Digital Minimalism

Book excerpt: 'A presence on the page, Newport is exceptional in the realm of self-help authors' - New York Times 'Cal Newport is a clear voice in a sea of noise, bringing science and passion in equal measure' - Seth Godin, entrepreneur and author of Purple Cow 'A compelling case for cultivating intense focus, and offers immediately actionable steps for infusing more of it into our lives' - Adam Grant, author of Originals on Deep Work Turn off notifications, don't bring your smartphone into the bedroom, check Twitter less often. Chances are you've already heard these tips intended to help control your digital addiction. But they aren't enough. In Digital Minimalism, computer science professor Cal Newport provides a radical new solution to help us embrace and not be enslaved by technology: a 30 day digital detox. Newport explains how to use this offline period to evaluate what we want to use the Internet for so that when we come back online, we spend our time wisely on a small number of carefully crafted activities that connect us to things and people we truly value. With easily implementable tips and practices like replacing web surfing with reading rituals, scheduling when we use digital tools (not when we take breaks from them), never leaving or reading comments on social media, and focusing on creation not consumption, you'll learn how to use and integrate technology into a life well-lived. Read Digital Minimalism and you'll never again sacrifice your productivity to clickbait, or lose 40 minutes of your evening to Instagram.