The Digital Minimalist Philosophy

We Now Stand At A Crossroad

On one side is the dystopian reality of excessive technology, surveillance, information overwhelm, anxiety and distraction that has become ‘normal life’. By taking this path more of your time, money, energy and thoughts will be sucked into wasteful technology that seeks to addict and trap you.

This is the world of low-value entertainment, and lightweight relationships that neither satisfy nor fulfill you, but demand more and more of your time nonetheless.

On the other side is a world of freedom and meaning.

If you take this path, you will make time to discover the meaning and purpose of your life — and then choose how much technology you allow into your life and how it will serve you.

These are interesting times indeed. And if we’re not careful, we’ll end up wasting years of our precious lives working for the benefit of gigantic corporations who spy on our every move and even listen to us in our homes. This is not just a scary idea for a future generation. This is the world we live in now.

Eight Hours A Day

As you read this, we’ve already reached the point where millions of people in so-called ‘free societies’ now spend 8+ hours per day in front of screens, swiping, tapping, scrolling and liking the latest ‘content’ in their ‘feed’.

We’re becoming like caged beasts, who live on a diet of low value social media feeds, biased news sites and online streaming.

Twenty Working Years On Email

An Adobe survey found that Americans spent more than three hours a day checking work email. Spending four hours of every eight-hour workday on email over a forty-year career would be the equivalent of twenty full working years — not twenty calendar years.

And that is before social media, messaging, games and the rest.

Source: Adobe’s 2019 email survey.

The Good News

The good news is you can choose to become a Digital Minimalist — still using technology — but from a place of power and mastery, not weakness, obsession and addiction. By adopting the Digital Minimalist lifestyle, you get the main benefits of technology, but avoid the traps.

There are only a few things in life that can really change the course of your entire existence. This choice — to become a Digital Minimalist — is one of them.

Welcome to the revolution.

The Promise Of Tech

Since I was a kid, I always loved technology and computers. My first computer was a Macintosh Classic II. That was back in 1990, when computers were very basic and could barely do anything. But I was still fascinated by new technology, and I believed, like many others, that new was better. That more tech meant a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

I continued to naively believe that ‘new was better’, going through Power Macs, an iMac, and two MacBook Pros along with a number of iPods, an iPad and two iPhones.

A Wave In Kauai

One day, many years later, I was on a magical beach in Kauai, Hawaii taking photos of the ocean. All of a sudden a big wave came out of nowhere, knocked me off guard and swallowed my phone. Gone, never to be seen again.

I was shocked by the unexpected disappearance of my little friend, but more than anything I noticed how relieved I felt. With that little device gone, I could just look at the ocean and enjoy being. I wasn’t worried about messages coming in or going on social media to post anything. I was free.

The feeling was almost ecstatic.

What Is A Digital Minimalist?

Minimalists believe ‘less is more’. They choose to cut back on all the unnecessary, draining, cluttered mess in their lives and choose to keep only what they need to feel good, work effectively and enjoy life.

A Digital Minimalist is someone who chooses to cut back on all the tedious, time wasting stuff online — unnecessary apps, social media, excessive email and messages — and have technology serve them, instead of being a slave to their devices. They still use technology, just as a minimalist still has some things, but only in a way that increases their joy, productivity and meaning.

How The Hijacking Happened

The main reason our devices have become so dangerous and time-consuming is not the actual device itself — it’s the way our devices have been hijacked by those who want us to use their apps and show us ads.

When computers were first designed they were meant to be like a ‘bicycle for the mind’ — a tool that allowed us to go new distances and enhance our creativity. When the iPhone was first announced it too was meant to just be a useful tool, a way to achieve more with less.

But soon, companies began to realize the enormous profit potential of millions of people wandering about with mini computers and TVs.

The Profit Equation

The companies who dominate our attention economy want us all to spend as much time on our screens as possible. The more time we spend on our screens, the more ads they can show us and the more money they make.

More time on screen = more ads = more money
Less time on screen = less ads = less money

Between them, these companies have invested millions — maybe billions — of dollars to discover ways to get us hooked and keep us coming back for more. Their plan is working out remarkably well.

You Are Not The Customer

As a user we tend to think of Facebook as providing us with a product — the interface, to connect with people and watch cat videos. From our perspective: we are the customer, and Facebook is the product.

But the tech companies realize that, in fact, the user is the product and the advertisers are the customer. Why? Because the advertisers are the ones who pay them. We get Facebook for free because we are not Facebook’s customer — we are its product.

Our attention is the product that drives the modern world.

Pleasure Island

The allure of digital media is like being wooed into a free amusement park with the promise of fun and games — but, once we enter, finding ourselves bombarded with ads to buy products from third party sellers.

Or worse, it’s like the boys from Pinocchio who are enticed by the idea of Pleasure Island, a place of mindless indulgence free of consequence — only to find themselves turning into donkeys and being sold as slaves.

No Tactic Is Too Low

The tech companies and those creating media are in fierce competition for our attention. And like in other competitions, the more desperate things get, the lower they go. In the attention economy there is no penalty against hitting below the belt.

With each action we take, a team of engineers is watching us, tracking the results of their genius ways to keep us hooked and then refining their addiction methods, day in day out.

This means that five years from now, things will be more addictive than they are today.

Become a Digital Minimalist.

Digital Minimalists realize the danger of modern weaponized tech. They love their lives and choose to live in freedom. They still use technology and realize the value it can offer, but don’t blindly believe technology can solve all their problems. Nor are they naive about the side effects.

A Digital Minimalist views new technologies the same way a shrewd investor weighs the prospect of a new stock: will investing in this technology give me more profit in my life than re-investing in the technologies I am already using?

Digital Minimalists realize the game these companies are playing, and so use technology carefully and purposely. They are on guard for potential traps and rabbit holes, and are suspicious of ‘the new best thing’.

Double Or Triple Your Productivity

Once you fully adopt the Digital Minimalist lifestyle, you’ll be amazed how much more high quality work you get done (and how much faster you can do it). By using the tools and methods of a Digital Minimalist, you can make technology work for you, instead of you being a slave to it.

Upgrade Your Health, Relationships And Happiness

When we spend too long on our screens, we neglect the actual world around us — our bodies, homes, relationships and environment. By taking time off from the endless online rat race, you’ll have more time to pay attention to your body, your relationships, your home and to do the things that truly nourish you.

This may include getting out into nature, taking baths, listening to music, going on vacation, spending quality time with your family and friends, making healthy food from scratch, joining a club, learning an instrument and all the other stuff that’s not been happening while you’re looking at your screen.

Less screen time means more ‘me’ time.

Rediscover The Meaning Of Your Life

When we’re too caught up in technology, we can forget what is really important to us. In the endless struggle to keep up with everything, we lose track of the purpose of our lives.

By becoming a Digital Minimalist, you’ll create time and space to think your own thoughts, feel your own emotions and get back in touch with who you are, what’s really important to you and what kind of legacy you want to leave behind.

The Digital Minimalist's Values

Freedom from Digital Addiction

Digital Minimalists value freedom. We believe that freedom is one of the most important things in life and we are not willing to sacrifice it.

We also realize, humbly and honestly, that technology can sabotage freedom by trapping us, wasting our time and getting us hooked. Therefore, out of love for ourselves, our lives and our great work, we choose freedom over digital addiction, and design our lives accordingly.

The Pursuit of Meaning Over Comfort And Convenience

As Digital Minimalists, we realize we can either dedicate our lives to comfort or meaning — we can’t have both. And we choose meaning.

We may still have comforts and conveniences, but they are relegated to the periphery of our lives, not the mainstay of our world. Instead of excessive shopping and consuming online media, we pursue high value work and leisure that enriches our soul and makes us feel alive.

All this convenience has trapped us in a comfortable prison where we shrink at the slightest discomfort, run from our emotions and spend too much of our precious lives shopping. To do great work, we know we will be challenged like all heroes on a hero’s quest. And so instead of hiding behind a fortress of facilities, we choose to explore the boundaries of our lives, embrace the unknown and live free and inspired.

Real People Above Virtual People

We love the real people in our lives. We know that looking in the eyes of another soul is a magical gift, something to be cherished and adored and protected.

We have friends, family and colleagues who live away from us, and we do connect with them through technology — but, given the choice, we prefer to talk face to face or on the phone above endless emojis and superficial text messages.

We also know that not all the virtual people in our lives — those we only know online and have never met — may be real friends, or even who they say they are. Instead of ignoring the person in front of us and texting those far away, we keep our minds where our body is.

Living In The Real World Above A Screen World

As Digital Minimalists, we cherish and show reverence for the planet upon which we live. We know that all things — our bodies, homes and all forms of technology — arise from Mother Nature and will sometime go back to Mother Nature.

Instead of buying and obsessing about digital objects in the digital world, we take care of our bodies, our homes and our environments, and enjoy them. We love the sunshine and clean air. We love beauty and beautiful spaces and love being fully present, here and now, with what is in front of us.

Dealing With Life Above Running Away From Life

As Digital Minimalists, we realize we are alive. We are here. We live in the world, and so choose to face things directly, resolving problems, creating solutions and making our lives truly successful, healthy, wealthy and happy. By facing up to reality, we create the life we love, rather than living in denial.

Creation Above Consumption

Digital Minimalists believe technology is simply a tool. Just as a gardener doesn’t sleep with his spade and expect it to sing him lullabies, a Digital Minimalist doesn’t use technology to amuse himself, but as a way of serving and sharing.

It’s a tool, designed to create something wonderful, inspiring and invaluable. The gardener grows beautiful flowers and nourishing foods; the Digital Minimalist creates remarkable products and services that enrich and nourish the lives of many.

Gratitude Above Complaints

Life is a blessing. Life is good. Thank you.

Personal Responsibility Above Blaming Others

Digital Minimalists take personal responsibility for their life and their success.

They realize that it’s in their hands to make life good, and are willing to work hard, using all means at their disposal, to create the life and work they love.

The Power Of Mind Above The Products Of The Mind

Digital Minimalists remain in awe and wonder of the power of the mind itself, the power of Creation.

Rather than being lost in the forms of life, they marvel at the grace of life, the Source of existence and the wonder of being alive.

If the mind can create such wonders, what a wonder the mind must be.

Concentration Above Distraction

The opportunity for distraction has never been greater, so the true Digital Minimalist takes heed from the example of Charles Dickens, who installed a second door on his study to keep distraction at bay.

While we may not physically install a second door (although it’s not a bad idea), we install many metaphorical doors to block out the endless interruptions that attempt to infiltrate our minds and inboxes hourly. We do whatever it takes to gain back uninterrupted time to concentrate, focus on the tasks at hand and produce something of real value in the world.

Awareness:
The Digital Minimalist's Knowledge

We know technology is a trap, and are not deceived

We are keenly aware that we are just one small click away from a life of distraction and confusion. We know that ‘just checking that thing for a second’ can easily mean the end of our high value work for the day.

We know that in order to stay connected to what really matters to us, we must remain vigilant and conscious of how we use technology, or we’ll wake up one day and wonder what happened to our time.

We know what technology can do — and what it can’t

As Digital Minimalists, we are not anti-technology. Quite the opposite — in fact we love it for what it can do for us.

However, instead of jumping in blindly to a new product or service, we take a step back and assess its true value and meaning in our lives. We pull back the veil that surrounds most ‘new and improved’ products and discover what possible beasts lie within.

We know our core values, and how to live them

As we remain awake and alert, avoiding pointless time wasting and online drama, we can focus on living our values and being true to ourselves. We know this isn’t easy, but in the end, being true to ourselves is the real purpose of our lives.

We know our own dark side, and deal with it in a real way

Digital Minimalists have chosen this life as a way to be the best they can be. We know that the addict within us has its sights on all the ways it can act out and waste time on devices.

We know there is a part of us that would love to binge watch a TV show or waste countless hours on social media, or worse — and we design our lives and our time to avoid distractions and temptations, and live in freedom.

We know how hard it is to break free — and do it anyway

But since we are dedicated to truth and committed to freedom, we draw a line in the sand and stand for what is right. We drop a bomb on the traps in our lives and claim back our power, time and time again.

We love our freedom. We love our lives. We are free.

Find meaning and solitude offline

As Digital Minimalists, we realize that the real meaning in life is not found on a glowing rectangle. Instead of being distracted by endless notifications and entertainment, we unplug our devices, get away from the endless influences of others, and find meaning.

We take time to get solitude and contemplate our lives: Who am I? What is my life all about? How can I serve more? What brings me joy? What do I love? What would I die for? What are my deepest held values?

Live your values

Since we have taken the necessary time and space to discover our true values and purpose, we can embark on the truest adventure of life — living our values.

This means we wake up each day knowing it’s a blessed opportunity to express what we love, deepen the things that matter and live our lives with purpose. Even the smallest act, like making a meal or going on a walk, can be treasured and appreciated when we realize we are expressing what is deeply meaningful to us.

Instead of chasing after results — clicks, shares, numbers, social approval — we focus on being here now, in this moment, living life as fully and richly as possible.

Dive into nature

Too much screen time is toxic and disorienting. So we go outside — sun and rain on our face, ground under our feet, and the world at its own speed.

Take days or weeks off — and love it

A true Digital Minimalist purposely pulls the plug on all technology for real stretches of time. Doing this level of digital detox gives us significantly more clarity, joy, focus and ability in our lives. The more time we take away from technology, the less dependent we are upon it — enhancing our freedom and also improving our systems.

How can you take more time off? How long could you go without being online without it causing problems in your life or work? What can you outsource or remove so you can get away more often and more easily?

Train people not to expect instant responses

A Digital Minimalist will typically wait a day or longer before responding to email. She will tell people she doesn’t text, so please call instead. We don’t initiate texting streams or get back to group messages. Wherever possible, we only use our one preferred form of communication.

By not going along with the digital addiction, we end up saving countless hours each week, which adds up to months and years over the course of our lives.

Go analog whenever it’s better

Digital Minimalists love analog and non-‘smart’ devices: vinyl records, hardcover books, landlines, real alarm clocks, high quality cameras, a mortar and pestle to grind your own ingredients, and other artful, single-use objects.

There is no comparison between lifting the needle and gently dropping it onto a vintage vinyl record of a classic album, listening for the sheer joy of listening on lush, rich, beautiful speakers — compared to the tinny digital recording of the same music heard through phone headphones while multitasking.

Digital Minimalists bring back the joy of the little things in life: making fresh juices, grinding beans and pulling the perfect espresso, cooking nourishing food from scratch, taking photos with a real lens. We bring back the joy and juice of life, rather than worrying about whether anyone liked our seventeenth photo of the morning that showed us pretending to enjoy life.

Have meaningful friendships in the real world

By contrast, a Digital Minimalist consciously cultivates a handful of deep, meaningful relationships — first with those they live with, since charity begins at home, and then with a handful of people they can connect with by phone. Instead of texting countless people to try and feel some love, they pick up the phone and talk about the deeper things in life.

Have a sense of humor

Digital Minimalists find life, in all its complexity, rather amusing and ridiculous. They know it’s a game, and keep a sense of humor.

Love the truth

Digital Minimalists love the truth, even if it’s shocking. They move towards truth and look into how the world works, what is really going on, and what they need to do to make their lives rich.

Have a spiritual practice that nourishes you

Digital Minimalists realize that feeling good on the inside is the secret to freedom and success. For this reason, they make time each day for a spiritual practice that nourishes them — meditation, yoga, time in nature.

They are willing to invest time and energy into deepening their practice, so they feel mastery, peace, inner silence and joy.

Get enough rest

Digital Minimalists realize that sleep is far more valuable than Netflix, and so make sure they get plenty of rest, getting to bed early if needed and enjoying a nourishing evening routine.

How much sleep do you need for optimal wellbeing? How can you get better sleep?

Look after your health

Digital Minimalists realize they live in this world in a body, and so give attention to eating well and staying hydrated.

They enjoy a good juice and fresh healthy food. They find out what is good for them and take the time to do the activities that support their health and wellbeing.

Look after your home

Digital Minimalists have looked up from their screen long enough to notice they have a house. As we take more time offline and look around our homes, we begin to notice all the things that need cleaning, fixing, upgrading and organizing.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed and grabbing the cellphone, we choose to upgrade our homes — and by doing so, our lives too. We aim to make our homes into heaven: happy, relaxing sanctuaries where we can simply be.

Develop a minimalist life

Digital Minimalists are also general minimalists. That means they find a sense of completeness and freedom with less rather than more: less physical stuff cluttering up their homes and offices, less baggage when traveling, less of everything — but also the best.

Less and best

When you have less, you can also have the best. Instead of fifty ok-ish outfits you kind of like, you can have ten or twenty really high quality outfits that you love and that last. Rather than a home cluttered with bulky mismatched furniture, you choose a handful of tasteful items you really enjoy.

Another interesting side effect of being a minimalist is that you end up spending less money, making you richer. You end up with less clutter, so it’s easier to organize and takes less time to clean. You can find things more easily, saving more time.

Overall, being a minimalist brings peace of mind and a feeling of richness, while making life feel more free, light and easy.

Concentrate Better,
Be 3X More Productive

Digital Minimalists concentrate better, are three times more productive, and make technology serve them.

Minimize distraction

By contrast, Digital Minimalists value time away from distractions: time to stay focused, time to get stuff done. They do this by removing all notifications from their devices and keeping all possible distractions at bay for as long as possible each day, to focus on the job at hand.

Less distraction = more great work in less time. Wherever possible, cut it back.

Practice mindfulness

Digital Minimalists practice witnessing themselves from a higher awareness instead of reacting to life unconsciously.

By stepping back from yourself and noticing how you feel, what you’re thinking and what you’re doing, you enter into a state of peace and calm, even while in action.

Create an environment for deep thought

A large part of how effective and productive we are is based on our environment and the cues we have in our space. Depending on how our office and our homes are designed, we will either be triggered to distract ourselves or triggered to concentrate.

If your office is designed to be conducive to work, and you only do work there — no social media, no entertainment — then when you sit down in that space you’ll automatically be triggered to work. Sometimes things like putting on music or wearing headphones can trigger us to get in the zone.

We are creatures of habit. If we are triggered by the things in our space to go deep and concentrate, then as soon as we enter that space, we will respond accordingly.

Produce value — and finish what you started

Eye on the ball. Think it through, 80/20 before acting. Let a machine do it if a machine can do it better. Use technology as sparingly as possible, set up systems to serve you — and then leave them alone.

The 4 Steps To Freedom

Take the red pill

You’ve been lied to, and before you can change, you need to be willing to wake up and see the truth. The first step is to educate yourself about the problems of the online world and how it’s designed to get you trapped.

Start with the Wake Up Call — Part 1 of the free course →

Do a digital detox

Next is to do a digital detox. By pulling the plug, you get to re-experience life without screens — how humans have lived for most of our existence — and come back in touch with your life, and with the world.

Do the free digital detox →

Ask what really matters to you

Then it’s time to re-assess your values, your purpose, your reason for being. By getting clear on who you are and what you want from life, you can choose how much you want or need to use technology to have the life you love.

You are in charge. It’s your life.

Become a Digital Minimalist

Lastly, you learn how to live as a Digital Minimalist. This means chopping back the tentacles the online world has stuck to you, and finding a new way of working and living that suits you.

This includes de-cluttering your phone, your inbox, social media and other aspects of your online life.

De-clutter your phone →