Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Do you feel naked without your phone with you? Are you spending too much time on social media?

It’s not your fault, but you can do something against it. Humans have evolved over millions of years to read social cues in face-to-face conversations and we’re having a hard time figuring out the digital “replacements” that came up in the last decades.

Cal Newport takes on the attention economy and helps you to reflect on your digital consumption. Not only social media, but also checking the news and texting can be a waste of time and even harmful to you. Digital minimalism is not against technology, but using technology wisely and living an intentional life.

This book made me go through my notification settings and disable almost everything (I recommend using the scheduled summary on iOS liberally). I’m also using the iOS Personal focus, which disables almost all notifications, more often, especially when reading or during family time.

If you’re asking yourself if you should read this book: you should. It makes you more mindful of the things you spend your time on.