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, …
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, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions.
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.
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.
[Warning: I'm not going to painstakingly edit this review, as I would normally.]
I read this close on the heels (2+ weeks) of "How to Break Up with Your Phone" by Catherine Price, which I read to be companionable in an online reading group. I rated it 3-minus. I'm not really the target for either book—I'm already pretty mindful of how I use my tools and spend my precious resources.
The Price book was brief and mainly instructional. I took a couple tips from it, but hardly followed the 30-day process.
Reading this book made me think of how much I dislike Charles Dickens' writing. There's clearly merit; but, Newport (like Dickens) takes forever and a day to say something that could have been handled admirably in much less time.
I was irritated (to put it kindly) at Newport's inability to recognize that people have different communication styles. [Comment inspired …
[Warning: I'm not going to painstakingly edit this review, as I would normally.]
I read this close on the heels (2+ weeks) of "How to Break Up with Your Phone" by Catherine Price, which I read to be companionable in an online reading group. I rated it 3-minus. I'm not really the target for either book—I'm already pretty mindful of how I use my tools and spend my precious resources.
The Price book was brief and mainly instructional. I took a couple tips from it, but hardly followed the 30-day process.
Reading this book made me think of how much I dislike Charles Dickens' writing. There's clearly merit; but, Newport (like Dickens) takes forever and a day to say something that could have been handled admirably in much less time.
I was irritated (to put it kindly) at Newport's inability to recognize that people have different communication styles. [Comment inspired by this: “When someone instigates a low-quality connection—say a text message conversation or social media ping—suggest they call or meet you during your office hours sometime when it is convenient for them.”] If you want to share discussion on this topic, I'd be happy to . . . but don't call me!
I can agree with this conclusion (maybe I should have skipped to the last page at the start): "Digital minimalists see new technologies as tools to be used to support things they deeply value, not as sources of value themselves. They don't accept the idea that offering some small benefit is justification for allowing an attention-gobbling service into their lives, and are instead interested in applying new technology in highly selective and intentional ways that yield big wins."
Overall, the book is long on extended anecdotes about famous historical figures' habits of solitude and judgment on what constitutes meaningful experiences and communication, and short on substantive advice on how to use new technologies as useful tools vs. mindless time-sucks.