211. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

BOOK REVIEW: Digital Minimalism - Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport (courtesy of Times Reads)

As a millenial, I have had the privilege to experience for myself the advancement of technology, from owning my first smartphone to updating my profile on Facebook when it newly burst onto the scenes. But even with various forms of social media cropping up, are we truly being the social animals that we were originally created as? 

On many an occassion, I have come to realize that social media is robbing us of enriched face-to-face socializing and decreasing communication skills, both of which are immensely valuable in a work environment or even in the family living room. Personally, I have taken several instinctive measures of my own to decrease the use of social media that distracts more than anything else. This mind-boggling read has come at a precise time, justifying the need for us to go offline and enjoy life while you're at it. 

Digital minimalists are all around us. They're the calm, happy people who can hold long conversations without furtive glances at their phones (something I know is pretty unavoidable in the current smartphone generation). They can have fun with friends and family without the obsessive urge to document the outing (think tons of selfies on Instagram and Facebook or even Snapchat. They don't experience "fear of missing out" because they already know which activities provide them with meaning and satisfaction.

Now, this tome's bestselling author gives us a title for this silent movement - digital minimalism - and makes a persuasive case for its urgency in our tech-saturated world. Common sense tips like turning off notifications, or occassional rituals like observing a digital Sabbath (similar to a crash diet but for social media usage), don't go far enough in helping us take back control of our technological lives, and attempts to unplug completely are complicated by the demands of family, friends and work. What we need instead is a thoughtful method to decide what tools to use, for what purposes, and under what conditions.

Drawing on a vast selection of real-life examples, the author identifies the common practices of digital minimalists and the ideas that underpin them. He shows how digital minimalists are rethinking their relationship to social media, rediscovering the pleasures of the offline world, and reconnecting with their inner selves through regular periods of solitude. He then shares strategies for integrating these practices into your life, starting with a 30-day "digital declutter" process that has already helped thousands feel less overwhelmed and more in control.

Technology is intrinsically neither good nor bad. The key is using it to support your goals and values, rather than letting it use you. This book shows the way. I have seen the benefits that going offline can do for myself, including being able to ravenously go through a minimum of two books a day. When you start to segregate real life and the virtual world, that's when social media's benefits may be reaped.