Digital Minimalism

I just finished reading Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport. This is the second book of his that I have read, the other being Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. I found it right on point and motivating to do better in life. I am personally in the process of reclaiming my high quality leisure time from low quality drags.

Digital minimalism centers on 3 principles:

Clutter is costly
Optimization is important
Intentionality is satisfying

Digital Declutter Steps

Put aside a 30 day period where you take a break from optional technologies in your life
- “Optional” technology is any device, app, or service that you can stop using for 30 days without harming or significantly disrupting the daily flow of your personal or professional life.
- Establish your own rules regarding how you will deal with technology beforehand
During this time, explore and rediscover activities and behaviors you find satisfying and meaningful
Reintroduce optional technologies into your life starting with a blank slate. For each, determine what value it serves on your life, and how specifically you will use it so as to maximize this value - Use this 3-step screen:
1. It must serve something you deeply value
2. Be the best way for technology to serve this value
3. Have a roller in your life that is constrained by a standard operating procedures specifying when and how you use it

Solitude

Spend time alone with your thoughts. Some things to consider doing:

Leave your phone at home
Take long walks
Write letters to yourself

Don't click like

The philosophy of conversation-centric communication argues that conversation is the only form of interaction that in some sense counts toward maintaining a relationship. This conversation can take the form of a face-to-face meeting, or it can be a video chat or a phone call—so long as it matches Sherry Turkle’s criteria of involving nuanced analog cues, such as the tone of your voice or facial expressions. Anything textual or non-interactive - basically, all social media, email, text, and instant messaging - doesn’t count as conversation and should instead be categorized as mere connection.

To develop relationships, we need conversation not connection - a connection is like text or email - whatever we try to communicate but we're unable to read facial or other contextual cues

Don't click like and don't comment on social media - these are not equivalent to a conversation and that is what counts.
Consolidated texting - use do not disturb and check texts only intermittently - help value conversation and contact. If urgent, call; important for social but take away from conversation value
Hold conversation office hours - always available at 5:30 on weekdays - put aside time to always answer phone from people you want to talk to and promote that time. Also coffee shop hours (sat morning s) or daily walks like Steve jobs

Reclaim high quality leisure

The Bennett Principle of 3 leisure lessons:

Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption - craft USA good activity;
Use skills to produce valuable things in the physical world
Seek activities that require real world structure and social interactions

Work on Your Leisure

Fix or build something every week - use YouTube to learn
Schedule your low quality leisure - work out when you will check social media, web surfing, and entertainment streaming
Join something - like Ben Franklin - join first, then work out details
Follow a leisure plan:
- Create seasonal leisure plans - establish strategic goals and write habits to meet goals
- Weekly leisure plan - review weekly the seasonal plan progress, review habits for plans

Join the Attention Resistance

Replace passive interactions with screens with better posture use as a support role

Delete social media from your phone - avoid mobile versions as they are designed with slot machine psychology - use only on web browser on your laptop/desktop
Turn your devices into single-purpose computers - use tools to block distractions (freedom, etc)
Use social media like a professional - Ex:
- Keep Facebook only for close friends (<150 - Dunbar number)
- Don't use for entertainment
- Limit days per week of use
Embrace slow media - Be purposeful with your news sources and schedule your time for consumption
- This includes books, newspapers, and podcasts.
Dumb down your smartphone
- Delete unnecessary apps
- Talk >> Text

My distractions