Today, we draw the curtains on the Digital Minimalism series:)

When I first got the idea to write on this topic, I wasn’t sure if to proceed with it or not, neither did I imagine it’ll stretch this long. But the more I considered it, the more it stretched out and we ended up with 3 parts.

If you haven’t checked out the first two parts of the series, I’ll suggest you start from the beginning here. And then follow up with the second part here. That would serve as a proper foundation to today’s gist.

If you’ve been around from the first part two weeks ago, you must have figured the source of my inspiration as I have referenced it in every part so far. I picked up “Digital Minimalism” back in March right after reading “Deep Work” by the same author.

The State Of Flow

‘Deep Work’ discussed the need for wielding focus amid the increasing distraction all around us. These days, there’s a lot of noise in society, digitally and otherwise, making it more difficult to stay focused. If we intend to tap into our highest productivity, it is paramount to rise above the chaos and enter a state of flow. A state where lesser input produces a significantly higher level of output.

To achieve this hallowed state of flow, willpower alone is not enough. As the old saying goes, if wishes were horses… (you know the rest). A little survey would reveal that almost everybody desires to be maximally productive. The reality, however, is that only a handful experience the fulfillment that comes with maximizing one’s potential.

Don’t get me wrong, willpower is an important ingredient to harness your potential, as it all starts with a decision. But aside from willpower, it is necessary to intentionally arrange your environment to support your desire. There are a lot of practical rules that aid in controlling one’s environment for maximum productivity (more on that can be found in Deep Work by Cal Newport). For the sake of this discussion though, we’ll narrow down to the most prominent source of distractions.

On Becoming A Minimalist

Let’s face it…
Many of you would agree with me that the mobile phones and tablets that we carry around with us can sometimes become a curse than a blessing. I don’t know about you, but I often wonder how much more productive I would be if only I could just tone down on the mindless scrolling on social media at the slightest hint of boredom or frustration while working on something, or the many minutes I spend watching other videos on YouTube apart from the one I intended to watch. The discipline required to avoid those traps in the digital space cannot be stumbled upon casually. It has to be deliberately cultivated.

It is in the search for a lasting solution to this menace that we have chosen the way of a digital minimalist. I’ll quickly admit that I am still learning to apply this philosophy and its supporting practices to my personal and professional life. However, having tested the waters to a significant level, I can attest that intentionality is indeed satisfying (Principle #3 from the last post).

Digital Declutter

In his book, Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport suggests a rather radical approach to a minimalistic digital lifestyle. He calls it the “Digital declutter”. Simply put, he proposes a 30-Day break off optional technologies. He explained “optional technologies” as digital apps or services that you can do without for a while, without any significant damage to your personal or professional welfare. He advises doing away with them for 30 days.

This approach is not a permanent resolve in itself. It is a temporary practice aimed at exposing the subtle yet intense attachment we have with our digital environment. The itch to scroll through your Instagram feed or while away time of Facebook watch becomes prominent in the absence of such escape. At the end of the 30 days, you are allowed to reintroduce the important services back into your space, but this time more intentionally.

I really cannot say much about this decluttering process as I am yet to try it out myself, but I am eager to get to it and you bet I’ll update y’all when I do. However, I have implemented a few other less radical practices in the past few months, and I’ll briefly share them with you.

Hush The Buzz

Some months ago, I made the decision to switch off all notifications on my phone – except for a few that I couldn’t ignore. That has been one of the best decisions I’ve made since I entered the online space.

The instinctive act of clicking on any message that pops up, even amid important duties has long become a thing of the past. These days, I only check my messages when I intend to. Just like a person with a sweet tooth, it is inevitable to abstain the sugar in the presence of the candy jar, but taking the jar out of sight goes a long way in inhibiting the trigger.

Have Online Office Hours

Just shutting down the notifications isn’t always enough in dealing with the distraction though. I noticed in my own personal experience that I easily turn to my WhatsApp or other social media platforms at the slightest hint of frustration while studying or engaged in any other mentally demanding task. Scientifically, these instincts are a result of the dopamine the content on these platforms induces in our brains. This effect makes the brain crave our indulgence to scroll through our feed at the slightest sign of boredom.

This can be countered by intentionally setting a time limit to your usage of these apps. A simple decision like “no social media” until 6pm can go a long way in sustaining discipline before 6pm. That conscious effort to not be distracted when you don’t want to, sometimes does the trick. Whenever that itch arises, there’s a counter rule that helps you suppress it.

Whatever time of the day you choose as your online office hours, it might be difficult to maintain at the start (I still struggle to maintain mine sometimes), but with time, the brain starts to tell between the “on” and “off” times for that quick dopamine fix, and it learns to not demand it when it’s “off”.

Another benefit of holding office hours for your social media endeavours is that it enables you to be fully present when “on”, and fully engaged in your work with a higher chance of attaining a flow state when “off”. Being able to define the schedule primes your brain to zone in on what’s before it, knowing that it’s not allowed to do anything else.

Cultivate Solitude

With the increasing bustle and noise in our society, humanity is slowly losing touch with the power of solitude. History is rich with the great feats of men who found inspiration in their “alone time”. The mind is powerful, but it can only thrive when we harness its contemplative abilities. This is impossible without an ample amount of solitude.

I have progressively cultivated more and more “alone time” in my schedule. Not just alone physically, but away from anything capable of interfering with my thoughts. Be it taking a long walk with my phone at home, or making sure my mornings are totally free of online activities, or simply switching off the phone for a few hours with nothing to demand my attention.

Subtle as these practices are, they have a huge impact on my creativity and general sanity. I am sometimes able to process valuable thoughts on those long walks, or even get fresh ideas while appreciating nature. Those phone-free mornings also help me to calibrate my day before the many distractions start to hit. As they say, “win the morning, win the day”.

Closing it off…

I can go on and on as there are a lot of helpful practices for more mindful digital engagement. But I’ll have to stop here to save space and time. I’ll probably have to revisit this theme again, but only after I have tried the 30-day digital declutter.
If there’s any takeaway I want you to remember from this series, it is that being intentional about your engagements in the digital space is indeed satisfying.