Digital Minimalism

The message is simple: stop wasting time online doing non-intentional things. Time spent on YouTube, Instagram, and Reddit “browsing” is time that is wasted. Only use tools online that provide a benefit for your end-goal, and be conscious of what your end-goal of technology is.

My goals, for instance, are to help me learn new skills, to help me experience film, and to encourage quality time spent with people I like. So I use tools like AWS, Duolingo, Letterboxd, and Riot/Matrix regularly. OTOH, tools like Instagram or Twitter don't hit my end goals - so I actively avoid using those platforms. It's a matter of choosing your intentions and moulding your use of technology around what you want, instead of using technology “as it was designed”, which is rarely in your best interest.

More to the content, I didn't find the writing all that interesting, and the use of possibly-hypothetical personas always strikes me as odd in these kinds of books. If the person is real, use their full name to make your argument credible. Otherwise, be honest and tell the reader that the persona is made up! Even so, these sections are short and do provide valuable examples.

Overall I enjoyed it much more for the principles it describes about technology use over its craftsmanship.