Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport
BookNotes on the audiobook
Author: Cal-Newport
A book about using the minimum amount of technology to support your values and avoiding being sucked into wasting time. Similar in a lot of ideas to Four-Thousand-Weeks-by-Oliver-Burkeman-2021 and stillness-is-the-key-by-Ryan-Holiday-2019
Social-Media-is-Designed-to-Capture-Our-Attention
Willpower is not enough to resist technology. Billions of dollars is spent to keep us distracted. We like to think we are immune to physcholigcal tricks but we aren’t.
Instead, focus on your values and what you need to use technology for. Work backwards from your values.
Do a digital declutter for 30 days
Explore what you find valuable. Reintroduce things at the end and see what value you gain from it or what it supports. Define rules. Define operating procedures
Initially, there will be a lot of resistance as you are changing deeply ingrained habits.
Does this technology support my values? Does it do it deeply? How can I maximise its value?
On solitude and reflection
[[ solitude-allows-us-to-hear-our-own-thoughts ]] [[ Solitude is a break from other minds ]]. modern-technology-has-eliminated-solitude Also need connection - need a balance
Spend time without devices most days.
Walk without devices - Walk-without-stimulus
Replace the digital with things you value
Many of the suggested activities are quite conservative in nature.
Be intentional with your time
Prioritise face to face conversation
Batch messages together.
Schedule your leisure.
Proritise analog activites.
- More can be less. Clutter is psychologically costly as there is more to maintain.
Engaging with the deep life eventually becomes more rewarding than digital distractions. Like exercise - its initially hard to start but ultimately more rewarding.
[[ The default network is social ]] - allows us to solve social issues.