We’ve all seen the dramatic shift to mobile technology in the last decade. This explosion of digital information is making us freaks and zombies. I’ve just finished reading Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport. The message here to get back our brain is so important that I started writing this post before I even finished the book. And I’ll be the first say: I struggle to optimize my digital life. So, I come to you humble and broken from my own digital beat-down.
I’m going to apologize in advance: this is a long post.
TL;DR: Let’s use our smartphones, TVs, and computers less. It’s hurting our brain. Below are some ideas to help.
Why Should I Care about Digital Minimalism?
You don’t need ole’ Uncle CC to tell you that you are using your phone too much. You know you should spend less time in front of a computer or certainly less time in front of the TV. We all know it’s bad, don’t we? But why should you consider a life of digital minimalism?
We are inflicting trauma on fragile, gelatinous brains by burying our faces in screens. The prolific use of phones and increased general screen time is linked to a rapid growth in anxiety-related mental health conditions and physical health decline. This is particularly true for those born in the early 90s and later, who came of age in the midst of the smartphone explosion. These teens and young adults don’t known a world without the internet.
Perhaps less concerning but still very real, is the vast amount of time we spend distracted by technology. When we are five pages deep on Facebook, looking at the stuff we’ve already seen eight times today, what are we not doing? The answer is…a lot.
Digital Minimalism Before It Was Cool
Not to sound all “back in my day,” but I can recall a time when calling a friend was much different than it is today. Youthful and energetic Mr. CC would politely speak with the parents of said friend over a landline and then wait patiently to call the friend a total pansy with my voice over the phone. The language was much worse, and not CC-appropriate.
Or even better, we spent lots of time together. We had vastly more face-to-face contact, improving our social relations. We were total assholes to each other, but we were communicating in real ways.
Contrast that with the faceless communication of the social media or forum age. In many cases, we are living some cloaked and fraudulent versions of ourselves online. Either we’re complete tyrants, swinging around our swagger on forums, or we are putting out a butterscotch and cupcakes version of our lives.
As a young, impressionable teen or early adult, can you imagine the pressure to keep up with all this? It’s no wonder that suicide and depression are skyrocketing as I type these words. We have the power to change this, but damn, this is going to be really hard to get under control.
Dr. Newport is far from the first to suggest that our digital obsessions are turning our brains to Dollar Tree jelly, but he takes the next step in telling us clearly what we should be doing with all of our digital distraction time. We should be finding more space for solitude, high-quality (i.e., real) social connections, and fulfilling leisure activities. Dr. Newport isn’t anti-technology, but he understands the critical need for digital minimalism.
Mr. CC Gets Addicted to a Smartphone
Thankfully I’ve been strongly anti-TV for most of my adult life, but the introduction of the smartphone caught me off guard. I’m dubious and resistant to adopt most new hot technologies. But if something looks good enough, I’ll eventually opt in. I purchased my first smartphone in 2011, and yes, my name is Mr. CC and I am an addict.
You see, the phone came into my life at the worst possible time. In 2011 I was just getting started in my career in the corporate life. Adjusting from a flexible-but-workaholic grad school schedule to a 10-hour office job was really hard. The office job didn’t (and still doesn’t) suit my personality at all: I’m fidgety, can’t sit still, and need to be moving around…always. Me at a desk for 10+ hours a day is a nightmare, so I turned to my new phone.
I checked email, Facebook, watched climbing videos, texted, checked email, Facebook, texted, email, Facebook, weather, climbing forums, email, texted, Facebook, texted, email, Facebook. AGHHHHHH!!!
Gross
I have no stats from those days on my phone use, but it was undoubtedly utterly disgusting. I was bored, didn’t care much for my job, so I metaphorically ran from the work I didn’t want to do to the comfort of my phone. By the end of the day I was mentally exhausted. After checking and rechecking social media endlessly, I found myself a mangled and twisted wreck of emotions: angry, sad, anxious, and comparatively worthless — all at once.
I’d come home to Mrs. CC, ask her how her day went, and immediately open my phone before she even answered. Attention diverted. Real social opportunity missed.
But maybe you don’t even use social media. Perhaps you are filling the void with hours of endless news cycles and analysis each day instead. There’s no doubt that it’s important to be an informed citizen, but there’s certainly a point of diminishing returns.
Does any of this sound familiar in your life?
Digital Minimalism: Bye Bye to Social Media
The short story is that Mrs. CC and I came to the decision to rid ourselves of social media in 2014. The instant decluttering of dull minutia, uninformed political banter, and digital self-parading far outweighed what I was missing: updates from friends and close family.
But you know what? I guess I actually have to call someone if I want to talk. If I want to see more of how the nieces and nephews are doing, then perhaps I should show up at the front door (don’t worry, I’ll call first).
I didn’t have a name for it then, but this was my first attempt at digital minimalism. I loved it and we never looked back.
But…Hello Again
I’ve reluctantly reengaged social media to support and grow this site. After more than five years away, I’m very apprehensive about using social media again, and for good reason. In spite my best efforts to keep it “business only” I’m back to perusing the feeds and wasting time and mental space.
It’s no coincidence that this stuff is addicting. Here’s how social media companies intentionally hijack your attention. Frankly, I find this rude.
The Olden Days: Misplaced Time
Our ancestors, even as recent as our parents or grandparents, didn’t have any choice to turn to a smart phone, a computer, or in many cases, even a TV. It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time before Wu-Tang and podcasts. How would I have made it through a day??
Dr. Newport outlines a number of historical figures who used periods of solitude to enable key decisions — decisions that changed the course of history.
Now you and I aren’t Abraham Lincoln, but we can certainly benefit from more alone time with our thoughts with an intentional digital minimalism philosophy.
Finding Solitude
We spent the long Memorial Day weekend camping in a wilderness area near Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, CO. I camp and travel a fair amount for climbing, but this was the first time in while that we camped away from the “climber scene” in a remote and peaceful area.
You don’t know how much junk you are carrying in your brain until you have no choice but to engage nature. There’s no 3G, no Wi-Fi, not even cell service of any kind. We sat, watched the sunset, talked, stretched, ate, and watched a campfire. I bore witness to my dog catching a bird in mid-flight. Simply incredible. It was all we needed.
The point isn’t that everyone must find a remote wilderness outpost. Solitude can be defined as anytime you force yourself to be alone with your thoughts. Shockingly, even music and podcasts are going to interrupt a sense of solitude, so you must find more time to just be with yourself and your thoughts. That might be a very scary proposition!
Below are a series of recommendations by Dr. Newport, fitted to my life.
Digital Minimalism to Get Back My Brain
The 30-Day Declutter
Dr. Newport suggests taking a 30-day declutter and ceasing all use of social media and other non-essential digital activity.
As much as I want to, I’m not going to go that far for three reasons: (1) I use social media to promote posts, which provides results. (2) I interact with other writers and bloggers on these platforms (mostly via Twitter). (3) If I have a natural talent at all it is self discipline. So if I decide I want to cut back, I don’t feel I need to go cold turkey to do it. If that’s not you, then I recommend you follow the 30-day declutter recommendation.
Dr. Newport knows that everyone’s version of digital minimalism — much like a dietary plan — will look different. The point is to be intentional.
Dr. Newport goes on to say that digital activities can be reintroduced after 30 days. However, there must be a strong priority towards high-quality solitude, social connections, and leisure activities.
News and Podcasts
I’m limiting news to a 10-minute morning podcast, and peppering in the occasional 20-30 minute podcast. I’m no longer checking an endless news feed, and I’ve drastically cut back on my podcast consumption. Instead of jamming in earbuds for every walk and workout, I’m trying to embrace myself and the world around me. We all know that dude with the ear buds is someplace else, right?
Podcasts are still informative and important, so I find times to catch up a few times a week as part of a new routine. The low-value subscriptions are gone, replaced with the ones that provide a lot of value for my life. YMMV.
Social Media and Email
I still don’t have a personal social media account, and I probably never will again. As stated above, I do use social media in conjunction with this site, so here’s my new “business model” approach:
Instead of compulsively checking my phone well over 100 times a day (yeah, that’s gross), I’m checking in on these apps about three times per day: once in the morning, once at lunch, and once in the afternoon before I go home. I’m trying to not engage my phone at all when in the presence of Mrs. CC. This is going very well, but I’m not yet where I want to be. Damn you phone!!!!
Dr. Newport suggests removing these apps from your phone altogether. By checking in on a computer, you are naturally less inclined to check compulsively.
If you’re unwilling to remove the apps from your phone, at least make sure to disengage all notifications. I can’t imagine getting some sort of ping for every email, every Instagram “like” (although I don’t get that many of those), etc.
Work Email: I’ve disengaged notifications, which is amazing. I still get email, but the “ping” of a new message doesn’t automatically distract me. I check in on email several times a day, reply as necessary, and go back to my work.
Disengage Cellular Network
In general, I recommend you disengage the cellular network for any non-essential apps, which is basically all of them. I originally did this to allow for a minimalist data plan to save money. By not using so much data, we save thousands of dollars a year. Perhaps that’s a post for another time. But the best unintentional benefit is that my iPhone is rendered mostly useless any time I’m away from Wi-Fi. No email, social media, etc., and more money in my pocket. Give it a go.
More Social Connections with Digital Minimalism
Regarding social connection, clicking “like” on a baby picture and coming to visit said baby and associated parent are obviously not the same thing. I want to get better at this. I get wrapped up in my own self-absorbed existence. Sometimes I forget about all the people that are important to me. Calling them – or better yet, visiting — provides a real social connection that is far better for our mental health.
I’ve also been trying to reach out to my friends more often. Some of this is a phone call, some of this is an invite for a beer, games at our house, or a coffee. This need not be a $60 dinner. It’s the social connection that counts, not the price tag.
Summary
We’ve come so far.
We no longer forage for berries and chase down wild boar, getting that wretched beast in a terminal head lock for dinner. We don’t spend all the daylight hours working the fields, or crushing flour by hand (although for some that might be coming back). We’ve optimized how food is grown, and there’s vast amount of automation in the workplace. This provides more time in the day for leisure activities of our choice compared to our ancestors or even elder relatives.
Is nine hours of the day spent on a phone or in front of the TV the sum of all human achievement? We’ve progressed such that we can provide for much more free time, but more and more people are filling that precious time with low-quality quick fixes, leading to an obesity and mental health crisis, among other issues.
So I want to change that along with you. I want to be a better employee, a better husband, and a better learner. I’m learning, and I want you to join with me. Let’s do this thing.
The Future of Digital Minimalism
So where do I think this is ultimately going? Obviously, we must have a large degree of personal accountability. Like it or not though, I see regulation in our future. For many, digital minimalism might have to be forced on them. I see smartphones going the way of the seat belt and fast food menu.
Ever try driving down the road without your seat belt on? PING, PING, PING, PING, PING. Annoying as hell, but it saves countless lives. Were you thinking about a Big Mac before you saw on the menu that it has 563 calories? That’s probably saving lives too.
I think we can expect to see mandated notifications on phones regarding screen time. iPhones (and probably others) already have screen time modules, but I suspect that regulations will be imposed to make us more mindful of how much time we are double-chinning it at our phones.
Get The Book
I didn’t want this post to be a book review per se, but clearly the book is influential in forming my opinions. I waited weeks to get this book at the library, which I recommend you do. But if you’d like your own copy, please follow the affiliate link below. The book will cost nothing more to you, but a (very) small commission of the sale will go to supporting the operating costs of this site. At the time of writing, this is the cheapest offering on Amazon.
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Thanks guys, see you next week.