Cal Newport on Digital Minimalism: Creating a Philosophy of Personal Technology Use

For these next two episodes, we welcome back Dr. Cal Newport, professor of computer science at Georgetown University and New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including Digital Minimalism and A World Without Email.

In this week's episode, we will focus on the first of these two books, Digital Minimalism, and how to go about developing a deliberate and purposeful approach to our use of technology. And remember, our children are always watching and learning. In next week's episode, we'll dive into a specific application of this philosophy to email and texting as well.

But for now, Digital Minimalism. It has been said in other contexts that the choice is not between philosophy and no philosophy, but between good philosophy and bad philosophy; having no philosophy is itself a philosophy, albeit a disastrous one. The same holds true for our philosophy or approach to technology which, although often vital in the modern world, can be dangerous if used mindlessly.

In this episode:

Learn about the history and psychology of smartphones and social media. Listen to Cal discuss his philosophy of digital minimalism. Hear about the thirty day "digital declutter" and why you should try it for yourselves--maybe even this July? Gain some practical wisdom about implementing the philosophy in your homes including Cal's take on when our sons are ready for their first smart phone.

In all, Cal offers us a hopeful view for the future. With the shimmer of novelty beginning to fade, now is the time to think about how to integrate digital technology into our lives and into the lives of our children.