The Need for Quality Leisure
Utilizing Choice in A Digital World
As a millennial growing up in the world of the #hustle, the word leisure invokes imagery of old white men at a luxurious resort cheating at golf (instead of leading the country). Between a job, a side gig, education, managing multiple social media accounts, swiping on potential love interests and Netflix-ing — where is there time for leisure?
In “Digital Minimalism”, Cal Newport (x-xviii) makes the case that modern technologies are leading people to feel that they are losing their focus, time and overall autonomy. By continuously and often unintentionally monitoring our digital worlds we lose touch with our inner ones. Newport makes special note of how we often scan our devices, an action he refers to as the quick glance:
At the slightest hint of boredom, you can now surreptitiously glance at any number of apps…that have been optimized to provide you an immediate and satisfying dose of input from other minds. (101)
These glances, while seemingly minor, are symptomatic of our overarching incapacity for self-reflection and finding space that’s free from the noise of the external world. To reclaim autonomy, we must take a page from…
