Digital Minimalism

Has me re-thinking a lot of my relationships with tech.

tl;dr drop social media. Own your time and be jealous of it. Do things that are productive in your free time. Don’t be afraid of boredom as it often is a catalyst of creativity or insights.

The writing of this book is so full of white male privilege quoting and praising historical privileged white men that I was tempted to start a fucking revolution.

This is not even a mediocre self help book. It’s a pretentiously bad self help book trying to surf the fashion wave of minimalism.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport is a great read that offers a fresh perspective on our relationship with technology. The author argues that our excessive use of technology is leading to a lack of focus and satisfaction in our daily lives. He proposes a minimalist approach to using digital tools, which involves choosing a small number of valuable ones and avoiding the distractions of time-wasting apps and activities. The book is well-written, insightful, and offers practical tips for a more balanced digital life. If you're feeling overwhelmed by technology, this book is definitely worth a read!

If I had finished this back when I started (2019) I would have lived it. Now, in 2021, a lot of what Newport talks about seems like common sense. Beyond the advice, the anecdotes of the digital minimalists that he encountered while preparing this book are à propos and well-chosen to highlight the underlying call to action: quit faffing around on your phone, stop with the constant Facebooking, put your phone down and do something else that keeps your hands busy or puts you in a social situation.