Not long after reading Cal Newport’s Digital Minimalism, I felt — well, compelled is probably an understatement — to try out the “digital declutter” effort he outlines in the book.

The declutter is a process by which one sets aside a full month of removing all “optional” technology out of their life, then at the end, slowly and intentionally add back in those forms of tech that actually provide value, versus the ones that are used for “low-level” entertainment.

I gave this a whirl not too long ago, and what I found was staggering.

Having these things out of my face for that extended period of time (which actually feels longer than it really is) helped show me that I actually had developed a default to seek out distractions. So, even without social media on my phone, paring it down to basically just a phone with music and weather apps and email, I found myself pacing.

But here’s where I went wrong…

Newport argues two things are critical to make this detox a success.

The first is that before you begins you need to identify things that you can do to fill that time that provide you deep value. I failed to really do this — and I have plenty of things I could be doing outside of browsing the web, checking email, or looking at my phone. I could be more present with my family. I could be writing. I could be reading more books. I could be working on my practice with spiritual study and meditation. I could be exercising more, or cooking more. All of these things — but I became a bit sucked into the knowing that I was without distraction.

The second is that, despite how it’s framed up, this process isn’t so much meant to be a “detox” in the sense that you take a break for a month and then return to your previous distracting-tech ways. This is meant to put aside those things that are scraping away your attention so that you can actually focus on the things that really matter to you (see above paragraph for some of the things I put into that category), as opposed to filling your time scrolling through your social feeds or checking your phone constantly. Then, at the end of the month, carefully think about which of those forms of tech really make a difference, and add them back into your life with a significant layer of intention and plan for how to use them proactively. If you’re just scrolling Facebook to see what’s up, that does not qualify. If you’re using it to communicate with others in a Facebook group, or if you’re using Twitter to connect with like-minded writers, on the other hand, those scenarios would qualify as “valuable”.

So, I’m trying my hand at this again, but I’m attempting to be more ruthless this time.

For this second round of the digital declutter, I’m setting a number of specific guidelines and rules.

THE GUIDELINES

• Timeline: May 1-31, 2020.
• No passive web browsing. This goes for phone or laptop. (NOTE: I have, over the years, developed a dumb habit of just aimlessly browsing the web, be it news or looking up random facts I’m interested in.) A few exceptions to using the web: reading the news and RSS feeds in the morning (but only in the morning), links provided in newsletters or emails, or otherwise pieces that are sent to me (that is, anything I receive organically), are okay.
• No social media use whatsoever until the declutter is over; at that point I decide which platforms to focus on and stick with them.
• Text messages okay in moderation and for important stuff and for those closest to me (otherwise I keep my phone on Do Not Disturb mode).
• No podcasts for this timeframe.
• Email is okay but only checked once a day (keeping email on phone for now).
• Music on phone is allowed.
• Native iPhone weather app allowed.
• Phone camera use allowed.
• Laptop will be used for its primarily-intended purpose: WRITING. This includes working on my book but also more regular blogging and working on my newsletter.
• At the end of the month, identify which apps and platforms I will stick with in the long run. For the rest, deactivate, delete, or let dissolve into the void.

Unlike the last two practices, for this I will aim to update daily notes and takeaways throughout.

Again, my intention here is not to rid tech from my life, but to reduce my use of it to that which I find most valuable. My whole aim here is to basically spend more time working on my writing and reading and things like that, then share what’s valuable either via my blog or connecting with others on platforms that are most conducive to my work.

A note on social media: Since the last declutter effort, I have teetered quite a bit on how I am trying to use social media. I deleted Instagram, then opened another account, only to disable it twice, continue to take it off my phone, then add it back on. I’ve followed a similar pattern with my Facebook page. I have yet to decide what I’m going to do with these two platforms. Ideally, any social media I use moving forward will be off of my phone, and unforunately Instagram is not inherently designed to be used off-phone. (I don’t know how sustainable it is to only use tech like this on a desktop moving forward, but my hope is that will be revealed to me as I work through this declutter). I find myself using Facebook less and less. It’s primarily a place I’ve connected with friends and family I don’t otherwise see or communicate with on a regular basis, so for those personal purposes I may keep it. At the moment I foresee Twitter as my go-to platform for social media. But until the declutter is complete, I’m not making any hard calls on which of these I will likely stick with.

DAILY NOTES

Day 1

A bit of a stumbling start, but for the most part, was able to get my bearings quickly, organizing my phone in a way that’s simplistic and removing a ton of apps.

Day 2

Found myself checking email and searching for books on Amazon early, but as I did this, I questioned, “Why? What’s the point here? You have literally hundreds of books on your shelves, accumulated over years, waiting for you. Enjoy them.” I am checking my phone intermittently, but knowing that I have nothing currently on there to really check, I’m putting it back down seconds later.

Day 3

I continue to be pulled into checking my phone, but once I see I have no texts, I put the thing back down. With little apps to snag my attention, I feel less and less a need to open the damn thing. This, by nature, means being open to moments of boredom, so I’m allowing myself to be okay with being bored. That in and of itself is a major shift, especially when we live in a time where we’ve made it possible to completely avoid boredom. Onward.

Day 4

Checked email way too many times today; not just on the phone, but on the laptop. I notice a weird sensation when I stop myself and say, “Okay, you’ve already checked it today, you don’t really need to check again until tomorrow.” Doing this opens up a world of space in front of me, which at the moment feels a little disorienting. But it shows the importance of focusing on the present moment.

Day 5

Checked my phone way more than I expected to today. It’s more of a habit of just picking it up, opening it, and then closing it less than a second later. My hope is that by the end of this, I’ll have developed the consciousness to pause before picking up and simply asking, “Do I really need to check my phone right now?” If the answer is yes, then the focus becomes on why — what is the reason? But right now, the habit itself is clear as day.

Day 10

The last few days have shown me that it may not have been necessarily social media or distracting-by-nature apps that lured me to the phone. I seem to have an embedded habit of just picking the thing up and checking it incessantly, even if it’s to see if anyone texted or called or emailed, and breaking the web-browsing habit (especially if it’s news) has revealed itself to be a mountain of a task. Need to take a step back and see this from a bird’s eye, reassess.

Day 11-14

Keeping pace, no real social media usage, phone usage has become regular (texts, email, some browsing), but otherwise the small little device seems to becoming less important and less of a habit (which is awesome). Halfway through this little effort and I am seeing some little, albeit important, benefits arise. Boredom is more welcome than ever.