Let’s set the scene: You’re diligently working, deep in the zone. Your phone screen lights up with a notification. You gaze over to see what it says. Fantastic news. Your next Uber ride is 4% off. You then attempt to re-focus on your initial work, spending a disproportionate amount of time getting back in the zone relative to the insignificant piece of news just shared with you.

Now imagine another world where your phone only lights up with meaningful notifications that are worth your attention.

…If you made it through those 8 sentences without a notification stealing your attention, you might already be living in it.

Digital minimalism

Digital minimalism is the lifestyle choice for those who have realized that phones and computers have become less like productivity tools and more like a persistent telemarketer who always calls during dinner. If decluttering your digital life sounds interesting and/or necessary, stick around.

Fact of the day: Digital minimalism is the #1 antidote to phubbing.

If you don’t know what phubbing is, you’ve likely done it yourself (and you may have done it to read this super fascinating blog post).

Phubbing (phone + snubbing) is the habit of ignoring something in favour of your mobile phone. It’s when someone is distracted by their phone when socializing with others. Bottom line, it's not great.

Steps toward digital minimalism

Step 1: Purging apps

Start by deleting apps from your phone. Think of this like decluttering your digital space and ask yourself, "Do I really need 5 food delivery apps to save a grand total of $0.30 a month on delivery fees?” Focus on apps that seem to send you daily notifications you could easily do without (cough* Uber cough*).

From most to least severe, here are some quick options:

• Remove apps you don’t need or use regularly from your phone entirely. Chances are you will forget you even had them in a few minutes.
• Remove apps from your home screen and save them in your App Library (iPhone users) where they are not top of mind.
• Consider putting them in hard to reach places like a password protected folder. This helps create a digital barrier inhibiting your ability to access these apps freely. Check out other cool tools like Brick that function similarly.

Step 2: Taming social media

Next, tackle social media. Remember, you don't need to know what everyone is up to every waking second. That’s what small talk is for (and finding out about the weather). Missing a few posts won’t bring about the end of the world (but ironically, you might not be the first to hear when the world is ending).

From most to least severe, here’s what you might be able to do:

• Delete your social media account entirely (or at least one of them).
• Remove social media apps from your phone entirely. You can always use your computer to catch up less often. If you’re not sure how to do this on your desktop computer, just ask your Grandma.
• Set time limits on your phone to reduce the time you spend scrolling.

Step 3: Take back control of your inbox

Take control of your inbox by unsubscribing from newsletters you no longer need or want. Even if that means you need to unsubscribe from us, we support your decisions. On an unrelated note, have we told you how good you look today?

• Unsubscribe from newsletters and companies who send you endless promotions. Your attention span and your wallet will thank you.
  • Consider using an email management tool to help you unsubscribe from multiple lists at once.
• For emails you want to keep but don't need to see right away, set up mailbox rules to automatically sort them into specific folders.

Step 4: Clean up your notifications

Is it just me or do you also get notifications for your notifications? It’s getting out of hand!

• Turn off non-essential notifications. Period.
• Use "Do Not Disturb" and “Focus” modes to filter what notifications you receive during set periods of time.
• Take the time to customize notification settings for each app. You will thank yourself later. Trust me, you’ll have the time...

Step 5: Embrace the JOMO and having time to think.

Joy of missing out (JOMO), is the feeling of not knowing or caring about every single event happening in the world. If it’s important, chances are you will find out eventually. Use the time you gain from missing out to stop and think! Embrace the silence and boredom to let your mind wonder. This is rumoured to be where original thoughts originate but it isn't confirmed.

Final step: Go off grid.

Not full time. That's ridiculous. We still need you to read our blog posts! But occasionally, try going offline. Someone once told me that going outside wasn’t a terrible use of time. Might try it out, not sure yet.

In the end, the only takeaway you need from all of this is…

Technology should be used to enhance your life. Not consume it.

How do you embrace digital minimalism in your life?