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+date = 2023-10-05T02:10:47+00:00
+title = "Digital Minimalism"
+description = "Some personal reflections on digital minimalism."
++++
+
+I've written [a note about minimalism](/notes/minimalism) before, but I wanted 
+to dedicate some time to reflect on digital minimalism and how I've been able 
+to minimize the impact of digital devices in my life.
+
+> These changes crept up on us and happened fast, before we had a chance to step 
+> back and ask what we really wanted out of the rapid advances of the past 
+> decade. We added new technologies to the periphery of our experience for minor 
+> reasons, then woke  one morning to discover that they had colonized the core 
+> of our daily life. We didn’t, in other words, sign up for the digital world in 
+> which we’re currently entrenched; we seem to have stumbled backward into it. 
+> *(Digital Minimalism, 2019)*
+
+## The Principles of Digital Minimalism
+
+As noted in Cal Newport's book, *Digital Minimalism*, there are three main 
+principles to digital minimalism that I tend to agree with:
+
+1. Clutter is costly.
+	- Digital minimalists recognize that cluttering their time and attention 
+	with too many devices, apps, and services creates an overall negative 
+	cost that can swamp the small benefits that each individual item 
+	provides in isolation.
+2. Optimization is important.
+	- Digital minimalists believe that deciding a particular technology 
+	supports something they value is only the first step. To truly extract 
+	its full potential benefit, it’s necessary to think carefully about how 
+	they’ll use the technology.
+3. Intentionality is satisfying.
+	- Digital minimalists derive significant satisfaction from their general 
+	commitment to being more intentional about how they engage with new 
+	technologies. This source of satisfaction is independent of the specific 
+	decisions they make and is one of the biggest reasons that minimalism 
+	tends to be immensely meaningful to its practitioners.
+
+## Taking Action
+
+In order to put the logic into practice, I've created a few new habits and 
+continued performing old habits that are working well:
+
+### Using Devices With Intention
+
+- I already rarely use "social media", mostly limited to forums such as Hacker 
+News and Tildes, so I've just tweaked my behavior to stop looking for content in 
+those places when I'm bored.
+- Use devices with intention. Each time I pick up a digital device, there should 
+be an intention to use the device to improve my current situation. No more 
+endless scrolling or searching for something to interest me.
+
+### Prevent Distractions
+
+- Disable (most) notifications on all devices. I spent 15-30 minutes going 
+through the notifications on my phone, watch, and computer to ensure that only a 
+select few apps have the ability to interrupt me: Calendar, Messages, Phone, 
+Reminders, & Signal.
+- Disable badges for any apps except the ones mentioned in the bullet above.
+- Set-up focus profiles across devices so that I can enable different modes, 
+such as Personal when I only want to see notifications from people I care about
+or Do Not Disturb, where absolutely nothing can interrupt me.
+- Clean up my home screens. This one was quite easy as I already maintain a 
+minimalist set-up, but I went extreme by limiting my phone to just eight apps on 
+the home screen and four in the dock. If I need another app, I'll have to search 
+or use the app library.
+- Remove the work profile from my phone. This was a tough decision as having my 
+work profile on my device definitely makes my life easier at times, but it also 
+has quite a negative effect when I'm "always online" and can see the 
+notifications and team activity 24/7. I believe creating a distinct barrier 
+between my work and personal devices will be beneficial in the end.
+
+### Creating Alternative Activities
+
+This is the most difficult piece, as most of my hobbies and interests lie in the 
+digital world. However, I'm making a concerted effort to put devices down unless 
+necessary and force myself to perform other activities in the physical world 
+instead.
+
+I've started with a few basics that are always readily available to me:
+
+- Do a chore, such as organizing or cleaning.
+- Read a book, study a piece of art, etc.
+- Exercise or get outdoors.
+- Participate in a hobby, such as photography, birding, disc golf, etc.
+- Let yourself be bored and wander into creativity.
+
+## Making Progress
+
+I'll be taking notes as I continue down this journey and hope to see positive 
+trends. I've always been a minimalist in the physical world and it feels 
+refreshing to filter out the clutter that has come to dominate my digital life 
+over the years.
+
+I'm excited to see where this journey leads.
+