Digital Minimalism

Introduction

In September 2016, the influential blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan wrote a 7,000-word essay for New York magazine titled, I Used to be a Human Being. Its subtitle was alarming: An endless bombardment of news and gossip and images has rendered us manic information addicts. It broke me. It might break you, too.

The article was widely shared. I ll admit, however, that when I first read it, I didn t fully comprehend Sullivan s warning. I m one of the few members of my generation to never have a social media account, and tend not to spend much time web surfing. As a result, my phone plays a relatively minor role in my life a fact that places me outside the mainstream experience this article addressed. In other words, I knew that the innovations of the Internet Age were playing an increasingly intrusive role in many people s lives, but I didn t have a visceral understanding of what this meant. That is, until everything changed.

Earlier in 2016, I published a book titled Deep Work. It was about the underappreciated value of intense focus and how the professional world s emphasis on distracting communication tools was holding people back from producing their best work. As my book found an audience, I began to hear from more and more of my readers. Some sent me messages, while others cornered me after public appearances but many of them asked the same question: What about their personal lives? They agreed with my arguments about office distractions, but as they then explained, they were arguably even more distressed by the way new technologies seemed to be draining meaning and satisfaction from their time spent outside of work. This caught my attention and tumbled me unexpectedly into a crash course on the promises and perils of modern digital life.

Almost everyone I spoke to believed in the power of the internet, and recognized that it can and should be a force that improves their lives. They didn t necessarily want to give up

Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of six books, including Deep Work and So Good They Can't Ignore You. You won't find him on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, but you can often find him at home with his family in Washington, DC, or writing essays for his popular website calnewport.com.

Cal Newport s Digital Minimalism is the best book I ve read in some time about our fraught relationship with technology... If you re looking for a blueprint to guide you as you liberate yourself from the shackles of email, social networks, smartphones, and screens, let this book be your guide." Adam Alter, author of Irresistible
 
I challenge you not to devour this wonderful book in one sitting. I certainly did, and I started applying Cal s ideas to my own life immediately. Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism
 
You re not the user, you re the product. Hang up, log off, and tune in to a different way to be in the world. Bravo, Cal. Smart advice for good people.   Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing
 
This book is an urgent call to action for anyone serious about being in command of their own life.   Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way
 
Cal Newport has discovered a cure for the techno-exhaustion that plagues our always-on, digitally caffeinated culture. Joshua Fields Millburn, The Minimalists
 
I hope that everyone who owns a mobile phone and has been wondering where their time goes gets a chance to absorb the ideas in this book. It s amazing how the same strategy can work for both financial success and mental well-being: Put more energy into what makes you happy, and ruthlessly strip away the things that don t. Peter Adeney, aka Mr. Money Mustache

Cal s call for meaningful and engaged interactions is just what the world needs right now.   Daniel Levitin, author of The Organized Mind

"What a timely and useful book! It's neither hysterical nor complacent - a workable guide to being thoughtful about digital media. It's already made me rethink some of my media use in a considered way. "  Naomi Alderman, New York Times bestselling author of The Power

Digital Minimalism is a welcome invitation to