Why You Should Practice Digital Minimalism

And how you can use it to get out of the attention economy.

Photo by Alex Presa on Unsplash

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Back in 2018, RescueTime ran some stats on their users and found people, on average, use their phones for 3 hours and 15 minutes a day. With ‘heavy’ users running up 4.5 hours. Our reliance on tech also shows in the business world; Apple recently became the first company to be valued at $1.5 Trillion, Trillion.

And it’s easy to get lost in it all.

You’re checking your emails on your way to work. Social media pulls you into a half-hour rabbit hole during your break, then you recheck your emails on your way home. The news cycle hits you 24/7. You probably relax by watching the TV or a movie, right?

That was me. But a couple of years ago, I came across the book titled ‘Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World’ by Cal Newport. It changed the way I view my relationship with technology.

If you also feel a little overwhelmed by how much tech is taking over your life, stick around.

What is ‘Digital Minimalism’?

You may be one of those many people who watched that Minimalism documentary or you got tied up in Tidying Up With Marie Kondo on Netflix, in which case, you already know what minimalism is.

Alternatively, you may also have no idea what I’m talking about. The concept of minimalism in its core is “Less is More”. It makes you rethink about your relationship with material possessions as well as your psychology towards owning things.

It makes you appreciate what you have, as opposed to desiring what you don’t.

Digital minimalism takes that concept a step further; Cal Newport proposes this as its definition:

“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.”

So, it doesn’t just mean deleting Facebook from your phone for a couple of days. It’s about finding what motivates you to use your phone (and other Tech) so much, then rewiring your dependency upon it — long-term fulfilment over short-term gratification.

Why You Should Try Digital Minimalism

There are a few simple yet profound benefits to incorporating digital minimalism into your life. The best part is, while they are great on their own, they also have implications for improving your experiences in even broader areas.

#1 You take back control of your time

As I mentioned earlier, how many times have you found yourself thinking “oh, I’ll just quickly scan through Instagram to see if there have been any updates.” Then find yourself 45 minutes later, still scrolling?

Even better, another classic example would be binge-watching a TV series on your streaming service of choice; one does not merely watch a single episode.

If you employ the philosophy of digital minimalism, you find yourself suddenly having a lot more time to use towards other meaningful activities. You could write that novel stuck in a random folder on your computer or finish that half-done building project around your house.

Rest assured, I’m not telling you to become a technophobic hermit, just be mindful of what online activities bring you value. As Cal says:

“No one signed up for a loss of control at the hands of modern technology. With digital minimalism, you learn to take back control over your time and your attention.”

#2 Your attention is no longer their currency

Everyone knows that in this world, absolutely nothing is free. You have to pay for whatever it is you’re receiving somehow.

In ye old days if we didn’t use money, we’d often trade our time and skills in return for someone else’s. These days we exchange our data and attention.

The value of your data is a whole other ballgame. However, Tech giants are also competing with each other for your attention. In their world, your eyes on their site/app translate to money in their pockets thanks to ad-based business models we’ve become accustomed to.

The difference with digital minimalism, is you give your attention with intention. You only trade your attention to those who provide you with real value, and not let the companies decide for you.

#3 Tech becomes much more useful

Once you’ve decided to use tech, like smartphones, on your terms it becomes a much better tool for enhancing your life — as we intended initially.

Instead of mindlessly scrolling and clicking on videos that catch your eye, you’re able to set a purpose for your use, get what you need, and get the hell out of Dodge.

Thinking deeply about why and how you use technology, you also consider your values and how you can use technology to support them.

Cal also makes a point about optimising what you do want to keep regularly using, instead of falling victim to the shiny bauble of ‘new’. For example, he encourages us to think about whether or not the ‘new’ version will effectively improve how you use it:

“Is this the best way to use technology to support this value? If the answer is no, the minimalist will set to work trying to optomize the tech, or search out a better option.”

How You Can Use Digital Minimalism in Your Life

So, you know what it is, and you now also know how it can provide you with some benefits. Now I’m going to give you some steps for the practicalities of it all, how do you practice digital minimalism?

#1 Decide what apps or online tools provide value

Ultimately, you have to look at your online behaviour and decide what is genuinely bringing value into your life. It’ll look different for everyone, so I’m not going to tell you what does or doesn’t add value. It’s your life, after all. But if you need some inspiration, here’s some of what I decided:

• I barely touch Facebook, so it was a natural choice to delete, same with Twitter (disclaimer, I still have accounts, I just don’t have the apps on my phone).
• Instagram was a tough one; it was my primary social media platform. I kept it but decided to reduce my follow list to only those who inspire me.
• I also decided to remove my email app because I was addicted to checking for new emails every 15 minutes or so.

Another step worth taking here is to borrow a rule from The Minimalists but apply it to apps (and Tech in general); if you haven’t used it in 30 days, get rid of it. Delete it or sell it.

Once you have decided on what to keep, you’ll need to move onto step two.

#2 Establish some operating rules

If you’ve read a lot about morning routines, you probably noticed how many people prioritise setting a specific time for when they become ‘available’ online, or when they start checking emails.

This point is especially real for entrepreneurs of any kind since you don’t have the structure of the traditional 9–5.

Once you’ve chiseled down your online tools to what you need, you’ll need to set some rules for their use. In his book, Cal provided some examples of how his readers took on this point.

Some decided Facebook was essential to their job role — but they only bookmarked individual pages, such as the local events or a company page. Some scheduled specific times of the day where they checked their emails and had auto-responders to let others know their rules.

Have a go at thinking about the best way to use your tools and how you can set some boundaries so that the tools work for you, not the other way around.

#3 Reclaim your leisure time

You know how you always come up with that same excuse:

“I’d love to do [insert hobby here] more, but I just don’t have the time!”

Well, when you manage to get around the previous points, you’ll have a lot more time on your hands. So what are you going to do? Reclaim your leisure time, of course.

It’s key to replace the time with a meaningful activity though; otherwise, you’re just going to go back to mindless scrolling or surface-level work that doesn’t help you.

I decided to pick up rereading fiction since I missed the feeling of being immersed in other worlds. But it could easily be something else like DIY projects or spending more quality time with your family.

#4 Don’t click like

Cal has an entire chapter in his book dedicated to his point of not clicking ‘like’ as a means of communicating our thoughts to one another online. It’s full of findings from psychological and neurological research relating to how the quality of our communication matters for our wellbeing.

In essence, it’s no coincidence that with the rise of the internet and social media usage, we have also seen a decrease in physical, social skills. Not only that, but we also feel lonelier because of it.

Instead of clicking ‘like’ to convey an acknowledgement of their digital thoughts, we should be talking to our friends and family.

As social creatures, we need physical human interaction; without it, we find we begin to suffer from various mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

If you’ve decided to rid your life of platforms that enable the ‘like’ function, then you won’t have a problem here. If you have decided to keep them, be mindful about the quality of your usage.

The 30-Day Digital Declutter

Cal Newport draws from research when he talks about how significant changes don’t happen overnight, but equally, trying to change one small thing at a time doesn’t work in the attention economy.

To remedy the situation, Cal suggests trying a 30-day digital declutter. This process, he says, when done with conviction, is more likely to have results which stick with you.

He outlines this process as follows:

• Set aside a thirty-day period where you will take a break from optional technologies (this means stuff you can live without — non-essential).
• During your break, rediscover hobbies or activities you find meaningful or fulfils you in some way.
• At the end of the break, reintroduce the optional Tech on a blank slate. Meaning, decide how much value it adds to your life and how you will use it to maximise that value.

If you feel like your phone or other Tech is taking a massive chunk of your life, then I encourage you to give this process a try.

If you didn’t find any benefit from giving digital minimalism a go, then all you’ll have lost is convenience. If you want to dive even more in-depth on the topic, I’d highly recommend picking up a copy of Cal Newport’s book I linked at the beginning of the article.