Digital Minimalism

The reading is compelling, instructional, and practical. I couldn’t put Digital Minimalism down, and ended up "consuming” it in only 4 sits. Because of that, I feel compelled to share a review before you make any commitment. Let me divide this review into 3 parts. First I'll share reasons why I chose to read the book and some personal takeaways. Next, a summary of the book including short excerpts I highlighted while taking notes. Last, I'll suggest a few complementary readings. PERSONAL THOUGHTS I probably pre-ordered this book because I’ve been intrigued by how the overused of modern technologies—specially social networks and social media—have influenced our societies during the last 10 years. This latest wave is actually recent, and being in my early 30s I still remember clearly how life was during high school and early days in college before this explosion. We all acknowledge the wonders of technology, how the development of new tools has helped the prosperity of our societies in many dimensions. However, the opposite is equally important—consequences that deserve to be understood and evaluated. Besides the social, emotional and psychological aspects, which are the main focus of Digital Minimalism, I also care about the impacts on our physical health caused by technology overexposure. Not only how the devices shape our physical posture for worst over the years but also the detrimental effects of electromagnetic fields to our overall health. That said, I’ve been trying to be mindful about technology use during the last 4-5 years. I still have social network accounts, but I feel quite odd among my peers because I’ve been checking these accounts less often than ever—about once a month—but I rarely post pictures or comments. It brings a deep sense of freedom and calmness. In terms of smartphone use, I keep it on airplane mode for around 80% of the awake time, and I often try to go on adventures up in the mountains to be away from signal access for days or weeks at a time. This desire to be unreachable has grown over time and, although it makes me feel grounded and present, I admit that can be quite selfish of me towards loved ones. Reading this book helped me better understand the forces behind addictive technologies, exposed me to pragmatic ideas to implement the minimalism philosophy, and supported my previous thoughts on how we can better handle digital overexposure. SUMMARY [Intro] Digital minimalism, according to Cal Newport, is a philosophy where we focus our online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that support the things we value. We learn how the author got interested in the topic after receiving feedbacks from his previous book. [Chapter 1] Cal starts with a refresher—bringing back to the early and “potentially innocent" days of Facebook and the iPhone—then, he soon shows how these new technologies took the lead by dictating how we behave and how we feel by pushing us to overuse their products for as long as possible. Interesting story about how NYU professor Adam Alter shifted his research topic after getting “trapped” for 6 uninterrupted hours playing a game on his phone during a cross-country flight. Cal then explains 2 of the main forces used by technology companies to encourage behavior addiction: [1] Intermittent positive reinforcement. [2] The drive for social approval. [Chapter 2] Here is a primer on digital minimalism. We learn that "to reestablish control, we need to move beyond tweaks and instead rebuild our relationship with technology from scratch, using our deeply held values as a foundation.” Cal explains why digital minimalism works through 3 principles: [1] The first principle argues that, when we clutter our time and attention with many apps, social networks, and services, we create an overall negative cost compared to the benefits of each individual item in isolation. I was absolutely delighted to read his arguments by sharing Henry Thoreau’s decision to live for two years in a cabin near the Walden Pond. Thoreau's book, Walden, has actually impacted my life tremendously when I first read as a freshmen in college. [2] The second principle says that besides choosing a technology that supports our values, we should also think how we should use them to extract full benefits—optimizing, therefore, the returns. Here Cal shows how “the law of diminishing returns” can be directly correlated with potential negative effects when technology usage surpass the benefits they can generate. [3] The last principle shows that being more intentional about how we engage with new technologies is one way to become sincerely satisfied. For that, the author illustrates the Amish's approach toward technology: “they start with the things they value most, then work backward to ask whether a given new technology performs more harm than good with respect to their values.” [Chapter 3] In this chapter Cal shares a system for digital decluttering by transforming our relationship with technology. He encourages us to apply a rapid transformation: “something that occurs in a short period of time and is executed with enough conviction that the results are likely to stick.” He divides the process in 3 steps: [1] The first one is to establish which ones of the new “optional” technologies we can step away from without creating major problems in either our professional or personal life. [2] The second step is to take the leap and give ourselves a 30-day break while we rediscover the activities that generate real satisfaction without being attached to our devices. [3] The final step is the reintroduction, building it from the scratch, following the principles previously explained in chapter 2 by choosing carefully the apps/tools and using them with a deeper sense of purpose. [Chapter 4] This is most probably my favorite chapter, where we learn the value of solitude. Cal starts by sharing an interesting story of President Lincoln’s decision to reside in a cottage during months at time, communicating back and forth to the White House on horseback. The author then shares the benefits of solitude such as being a prerequisite for original and creative thoughts, as well as a deeper appreciation for interpersonal connections when they occur. He then shifts gears toward the impacts of solitude depravation, showing, for example, that the rise in anxiety-related problems among students coincide with the use of smartphones and social media. At the end of the chapter we learn 3 practices to foster more solitude moments in our daily lives: [1] To leave our phones and devices at home. [2] To go on long walks. [3] To spend time journaling. [Chapter 5] Now we jump to a chapter rich in social psychology lessons. We first learn how our brains evolved to desire social interactions, but differently than the rich face-to-face encounters, during the last decade or so we have been bombarded by digital communication tools, encouraging interactions through short, text-based messages and approval clicks. At the end Cal offers practices to develop meaningful “conversation-centric communication.” They range from avoiding clicking the “like” button all the way to holding more meaningful conversations during office hours. [Chapter 6] Now we jump to an empowering chapter. We learn to cultivate high-quality leisure time at the same time we declutter the low-quality digital distractions from our lives. They both, in fact, work together in order to create a more purposeful habit. This chapter is filled with real life examples of successful stories where helpful lessons are drawn at the end of each example. Like in the previous chapters, Cal doesn’t share only examples, but also practical ways to adopt his claims. My favorite suggestion is about scheduling in advance the time we'll be spending on low-quality leisure. [Chapter 7] The final chapter is about building a more resistant mindset to avoid the power of the attention economy—which is “business sector that makes money gathering consumers' attention and then repacking and selling it to advertisers." Practices are provided when further discipline is required to avoid exploitation: [1] Delete social media from our phone to remove the ability to access them at any time. If we're going to use social medial, we should access them through a web browser. [2] Turn our devices into purposeful tools, diminishing the number of things they enable us to do. In Cal's own words “I’m not talking about occasionally blocking some sites when working on a particularly hard project. I want you instead to think about these services as being blocked by default, and made available to you on an intentional schedule.” [3] To use social media like a social media professional does. [4] To embrace the slow media consumption by maximizing the quality of what we consume. [5] Making the hard choice to switch from smartphone to a “dumb” phone. COMPLEMENTARY READINGS Well, it doesn’t matter where in the spectrum we fall as long as we vow to move the needle towards a more meaningful and intentional technology use, diminishing our “natural” tendency to become dependent on digital devices. While reading Digital Minimalism I thought about book titles that could complement the content. [1] Essentialism, by Greg McKeown, is definitely the one that comes to mind first. It helped me focus on less but more important tasks, giving clarity to what matters most. [2] Originals, by Adam Grant, helped me see the world of creativity through a different angle by being more true to who I'm. [3] Atomic Habits, by James Clear, has already influenced me to build better and more meaningful habits during the last 3 months. It can be an extremely helpful source to apply the lessons suggested in Chapter 6. [4] Last, if you'd like to learn a bit more about electromagnetic fields and how we can minimize the dangers, look no further than The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMFs, by Nicolas Pineault. Take good care, Haical

As is always the case, I really enjoyed Cal Newport's writing in his new work. I'm a bit biased in that I read his original yellow book (How to Win at College) almost ten years ago upon beginning college, and I know it played a big part in my success in college and in my professional life. I've kept up with Cal's writing via his blog ever since, but I hadn't pulled the trigger on any of his other books until now. I pre-ordered this book because I couldn't wait to read Cal's book-length treatise on the matter. Cal's philosophy on technology use has always been spot on, which is all the more surprising given his background as an MIT-educated computer science professor. Digital Minimalism was everything I expected it to be, and I can't recommend it enough. It is a book that everyone should read, as it really helps to put our current excessive technology use into perspective. Sadly, most of those reading Digital Minimalism are likely the choir; those who most need to hear Cal's advice will be so caught up in their digital distraction that they will never encounter the book. My favorite thing about the book is that Cal's advice is immensely practical. He is no Luddite, and he does not expect you to eliminate technology from your life. In fact, he urges you to embrace technology when it strongly supports the things you value most in life. He does not argue for or against any specific technology, but instead urges us to closely scrutinize any new technology before allowing it to enter our life. We should stop viewing new technology through the prism of what we are missing out on, and instead evaluate new technology based on how it supports our core goals and, specifically, whether the new technology is the BEST way to support our goals. If a new technology is deemed to be the best way to support our goals, Cal then recommends that we carefully tailor our use of the technology to get the most benefit while minimizing the concomitant distractions. This is where Cal's practical advice shines. For instance, instead of instituting a blanket ban on social media (like his detractors might expect him to do), Cal suggests that those who use social media limit their use to their computer or tablet (i.e., no iPhone social media unless absolutely necessary!) in order to eliminate boredom browsing, and also to tailor their settings for the social media application to ensure that the app is serving the user and not the other way around. Although I share Cal's disdain for social media and abstain from it entirely, I definitely understand that total abstinence may not be feasible for some people, and I feel that his advice is the most common sense approach that I have come across. I found myself agreeing with almost everything Cal says in the book, but I do have two minor critiques. First, toward the end of the book, Cal discusses the emergence of app-blocking software and "Dumb Phones", and seemingly recommends that we adopt these paternalistic mechanisms to prevent us from being trapped by the allure of new technology. Cal's praise for these things weakens the strength of his arguments for the Digital Minimalism philosophy, as it suggests that we are doomed to be sucked into the new technology vortex and that the only way to avoid this outcome is to take drastic measures that will literally not allow us the freedom to make our own choices about technology. I believe Cal's cheerleading of these app-blockers and "Dumb Phones" is short-sighted, as the practices outlined in Digital Minimalism should allow us the strong will to avoid these technological temptations. Also, it needs to be said that introducing these things into your technological mix could actually cause additional distraction; think of how much time you might waste trying to program your browser blocker to prevent yourself from visiting a certain mix of ever-changing sites at various points in the day and week. How much time will we waste researching the best "Dumb Phone" and constantly switching back and forth between it and our regular iPhone? Is it worth all the trouble? Tellingly, at the end of the section Cal seemingly admits that he just sticks with an iPhone, as it is not enough of a distraction for him to have to add the extra hassle of a "Dumb Phone." I think this should be the advice for all of us, as unless we put ourselves in some sort of bubble, there will always be unavoidable digital temptations out there that will require a strong backbone (and Digital Minimalist mindset) to resist. My second criticism is that Cal's advice on how to spend your free time is a bit muddled. On one hand, he strongly stresses the importance of ample amounts of solitude, which he describes as "a subjective state in which your mind is free from input from other minds." Yet he also stresses the importance of prioritizing demanding activities that often require strained mental effort. He references Arnold Bennett, who recommended reading difficult literature and poetry for leisure. To be fair, Cal does caution against taking Bennett's list of prescribed activities too literally, but he seems to endorse Bennett's philosophy of engaging in mentally demanding leisure pursuits that don't fit his definition of solitude. There seems to be a bit of conflict between the recommendation of Thoreau-esque solitude, whereby one might spend his/her time building a cabin or doing simple manual labor, and the recommendation of mentally demanding leisure activities such as reading dense writing. I think that it is likely that both of these types of activities are important, but Cal never really distinguishes between the two nor provides a discussion of how much of each we might need. These two critiques are minor, and really should be viewed more as topics that I hope Cal will address in his future writings as opposed to outright criticisms. I'm a huge fan of Cal and his writing, and I look forward to continuing to learn from him in the future. In conclusion, I strongly recommend that you pick up a copy of Digital Minimalism, and perhaps pick up an extra copy to gift to that person in your life who never looks up from their phone. Digital Minimalism is an important, timely work that we can all benefit from.

Folks, read Digital Minimalism. You (and I) are more addicted to social media and our smart phones than we would care to admit. (or worse, know that we should admit) This is a practical book on how we can break our digital addictions and what you can replace the time with - real conversations, craft work, leisure time, rest. I am a huge fan of Deep Work where Cal taught us: "A deep life is a good life." If you've read that book, you'll recall he had an entire chapter titled "Quit Social Media." That was a provocative chapter for me to read. I disagreed with Cal when I first read it. But over time the importance of that chapter has sunk in and now call has written Digital Minimalism to give us more of "why" we should declutter our digital lives and also "how" to do so. Digital Minimalism has 7 very readable chapters split into two main parts: Foundations and Practices. Cal does a great job for building the case of how social media and apps are crafted to steal as much of our time as we'll give it. Or, as Bill Maher is quoted in the book they can "steal your soul." Powerful statement to consider. Bill makes the point as quoted in this book that social media tycoons are like "tobacco farmers in T-shirts." They know that their social media is addictive. While Cal does a great job in this book for building the case on how addictive and problematic social media and smart phone apps can be, what I really like about this book is that he describes several practical tools about what we could actually do with our time that would be so much more fulfilling, (Hence, Deep Work 2.0) My favorite chapter is titled "Spend Time Alone" where Cal uses the example of President Abraham Lincoln getting away to a retreat near Washington D.C. during the Civil War to spend time alone and to think through the country's problems and solutions. Cal advocates for the importance of time for each of us to simply think. Not do. Not check our phones. But think. Cal notes that many of us have almost no alone time and almost no time to simply just be, do and think. I appreciate how Cal weaves in Thoreau and Wendell Barry and their views on a deep life or a simple life being the good life. This book just does such a nice job of clearly explaining the challenges, distractions and addictions of our modern digital age and how we can redirect time spent on digital pursuits toward a meaningful life. If you are a fan of Cal's previous epic book, Deep Work, you'll love Digital Minimalism. If you haven't read Deep Work yet, do it. It transformed my work habits away from "shallow work." And then read Digital Minimalism too for sure! Actually, you can read Digital Minimalism first, but then don't miss out on deep work. Okay , signing off my computer now to go spend time with my family! :) Mike Pritchard

In 2016 Cal Newport, a computer scientist at Georgetown University, published a book about cultivating habits of undistracted work. The premise was that while everyone else was getting distracted it provided an opportunity for those with disciplined focus. Cal got the praise and push-back he expected. What he didn’t expect was how many people wrote to him asking for a book applying the same principles to their time outside the office. That is just what Cal did. He wrote a book with a simple premise: You need to be intentional about your use of technology. This is for several reasons. First, technology is not neutral. It is a product made by people who want to both enhance your life and make money. In the current technology market money is to be made by keeping your eyeballs locked on the screen in your hand. Our phones and their apps are designed to bring us in and keep us there as long as possible. While this isn’t some nefarious conspiracy, there is an illusion we have embraced. We know there is no such thing as a free lunch, but there is a free app. Facebook and Twitter are free. And so many games are free with the ability to purchase if you want to. While the apps may be free one sense, they are very costly in another. But only if you value your time. Part 1 of the book deals with foundational arguments about the nature of technology and the need to get intentional about your tech use. Cal starts with the same recommendation for each of us: Take a technology break Not a detox. Not a week-long fast. You need to take a break for thirty days. You read that correctly. A full month with technology use reduced down to only essential functions. No mindless scrolling through feeds, endless video playlists on YouTube or binge watching Netflix. Are you breathing into a paper bag yet? You need to recover things like boredom and silence. The idea is to do a digital reset. After thirty says you begin reintroducing the technology (apps, podcasts, social media) one at a time. As you do it is imperative to decide what you will use it for and how you will use it. Get intentional about your habits Part 2 gets into four practices for healthy life like embracing silence and time alone, refusing to like or comment on social media, reclaiming your leisure time. The book is so clear I am not going to list the chapters. Here is the summary of the book: We need to rethink how we are using technology. We need to do a digital reset. We need to intentionally fill our lives with the habits that will bring meaning and help us accomplish what we want. Reflections I have shared before about my struggle with my smartphone. Tony Reinke’s book moved me to take my phone habits seriously. I deactivated my Facebook account. I made some adjustments. But they weren’t enough. In January I began a week-long break from social media, podcasts, etc. During that week I came across Cal’s book and immediately decided to extend it out for the full thirty days. What could happen? It made a huge difference. Once you break away from social media, it bores you to read it. Instead, I read/listened to something like eight books. I invested more time in exercise. I prayed more. I was more present with others. My Screen Time app reported I had reduced my screen time by 30% three weeks in a row. At that point I made a decision: I’m getting rid of my smartphone. And I did. I now have this bad boy. That’s right. It has a keypad. It has been a few weeks without my smartphone and everything is going well. No, I don’t think everyone should get rid of their smartphones. I just realized I didn’t actually need mine and it was actively making my life worse. I still use Twitter, but barely. My blog and sermons publish to my account so I have a specific use for it. One mistake I made was with YouTube. I didn’t define how I would use it so it quickly became a distraction. I have since ceased from using it completely until I define how/when I am using it and what I am using it for. Bottom Line I don’t want to be the obnoxious guy telling everyone how they are doing it wrong. I’m not anti-technology. I’m trying to figure out how to use technology in a way that supports my life rather than takes it over. I want to be a faithful husband, father, and pastor. There are many obstacles along the way. Some have been put there by others. Many of them I put there by accident. I can work on those. Cal Newport’s book was really helpful for me. It pushed me over the edge to take action. I think it will help you too (even if you keep your smartphone!). It is a fast read and I highly recommend it.

This is a very well researched and lucidly written book on a recent but extreme problem faced by most people (sometimes without their realization) - that of digital addiction and clutter. It argues for a philosophical change in approaching the problem, rather than just a bunch of ad hoc hacks. Digital minimalism represents the suggested philosophy. The book also has a number of practical steps to take toward achieving digital minimalism. Overall a clear 5-star piece of work.

Updated Review I stand by my original thoughts: the core idea of this book—emphasizing the importance of solitude and reducing phone addiction—is powerful and inspiring. The author’s passion is evident, and the premise is both timely and potentially life-changing. I’ve added an extra star because the book offers some excellent, practical suggestions and resonates with important truths that can truly make a difference. However, I still feel the book falls short of its potential due to its lack of concision. The author, drawing on their PhD expertise, includes extensive literature reviews and references that sometimes feel tangential. For example, lengthy anecdotes (like retelling an old computer commercial) and loosely related citations can dilute the message rather than strengthen it. Simple points, like the value of solitude or using a web filter to stay focused, are often stretched across multiple pages when they could be conveyed more directly. While the research is commendable, tighter editing and a more selective approach to supporting material would have made the book more compelling and impactful. Overall, the message is vital, and the suggestions are valuable, but I’d love to see this important idea presented with greater focus and clarity instead of what feels like an attempt to reach a certain number of pages. Original Review: The author’s idea is brilliant and could’ve been a fantastic article or blog post. I totally agree with the premise—his passion for the topic really shines through. But the book feels stretched with some repeated ideas, large print, extra spacing, and subchapter titles that seem to pad the page count. He sounds like a great guy I’d love to grab a coffee with, but this could’ve been two solid chapters in a meatier book. In fairness, it’s hard to say “put down your phone and go outside” in fresh ways, but I hoped for more depth.

This book is a guide to simplifying; although, ironically, it's a bit wordy. I've re-written Cal's introduction below -- yes, I am a professional writer -- in the 1st person as Cal wrote it, to make it more concise and distill the nuggets. My Version – Intro - Digital Minimalism “I Used to Be a Human Being” — wrote blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan in a widely-shared 2016 essay in New York magazine, referring to the inhuman “bombardment of news and gossip” in danger of turning us into broken “manic information addicts”. At first, I did not “get” his point, as I do not use social media, surf the web much, or center my life around my smart phone. Everything changed after I wrote the book, Deep Work — promoting the value of intense focus to produce our best work by avoiding distractions — and got many responses from readers leading me to understanding that everyone, not just businesspeople, wanted help to simplify inputs, especially digital ones, to gain more meaning and satisfaction from their lives. This led me to an unexpected crash course on the pros and cons of digital life, discussions about the benefits of the internet, and — while no one wanted to give up Google or Instagram — everyone I spoke with wanted relief, not from a single app, e-missive or device, but from the net effect of all the shiny digital baubles whose bombardment was, as Sullivan said, dehumanizing. The feeling of exhaustion, distraction and losing control was a common theme, and “addiction” to checking email, text messages, or Twitter, a common lament. Some research, shared in the next chapter, shows how the addictive nature of digital content is accidental or intentional; e.g., text messaging is compelling, while social media firms may promote compulsive use as a business strategy. One irony is that the desire to stay in touch through digital tools may be a barrier to deeper relationships — and an intentional life — and the superficial, carefully curated content posted on Facebook can give a false sense that others’ lives are better and more interesting than our own; leading some young folks and others to feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. Media coverage of and online discussions about news leans toward negative, emotionally-charged, and divisive content to attract attention — stoking dark, depressive views, and leading to a situation in which we too might say: “I used to be human.” From talking with readers, I knew the impact of the digital lifestyle was worth exploring to grasp the nature of the effect, attempted hacks and why these often failed, and understand those rare people who could cope with the flood without losing their minds. Digital tools are a two-edged sword: Access to a wireless world of 24/7 information through smartphones/devices using platforms that connect people everywhere is great; but always-on intrusion, notifications, and pressure for obligatory responses is tiresome, addictive, and enslaving. “Digital Maximalism” has prompted hacks such as a “Digital Sabbath” day or turning off notifications at night — i.e., trying to keep the benefits while minimizing negatives — with limited success, as ad hoc steps do not work well to combat the relentless invasion of our cognitive landscape. A more systemic philosophy and method is needed, Digital Minimalism — built on the concept of “less is more”, spending less time “connected” (actually disconnected from more important things) and more time on the right activities and relationships. This book makes the case for digital minimalism, how and why it works, and when to adopt it, in two parts. Part 1 deals with the philosophy of minimalism, the forces driving digital overload, and how digital decluttering for 30 days helps you reduce online dependence by instead taking walks, talking with friends, reading books, staring at clouds—and most importantly, thinking about and doing what you value most. After a month, you can add a few online activities that align with your values and help transition you from frazzled maximalist to intentional minimalist. Part 1 includes a guide to digital decluttering, based on a Winter 2018 experiment in which 1,600 people agreed to perform a digital declutter, then reported what helped and what traps to avoid. Part 2 shares ideas to create a sustained minimalist lifestyle, such as the need for solitude, leisure time, friendships, and being hard to reach by text message! It also looks at people who use many digital tools but are “resistant” to overload; and shares their secrets. Each chapter in Part 2 ends with a toolbox of best practices that you can customize for building digital minimalism into your own life! “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,” Thoreau famously said in Walden. Thoreau followed that by saying the sun rises anew each day and it’s never too late to “give up our prejudices” and make choices based on “alert and healthy natures”. While digital overload leads many to quiet desperation, it’s a new day and never too late to give up our pro-tech prejudice through an “alert and healthy” philosophy built on commitment to find long-term meaning over short-term satisfaction, aka, digital minimalism. (797 Words)

I have been a computer person since my early teens. I have fond memories of an earlier internet--when I went on it with specific purposes that lined up with my interests. I knew that I didn't like autoscrolling websites and how everything has comments and likes now, and that I was kind of addicted to Twitter in the past, but I didn't realize how much time I was spending on websites like that even after I deleted my social media accounts. I probably sound like an old luddite, but again, I've always loved computers, and I wouldn't have my job without the internet. This might have worked against me because it made me feel like I'm immune to things like social media blues. Recently I started having chronic back pain, and had to lower my workload at my WFH desk job as a result. I was eager to have the extra free time to spend on my hobbies, but even after halving my workload, I still never seemed to have any time for myself. I was irritated a lot and never seemed to have time to get anything done. I had the sense that something was wrong with my laptop and smartphone use, because it wasn't bringing me the joy that it used to bring 10+ years ago, and I knew I was checking my phone compulsively, so I got this book and followed its recommendations. It's been a little over a week since I started the "digital declutter" and I have gotten more done in my personal life in that week than in the past few months, and that's at a conservative estimation. I had no idea how much time I was really spending on the internet. For me, the change happened practically overnight. I'm getting my work done quicker. I used to be a bookworm and now I'm reading books again. I picked up something I'd always wanted to learn (Blender) and am working on it bit by bit every day. I feel more willing to be social because I feel like I have more time. I'm more conscientious, feeling more creative and thinking about things in a deeper manner. I'm all around in a better mood and less anxious, less often. Also, my back pain is largely gone, which is probably a combination of the digital declutter naturally leading to getting up and moving more, and the better mood. I don't know if all of this will last, since some of it might be from the newness of the situation, but I have hope that it will. YMMV, of course; I had more time to reclaim to begin with because I work freelance rather than at set hours in an office, and you obviously will get less out of it if you are already aware of the attention economy and less susceptible to it / not on your phone much to begin with. Some of the advice in the book seems obvious in hindsight, but if you're like I was and are lying to yourself about your internet use, it's useful to see it laid out in concrete terms. The research Newport lays out really helped cement the book's argument in my mind. I thought the best advice in the book was to make sure you replace your internet time with something else that's high value to you, so you don't wind up bored and sucked back into it. The thing that surprised me the most was that the book argues that aimless time binging on the internet actually does NOT recharge our brains. I thought that was supposed to be something you do to relax and recharge. I guess I should have noticed that it wasn't actually working, but I thought I was burnt out and tired a lot because I'm a working adult now, not because I was on the internet rather than pursuing the hobbies that actually leave me feeling fulfilled... I never understood how some people seem to have time to do a bunch of things, but hopefully I am one of those people now. I wish I had read this book ten years ago, or whenever Twitter was first on the rise, but who has time to dwell on that when I have hobbies to be doing? Good luck to anyone else who's been suckered in by the attention economy.