

Like a lot of these sort of books, Newport uses a lot of interesting anecdotes and historical stories to pad out his overall message which is that while the internet can be useful, you can have too much of a good thing and it can't replace human contact and social media can't replace voice conversations. I feel this is true. Some of his advice like planning your leisure time (actually writing out a plan) sounds too much like work to me. Maybe that would help some people. His main idea though, is to go on a sort of "digital detox" for a month and then reintroduce social media and other "internet entertainment" in a more conscious way, so you're not picking up your phone whenever you feel bored. I have found this has helped me a lot.

I listened to this as an audiobook while I was driving around delivering …

I listened to this as an audiobook while I was driving around delivering UberEats, so I missed bits where my iPhone was barking directions out at me. I want to read the actual book in the future.