Digital Minimalism
The key to living well in a high tech world is to spend much less time using technology. In recent years, our culture's relationship with personal technology has transformed from something exciting into something darker. Innovations like smartphones and social media are useful, but many of us are increasingly troubled by how much control these tools seem to exert over our daily experiences – including how we spend our free time and how we feel about ourselves. In Digital Minimalism, Newport proposes a bold solution: a minimalist approach to technology use in which you radically reduce the time you spend online, focusing on a small set of carefully-selected activities while happily ignoring the rest.
Where Digital Minimalism keeps showing up
Three of our editors' lists feature this novel.
Also by Cal Newport
Books in conversation with Digital Minimalism
A few of the closest reads from our full list.
What you might want to know about Digital Minimalism
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Computer scientist Cal Newport proposes a philosophy he calls digital minimalism, anchored by a thirty-day declutter from optional technologies, then a slow, intentional reintroduction of only the ones that earn it.
Digital Minimalism advocates for intentional, value-driven use of digital technology rather than reactive, default consumption. Cal Newport prescribes a 30-day digital declutter and the rebuilding of leisure around high-quality activities.
Both books are by Cal Newport and share themes about attention and focus, but they target different domains. Deep Work is about professional productivity; Digital Minimalism is about personal technology use.
Digital Minimalism was written by Cal Newport, published in 2019 by Paidós.
Digital Minimalism is 295 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Digital Minimalism takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Digital Minimalism is a standalone novel by Cal Newport, not part of a series.
Digital Minimalism is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
