What is digital minimalism?
“Put another way: minimalists don’t mind missing out on small things; what worries them much more is diminishing the large things they already know for sure make a good life good.”
- Cal Newport, "Digital Minimalism"
The term was coined by Cal Newport in his book Digital Minimalism as:
"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."
I found the book extremely motivating and informative, but you don't need to read it to become a digital minimalist. There's an endless number of ways to find the right balance for you.
Digital minimalism is about reclaiming your life from technology. If you use technology intentionally, you maintain autonomy over your time.
Getting Started!
01
Get Clear on what’s taking up your time
For me, it was Instagram and Twitter. For some, it’s their email, news source, Facebook, Youtube. I encourage you to include streaming services or video games in here too!
02
Create Rules
Get a little specific. What exactly do you want to cut out, or drastically cut down?
Delete social media apps from your phone unless you need them for work. Limit access to your email to your computer so you’re more intentional about how and when you check it. Limit Netflix to social settings or 1 episode/week.
03
Set a short term goal
It’s daunting (and usually unsustainable) to say “I’m not going on Instagram ever again for the rest of my life.”
Instead, set a goal for a month. DON’T wait until the 1st to start. You can start this today. 6th of this month to 6th of the next.
04
Help Yourself
Quitting a phone addiction is hard. Your phone is likely no more than 3 feet from you every minute of every day. You may feel a little insane when you start to notice how often you reach for it.
Implement small changes like turning on grayscale (instructions here), Do Not Disturb, or putting a rubber band around your phone to make scrolling more difficult.
05
Pick Up a Hobby
It’s extremely challenging to say, “I’m going to be on my phone less,” and have that be enough to make you do it.
Start adding things into your life that are now competing for time with your phone. Have a book on hand, pick up a hobby you had as a kid, or start a new one. You’ll be shocked by how much time you have.
06
Reevaluate
At the end of the month-long trial, reevaluate what you cut out. Is there something truly beneficial you missed by deleting Instagram? If so, add it back in a way that makes you feel better. For example, I use Instagram primarily to check my DMs.
You know yourself best. Is this something you can add back with self control?
Does that seem overwhelming?
If the thought of abstaining from your favorite platforms makes you scrap the idea altogether, modify it.
Instead of deleting Instagram for a month, my friend got the app Opal. She set hours she was locked out of her social media apps (9:00-5:00) but gave herself the freedom to use it as she pleased outside of that.
No one is getting an award for being the best digital minimalist. Digital Moderation is also encouraged!