Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Description

A new strategy to increase productivity, focus, happiness and creativity through a mindful use of digital technology Most of us know that we're addicted to texting, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter not because we're stupid or shallow, but because they provide real value in the form of connection, community, affirmation and information. But these tools can also disrupt our ability to focus on meaningful work and live fully in the present. In Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport outlines a practical philosophy and plan for a mindful, intentional use of technology that maximises its benefits while minimizing its drain on our attention, focus and time. Demonstrating how to implement a 30-day digital detox, this book will help you identify which uses of technology are actually helping you reach your goals, and which are holding you back.

Cal Newport is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University and the author of seven books, including the New York Times bestseller, Digital Minimalism, The Time-Block Planner, Deep Work and So Good They Can't Ignore You. You won't find him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram but you can often find him at home with his family in Washington DC or writing essays for his popular website calnewport.com.

A compelling case for cultivating intense focus, and offers immediately actionable steps for infusing more of it into our lives * Adam Grant, author of Originals on Deep Work * A wonderfully entangled, intertwined, and erudite series of strategies, philosophies, disciplines, and techniques to sharpen your focus and dive deep into your work * 800-CEO-READ on Deep Work * As a presence on the page, Newport is exceptional in the realm of self-help authors * New York Times Book Review * Cal Newport speaks human truth to digital power. He calls out our enslavement to modern devices and calmly presents a better way to live and work * author of Fully Connected * This book is an urgent call to action for anyone serious about being in command of their own life * author of The Obstacle is the Way * Cal Newport has discovered a cure for the techno-exhaustion that plagues our always-on, digitally caffeinated culture * The Minimalists * Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism is the best book I've read in some time about our fraught relationship with technology. If you're looking for a blueprint to guide you as you liberate yourself from the shackles of email, social networks, smartphones, and screens, let this book be your guide * author of Irresistible * You're not the user, you're the product. Hang up, log off, and tune in to a different way to be in the world. Bravo, Cal, smart advice for good people * author of This is Marketing * I hope that everyone who owns a mobile phone and has been wondering where their time goes gets a chance to absorb the ideas in this book. It's amazing how the same strategy can work for both financial success and mental well-being: Put more energy into what makes you happy, and ruthlessly strip away the things that don't * aka Mr. Money Mustache * I challenge you not to devour this wonderful book in one sitting. I certainly did and I started applying Cal's ideas to my own life immediately * author of Essentialism * Cal Newport's book is a refreshing antidote to the poisonous cycle of what's new? - what's new? that this digital, hyperconnected decade has seduced us into. Building on the economics of Henry David Thoreau, Cal's call for calmer waters, for meaningful and engaged interactions, is just what the world needs right now * author of The Organised Mind * Digital Minimalism is the Marie Kondo of mobile phones * Evening Standard * Willpower, tips, and vague resolutions are not sufficient by themselves to tame the ability of new technologies to invade your cognitive landscape * The New Yorker * What a timely and useful book! It's neither hysterical nor complacent - a workable guide to being thoughtful about digital media. It's already made me rethink some of my media use in a considered way * Naomi Alderman, author of The Power *