#479: Becoming a Digital Minimalist [RE-BROADCAST]

Jul 1, 2020

Cal Newport, author and advocate for focused living, dives into the philosophy of digital minimalism. He discusses why our devices feel addictive and points out that common tips to reduce usage often fall flat. Newport shares insights on the Amish approach to evaluating technology, highlighting the importance of community over convenience. He suggests a 30-day tech fast to reassess digital habits and advocates for viewing social media as a stepping stone rather than a final destination. This conversation offers practical strategies for decluttering your digital life.

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INSIGHT

Technology's Personal Impact

People worried about technology's impact on their personal lives, not professional.
They felt overuse was hindering deeper connections and causing manipulation.

INSIGHT

Conversation vs. Connection

Social media offers connection, not true conversation, leading to increased loneliness.
Our brains crave real-world interaction, not digital substitutes like likes or comments.

ANECDOTE

Jobs' iPhone Vision

Steve Jobs envisioned the iPhone as a better iPod and phone, not a constant internet device.
The original iPhone lacked an app store and prioritized music and calls.

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This is a re-broadcast. The episode originally ran in February 2019.

Practicing minimalism with your possessions has been a trend for the past decade, and it can be a worthy practice, as long as you use it as a means to greater efficacy outside your personal domain, rather than just an end in itself.

But there's arguably a minimalism practice that's even more effective in achieving that greater efficacy: digital minimalism.

My guest has written the definitive guide to the philosophy and tactics behind digital minimalism. His name is Cal Newport and this is his third visit to the AoM Podcast. We’ve had him on the show previously to discuss his books So Good They Can’t Ignore You and Deep Work. Today, we discuss his latest book, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.

We begin our conversation discussing why digital tech feels so addicting, why Steve Jobs didn’t originally intend for the iPhone to become something we check all the time, and why the common tips for reducing your smartphone use don't work and you need to implement more nuclear solutions instead. We then discuss the surprising lesson the Amish can teach you about being intentional about technology, how cleaning up your digital life is like decluttering your house, and why he recommends a 30-day tech fast to evaluate what tech you want to let back into your life. Cal then makes an argument for why you should see social media like training wheels for navigating the web, how to take those wheels off, and why you should own your own domain address. We end our conversation exploring what you should do in the free time you open up once your digital distractions are tamed, and the advanced techniques you can use to take the practice of digital minimalism to the next level.

I think you'll find this a tremendously interesting and important show.

Get the show notes at aom.is/digitalminimalism.

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