What is digital minimalism, and how can it help you? This article is all about digital minimalism and the benefits it brings to your life. Find out here!
You are certainly familiar with minimalism, which consumes less to live better, but have you ever heard of digital minimalism? This philosophy takes the main principles of minimalism and applies them to digital life.
That is to say that instead of limiting superficial purchases (clothes, gadgets, jewelry, etc.), you limit your use of technology to a strict minimum to live more simply and serenely. So, what does it look like daily, and what is the point of adopting this way of life?
In this article, you will learn what digital minimalism is, how it works, and its benefits. You will see that you do not necessarily need to deprive yourself of the things you like (social networks, YouTube, Netflix, etc.) to benefit from them.
Digital minimalism is a recent term coined by Cal Newport when he spoke about it in his book for the first time in 2019. It is a philosophy that helps you question digital communication tools (and the behaviors they involve) to determine which ones add the most value to your life.
This approach is driven by the belief that intentionally and aggressively clearing digital nuisances and optimizing the use of important tools can significantly improve your life. Digital minimalism is, therefore, a process of detoxifying your digital life.
It allows you to take a step back from the technology to optimize the activities that bring you to value and eliminate superfluous ones. It is, in a way, a recalibration of your digital life.
When you embrace digital minimalism, you relearn how to live healthier with technology. You remember that it is above all a tool in the service of the things to which you attach deep importance and not a source of importance in itself.
Why Has Digital Minimalism Gained Popularity So Quickly?
If digital minimalism has gained popularity so quickly, it is because it addresses a real problem that we all know today: information overload.
Today we all suffer from infobesity. We are constantly drowned in information. Between emails, messages, notifications, posts on social networks, news, TV, advertisements, etc.
Result? You feel exhausted and stressed.
Faced with this continuous flow of information, more and more people feel the need to disconnect to live more peacefully, far from this hectic pace of life. Digital minimalism precisely allows them to create that haven of peace they seek.
Benefits Of Digital Minimalism:
- Digital minimalism reduces your stress level as your exposure to news (especially negative news in the media)is reduced. You stop worrying about things over which you have no control anyway.
- It allows you to experience the moment to the fullest. You no longer feel that compulsive need to look at your smartphone every 5 minutes to see if you’ve received a new message or to find out how many likes your last Instagram photo received.
- It improves your concentration by allowing you to stay focused, reducing the number of distractions like emails, calls, messages, or notifications.
- It helps you think clearly. Your thinking is no longer fragmented, as is often the case with people who are used to multitasking.
Digital minimalism is a great way to take back control over your digital life and live more intentionally. To apply this philosophy, you must eliminate unnecessary applications, networks and tools, use social media strategically, limit screen time so you know when to stop and go on a media diet and focus on what you control.
