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Ten Tips for Digital Minimalism to Win Back Your Attention

·471 words·3 mins
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If you haven’t yet, make sure to read A Case for Digital Minimalism. Without further ado, here’s my list from least difficult to most on how to become a minimalist (without throwing out your phone or becoming a hermit):

1. Declutter Home Screens 📲 #

  • Take apps that you don’t want to use off your desktop or bookmark bars, and you won’t instictively open them as often.
  • Turn off notifications to reduce impulsively opening things.

2. News Feed Eradicator 🗞️ #

  • This is a great browser extension that replaces home feeds on platforms like Twitter or YouTube with quotes. It reduces passive consumption and forces you to search for content that you know you actually want to see, rather than letting algorithms which prioritize their profit over your happiness.

3. Block Sites 🛡️ #

  • The Block Site browser extension allows you to block websites that you don’t want to waste time on.
  • Many phones also have this feature built into them, so you can also block sites on your mobile device.

4. Delayed Gratification ⏳ #

  • Let’s say you want to watch a YouTube video. You can practice delayed gratification by adding to your Watch Later and watching it at the end of the day. This will improve your ability to focus on priority tasks.

5. Reduce Your Online Presence 👻 #

  • Unsubscribe from subreddits and feeds in general that you don’t care about.
  • Delete social media accounts and refrain from creating new ones. You won’t really miss anything; your friends will probably tell you about anything worth knowing about.
  • If you need to message people, give them your number or limit messages to platforms only for messaging, like Discord.

6. Find IRL Alternatives 🦗 #

  • Use a paper planner, plan in-person hangouts, study in the library, read a book. Fill up your life so you have less time to waste on passive media consumption.

7. Airplane Mode ✈️ #

  • Put your phone on airplane mode when you don’t want to use it, such as during the school or work day.

8. Black and White ⬛⬜ #

  • Putting your phone on black and white mode makes media less interesting, and thus you are less likely to waste time on it. You can do this in the accessibility settings of the iPhone, and in the settings of any other phone too.

9. Turn It Off 📴 #

  • Turn your phone off unless you really need to use it. If possible, put distractions far away from you, such as away in your bag.

10. Low Data Plans 📶 #

  • Get low data plans so that when you are out and about without Wi-Fi, it becomes literally impossible to waste time online.

Of course, this list isn’t comprehensive and different things work for different people, but I hope this gave you some ideas! 👍

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