Digital Minimalism

Newport shares his philosophy that less is more when it comes to technology use.

There is so much noise in the digital world that minimizing your online time will not result in missing out on anything. Instead, it will give you the clarity of mind to pursue your interests, live in a more relaxed way, and improve your productivity and mental capabilities.

Newport provides a framework that helps you decide which digital tools to use and under what conditions. Overall, this is a great, well-written book with many great examples and stories that underline his philosophy.

A single read of this book saved me hours in the years that followed. Newport looks critically at how we bring technology into our lives and suggests that we hold a higher bar to which digital tools we allow into our days.

This book got me rethinking my balance of deep work (what only I can do, when at my best) and shallow work (needing less focus/expertise) and how my digital tools support or disrupt that balance.

If you worry that you are spending too much time on your phone and finding that it’s getting in the way of your life, you might find this book just the right push to get some distance from your devices. Cal Newport gives loads of practical advice on how to make your phone work for you, and not the other way around. This book encouraged me to delete a whole load of distracting apps that I was sinking hours into without realising. If you want/need to be more focused at work and have fewer things fighting for your attention then… show more.