From 3d4da5ac6000a4871c5caa80d1e61f2782da3069 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Christian Cleberg Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2023 23:27:35 -0600 Subject: feat: finish converting md to org --- blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org | 166 ++++++++++++++++++--------------- 1 file changed, 89 insertions(+), 77 deletions(-) (limited to 'blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org') diff --git a/blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org b/blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org index ebcc6a8..36c7718 100644 --- a/blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org +++ b/blog/2023-10-04-digital-minimalism.org @@ -1,82 +1,93 @@ -+++ -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 +#+title: Digital Minimalism +#+date: 2023-10-05 + +I've written [[/notes/minimalism][a note about 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. + +#+begin_quote +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)/ +#+end_quote + +** The Principles of Digital Minimalism +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: the-principles-of-digital-minimalism +:END: +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. + - 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. + - 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 + - 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 +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: taking-action +:END: +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. +*** Using Devices With Intention +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: using-devices-with-intention +:END: +- 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 +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: prevent-distractions +:END: +- 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 +- 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 +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: creating-alternative-activities +:END: +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: @@ -87,12 +98,13 @@ I've started with a few basics that are always readily available to me: - 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 +** Making Progress +:PROPERTIES: +:CUSTOM_ID: making-progress +:END: +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. - -- cgit v1.2.3-70-g09d2