Digital Minimalism

Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

It feels rather alien to type instead of write my reflections out long-hand with pen and paper, but, after much consideration, I think I’ve decided that occasional blogging has made the cut of a technology tool that I will occasionally enjoy adding back to my life.

30-Day Digital Declutter: An Overview

After reading Cal Newport’s new book, Digital Minimalism, I’ve embraced the challenge to practice a “Digital Declutter” for the past 30+ days. It’s been a not-always-easy attempt to re-connect with myself, without the distraction of most of the digital technologies that I’ve become enmeshed with and addicted to over the past several years.

“Technologies are great…but if you want to keep control of your time and attention,” you should “insist that they earn their keep before you make them a regular part of your life.” — Cal Newport, from a 2010 blog post “An Argument For Quitting Facebook”

I want to write about my Digital Declutter experience because during it, I learned so much about:

• the evolution of new technologies that have led to our modern way of life,
• why I felt so out of control surrounding use of certain apps (I’m lookin’ at you, Instagram), and
• the case for intentional and extended digital disconnection in order to recalibrate my own mind, values, priorities, and behavior.

The Importance of Intentionally Spending Time in Solitude

Once I determined some parameters for my own digital declutter and committed to a minimum of 30 days following those rules, I became intrigued with why and how to engage in intentional solitude, as defined by the authors of a book Newport references often in Digital Minimalism, Lead Yourself First.

Authors of Lead Yourself First, Kethledge & Erwin define solitude as a:

“subjective state in which your mind is completely free from the input of other minds”.

Read that again, more slowly. Breathe in, then breathe out, slowly. Can you even imagine such a state of freedom?

If you’re anything like me, when you consider freedom from the input of other minds, you might realize you can’t remember the last time you were alone with your own thoughts. In fact, for me, input from other minds was most noticeable in its sudden and complete absence once I cut it out of my routine.

Moreover, the often-uncomfortable silence left behind in the absence of input from other minds was sometimes overwhelming: no more music in my AirPods to distance myself from others while grocery shopping shopping, no more podcasts or audiobooks to listen to while cooking, going for a walk, or driving, no more mindless Netflix binging to fill each evening, and no more endless social media scrolling when I was too tired to do anything else.

“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” — Blaise Pascal (written in the late 1600s but just as true today), quoted in this medium post about Pascal, his life and work, and the most important skill you were never taught.

What I learned: a Preview of (Potentially) More to Come

Although I was sometimes uncomfortable or unnerved by time quietly spent in the company of my own mind, I also learned what a relief it was to experience silence and solitude. I also discovered a multitude of higher-impact ways to spend my time, just waiting to be prioritized. I enjoyed those higher-quality pursuits more deeply once I had (embarrassingly long) gaps of time to fill from cutting out social media, podcasts, too much TV, YouTube subscriptions, and a bunch of other digital technologies that were sucking up a lot of time and space without adding commensurate value to my life.

Finally, as my 30 days came to a close, I learned that I was, and continue to be, unexpectedly reluctant to add most digital technologies I cut out of my life back. I realize that, much like an elimination diet, it would be counterproductive to reach the 30 day mark and just add back all the garbage I was ingesting before. Instead, it is now important to be just as intentional I was cutting things out as I am in what, if anything, I choose to add back.

A little more background

Maybe, like me, you have been feeling a little out of control surrounding your use of digital technology devices or apps? Or just in need of some distance? If so, read on for a little more information. This podcast episode in which Ezra Klein interviews Cal Newport is a good overview of the book and digital minimalism / the digital declutter too (iTunes link).

Like I mentioned, the idea for this so-called Digital Declutter came from the phenomenal new book by author Cal Newport: Digital Minimalism. As described on Newport’s own website:

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.

I couldn’t agree more! Through his book, Newport introduces a philosophy for technology use— Digital Minimalism. According to Newport:

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 with meaning and satisfaction.

To become one of these calm individuals, untethered to your phone, able to avoid the compulsion to check and recheck email or social media accounts every hour, Newport provides common sense tips — like putting your phone in “Do Not Disturb” mode and treating text messages like asynchronous e-mail. But he goes further, too, discussing deeper considerations such as the importance of time spent alone, and the potential joy of reconnecting to offline forms of leisure, goals and activities you may have forgotten were once meaningful to you.

Of course, this new-found calm and equanimity surrounding technology use doesn’t develop overnight. In fact, upon embarking on a 30-day Digital Declutter, at first it can be a pretty scary thing to realize you’ve cut out almost all of the noise and distraction in your day to day life. Simple things like going driving in your car without music or a podcast to district you from your own thoughts may feel almost triggering. This is why Newport suggests a structured, intentional minimum-30-day Digital Declutter to kick off your commitment to change.

While this month of digitally decluttering my life was not always enjoyable, ultimately, 30 days later, just like cutting sugar from my diet several months ago has lead to fewer cravings and a greater sense of control around food, cutting most digital distractions from my daily life has lead me to feel less compelled to check my devices. More importantly, I am engaged in higher-quality alternative activities that are in line with my values and priorities.

As I continue to thoughtfully consider what and how to add select forms of technology back into my daily life, I hope to continue writing and reflecting on Digital Minimalism broadly, and on my own personal Digital Declutter project. Ideas for future posts include:

• The Case for Digital Minimalism — how did we get to where we are today?
• My own Digital Declutter Project— the parameters of what I cut out / my “rules”, my experience and observations — positives & negatives, benefits and drawbacks
• Suggested Practices / Strategies / Resources to explore if you want to try your own Digital Declutter and/or reconnect with yourself more deeply.

If you’d like to read more about this topic, clap below (though Newport would probably suggest you don’t because the social validation feedback loop it opens is problematic) to let me know!

In the spirit of Digital Minimalism, I’m just going to publish this post, no photos! 😮 I hope you’ll still read and enjoy. 😊 I’m adopting the “done is better than perfect” mindset here and encourage you to do the same in some small way today — say “no” to something, cut something out, minimize something — and then enjoy the time or space you create. ❤