“In general, the most important thing is to fix some set of rules for the digital declutter that make sense to you. Reintroduce Technology (in an intentional manner).Identify What Really Matters (and what you really want to be doing with your time).Take a Break from Optional Technologies (for the entire month of January).“During this break, you’ll confront life directly, without the dulling mediation of a screen, allowing you to rediscover which activities and behaviors really provide value in your life, and which are mindless distraction.”.You can think of the digital declutter as a process to transition toward digital minimalism.”

“Its purpose is to help you reset your digital life to something more intentional and meaningful.Instead, 1,800 people expressed interest. Initially, Cal thought 100 people would participate. We are nearing the end of Cal’s Digital Declutter Experiment which has been running since the beginning of January 2018. It’s certainly the biggest danger to our most valuable non-renewable resource - TIME - and I believe digital clutter is even more dangerous than physical clutter.Įnter Cal Newport and his Digital Declutter Experiment Research shows how addictive technology and social media can be apparently the dopamine rush from receiving likes/comments/retweets/etc lights up the same areas of the brain as drugs.īut, I believe passive consumption is the biggest danger. Source: Wikipedia 1% rule (Internet culture) The 1% Rule of Internet Culture says that 90% of people in any given online community are lurkers (or, passive consumers). Mark Zuckerberg mentions “passive consumption” - a critical component of digital clutter and time not well spent. I even saw someone call it “KonMari for your digital life.” Making sure time spent online is time well spentĪs I outlined in my previous post on digital minimalism, the movement has various names like digital declutter, digital downsizing, and digital detox. On January 19th, Mark Zuckerberg posted on Facebook, “Continuing our focus for 2018 to make sure the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent…My hope is that this update about trusted news and last week’s update about meaningful interactions will help make time on Facebook time well spent: where we’re strengthening our relationships, engaging in active conversations rather than passive consumption, and, when we read news, making sure it’s from high quality and trusted sources.” I even saw Tristan and team on the Today Show last week.

It’s gained more mainstream attention over the last year thanks to some leading voices like Cal Newport and Tristan Harris.

Digital Minimalism is in the News…Ironic?ĭigital minimalism doesn’t start to pop up in Google Trends until late 2010.

Cal newport's digital minimalism