<\/span><\/h3>\nReduce clutter, optimize, and state your intentions. If this entire section can be summarized in one sentence, that would be it. The beauty of this book comes from its simplicity, which is synonymous with its minimalistic title and book cover. Newport goes on to explain using an example of the law of diminishing returns, which in business can also be attributed to the lean method or the 80\/20 rule.<\/p>\n
Although not an exact percentage, the 80\/20 rule is a good visualization exercise in optimization and decluttering your life. The basic principle is to find the 20% of your life that brings 80% of joy, profits, optimism, and other positive concepts.<\/p>\n
In business, this can be translated to finding the small number of clients that will stick with you and believe in your work, even if your prices were to rise drastically, or taking the 10 products that you have available and identifying the 2 or 3 which are bringing most of the profits.<\/p>\n
In this way, the law of diminishing returns can be explained that one should always look for “good enough” rather than “perfect”. We experience a forced law of diminishing returns every day when writing formal emails, notes, or messages. It may take only a few minutes to write the piece but may take just as long to edit or reword certain things. Although vital, editing can be taken as an example where you have unnecessary clutter, such as subscribing to too many videos and blogs about your niche. Usually, 2-3 thought leaders are enough.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Downtime Events For Reflection<\/span><\/h3>\nPart of many philosophies, doctrines, and studies is the concept of deep work. Although we may spend most of our day doing tasks, only 20% of the day may be spent on deep work, which may complete 80% of our work. This phenomenon rings especially true to our new remote work method, where the lion’s share of task-based projects may be completed in only 2 of the 8 hours of the traditional workday.<\/p>\n
Taking this concept further, to rethink or posit new ways of doing things is to take some time off from the project or idea and revisit it later. In the meantime, downtime should be used for high-quality activities that bring you joy and happiness to inspire creativity and ambition anew.<\/p>\n
To better explain high-quality activities, think of how time is usually spent, especially in our remote environment. This may usually include long periods of phone time (after already long periods of screen time at work), movies, and looking for updates consistently throughout the day on social media. Newport explains that hobbies and strenuous activity may be tiring, but mentally refreshing. This does not mean that physical activities are the only answer, for example, using the screentime towards a course on a personal hobby, such as cars or coding, invigorates your drive to learn.<\/p>\n
<\/span>Seek Meaning Away From Digital Activities<\/span><\/h3>\nThis section of the book must be read through its entirety to grasp the entire explanation, but the main concept is that a fully digital world has robbed us of certain senses and certain meanings in our life. There is a reason this book is called “Digital Minimalism” and not “Digital Freedom”, as we need this connection to improve our quality of life, such as communication and conducting business. The answer is to not quit cold turkey but to limit these activities to only necessities and practice habits offline as well.<\/p>\n
One of the topics covered here is the absence of true solitude. Varying on the type of person you are, you may need more or less than others, but solitude is required in small amounts to properly recharge. if you think about it, when was the last time you practiced true solitude? with devices, even if we are alone physically we are never truly alone in spirit. this can be comforting, but practicing shutting off all forms of communication and media and spending a quiet time by yourself in reflection lets you fully recharge your battery to seek improvement in business, relationships, and ambitions.<\/p>\n