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callienicole's review against another edition
5.0
Very timely book to me, as I read it during a social media break. It really made me evaluate how I've been using social media and move toward better habits. So much in this book made me think. I loved it! Highly recommend.
ledimirnunez's review against another edition
3.0
Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism could be considered an addendum to Deep Work, which I thoroughly enjoyed. At times, it could come off as overly-combative towards the social media and "infinity scroll" apps even while the author tries to maintain a neutral tone. The underlying message is an urging to reclaim your time from the conspiring tech-giants who claim to mean more good-than-evil.
I enjoyed reading about Lincoln's Sanctuary in the chapter devoted to spending time alone. In this chapter, Newport cites the Historian William Lee Miller describing the first days of Lincoln's presidency. "This president had absolutely no honeymoon... [He] had no calm first days in which he could settle into the presidential office ... and think his way toward what her wanted to do by careful steps." This is all too familiar for anyone who has to deal with many people as part of their work, and having that respite from conversation, news, and interruption is essential. So Lincoln would escape to a nearby cottage to draft his speeches, and plan how he would run the country.
"The cottage provided Lincoln something we now see would have been almost impossible to obtain in the White House: time and space to think."
In the book, we also learn that Friedrich Nietzsche's was keen to walking up to eight hours a day! I once did a marathon-length ruck, which is roughly 26 miles with a 20lb backpack, and I traversed the island of Manhattan. While I admit the journey was fun, I could not imagine New York being a place amenable to this habit. With the limits of quarantine due to COVID-19, this piece made me nostalgic for my long walks.
From the anecdotes, Newport's discussion of the Amish brings to the forefront one of his main arguments. In all that you do, be intentional. Be intentional about walking, about spending time alone, and about waning your dependency on social media, technologies, the pixel-driven world. If you can do this, you will find yourself with more time, having read more, having done more valuable connecting with friends and families that leads to more than deep work, but deep trust, deep relationships, deep love, and a deeper understanding of who you are.
A note on psychological manipulation through technology: When you send a person a text message, your name and message appears at the top of their list of recently contacted people. This is in some way hierarchical and fluid. Suppose you make a habit of texting a person consistently at the times of wake, lunch, and dinner, you will remain at, or very near, the top of their list. Hypothetically, could this hack the subconscious so that your name engrains.
How closely does your recent-contact list reflect the people most involved in your life? Is this by design?
I enjoyed reading about Lincoln's Sanctuary in the chapter devoted to spending time alone. In this chapter, Newport cites the Historian William Lee Miller describing the first days of Lincoln's presidency. "This president had absolutely no honeymoon... [He] had no calm first days in which he could settle into the presidential office ... and think his way toward what her wanted to do by careful steps." This is all too familiar for anyone who has to deal with many people as part of their work, and having that respite from conversation, news, and interruption is essential. So Lincoln would escape to a nearby cottage to draft his speeches, and plan how he would run the country.
"The cottage provided Lincoln something we now see would have been almost impossible to obtain in the White House: time and space to think."
In the book, we also learn that Friedrich Nietzsche's was keen to walking up to eight hours a day! I once did a marathon-length ruck, which is roughly 26 miles with a 20lb backpack, and I traversed the island of Manhattan. While I admit the journey was fun, I could not imagine New York being a place amenable to this habit. With the limits of quarantine due to COVID-19, this piece made me nostalgic for my long walks.
From the anecdotes, Newport's discussion of the Amish brings to the forefront one of his main arguments. In all that you do, be intentional. Be intentional about walking, about spending time alone, and about waning your dependency on social media, technologies, the pixel-driven world. If you can do this, you will find yourself with more time, having read more, having done more valuable connecting with friends and families that leads to more than deep work, but deep trust, deep relationships, deep love, and a deeper understanding of who you are.
A note on psychological manipulation through technology: When you send a person a text message, your name and message appears at the top of their list of recently contacted people. This is in some way hierarchical and fluid. Suppose you make a habit of texting a person consistently at the times of wake, lunch, and dinner, you will remain at, or very near, the top of their list. Hypothetically, could this hack the subconscious so that your name engrains.
How closely does your recent-contact list reflect the people most involved in your life? Is this by design?
irenejean's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been thinking lately about using technology less, but didn’t have any great ideas besides turning off notifications on my phone. This book gave a lot of good practical tips for using your phone less. The best thing I did after reading this book was turn my phone to do not disturb all day, but allowing my contacts to call me. While the tip was meant to reduce time spent talking on the phone, it had the added benefit of giving me a way to block robo calls.
ryhne's review against another edition
4.0
کتاب در باب حقیقت دنیای دیجیتال و کم رنگ شدن ارزش واقعیش در دهه اخیره.
راهکار هایی عملی و نسبتا ساده ارائه میده تا بار دیگه با سنجشی دقیق، به صرف وقت در این فضا و بهبود کیفیت زندگیمون با استفاده صحیح تر ازش، بپردازیم.
راهکار هایی عملی و نسبتا ساده ارائه میده تا بار دیگه با سنجشی دقیق، به صرف وقت در این فضا و بهبود کیفیت زندگیمون با استفاده صحیح تر ازش، بپردازیم.