hey everyone and welcome to top tank today we're going to learn about ten rules for
digital minimalism now let's begin you know technology can be your best friend and your
worst enemy it streamlines productivity it organizes your schedule it opens new doors
for creativity and innovation but technology also steals your attention social media smartphones and
other distractors waste tremendous amounts of your day so how do you get the most out
of technology without sacrificing your time and effort the answer is digital minimalism instead
of obsessing over the latest apps and devices digital minimalism gives you control control over
your time control over your attention and control over your relationship with technology you can
shave that mountain of machines down to a handful of practical and concise activities if you follow
these ten rules of digital minimalism you can regain control of your life and use technology to
its fullest number one there will always be more this is the most basic rule of digital minimalism
there will always be more tech companies will always release new cutting-edge devices popular
applications will always circle the internet someone somewhere in the world will always have
something you don't no matter how much time or money or effort you invest there will always be
more through digital minimalism you acknowledge how unrealistic most technologies actually are
yeah those devices are faster cleaner and more powerful than anything you own but that doesn't
make them practical the simple fact is you'll never have it all he'll never know it all and
there will always be more out there so just stop trying to keep up these days technology has become
a kind of social game anyone who doesn't own the latest devices or follow the latest trends is
treated like an outsider but in digital minimalism technology is not a game it's just a tool it
should always be practical and useful otherwise you're just crowding your brain with technology
that doesn't improve your life and that's where many people go wrong they're so wrapped up in
the wanting of things they ignore the needing of things let's say you spend a couple of thousand
dollars on a slick and expensive computer did you ever stop to wonder why do you need even half the
hardware on that computer or did you buy it just to say hey it's yours you'd be surprised how often
people use technology just to keep up but the truth is keeping up keeps you down number two
draining the pool digital minimalism is more than just deleting social media accounts or spending
less time on your phone it's a change in lifestyle that transforms your relationship with technology
digital minimalism forces technology to revolve around your life instead of your life revolving
around technology because as it stands that's how most people in the world live their lives
dominated by devices controlled by phones and computers that's why the second rule of digital
minimalism is draining the pool just imagine you're standing in a six foot pool struggling
to keep your head above the water wouldn't it be more comfortable if there was less water the
goal is not to stop swimming the goal is to swim more comfortably that's the purpose of digital
minimalism not to stop using technology but to use technology more efficiently and comfortably it's
time to drain the pool but that's the hard part isn't it yeah how do you know what technology to
keep and what technology to wash down the drain number three think in value to rid your life of
time wasters you have to change the way you think the key to a minimalist lifestyle is thinking in
terms of value for each piece of technology think about its role in your life what purpose does it
serve why do I keep this piece of technology around can it be replaced by something else
all right let's try an example imagine you have three apps on your phone just three one of them
is a card game you play in your spare time the next is a social media app which you browse early
in the morning or at night before you fall asleep and the last one is a note-taking app where you
Kord ideas for work throughout the day now which of these applications holds the most value well
obviously the last one the note-taking app it's the only one of the three that serves an actual
purpose so it's the only one worth keeping now not every decision is this black-and-whites but that's
okay for now focus on the obvious time wasters and once you've done that it's time for rule number
four number four identify optional technology you've removed every time waster from your life
now you're left with a bunch of technology that falls somewhere in the middle so what do you do
with apps that come in handy occasionally devices you don't need but you do like these are called
optional technologies they seem to improve your life but you can live without them so for the
first 30 days you're going to remove all optional technology from your life but why is that well
because you often don't realize how little you need something until you've lived without it so
now you're going to live without it during this 30-day period you'll reset your relationship with
each piece of technology you'll begin to see them in a new way some will come back some will stay
gone but you'll know at the end of those 30 days which ones you can happily live without number
five optimize your tools you've trimmed the fat you've gotten rid of time wasters and set every
piece of optional Technology aside you're left with only the most valuable technology in your
life this handful of apps and devices is the foundation for your new approach to technology
so it's time to optimize these tools in other words refine improve and streamline the necessary
technology in your life you might discover ways to eclipse optional technology you might realize
that one application can do the job of three or four by optimizing your tools you make yourself
as efficient as possible number six reduce entry points to anyone fluent in modern technology this
one sounds a bit counterintuitive these days people love to stay connected with themselves
their phones computers and tablets are synched up 24/7 so they can access everything everywhere
all the time but limitless entry points aren't always a good thing in fact these entry points
create room for distraction just because you can sync everything doesn't mean you should in
digital minimalism your technology should do only what you need it to nothing more and nothing less
number seven lessen your availability at some point you may find yourself falling back into
old habits this is especially common for people who work with distracting technology on a daily
basis for example many people use social media for work it's a necessary and valuable piece of
technology so getting rid of social media is not an option however you can limit your freedom and
availability if you think you're going to get distracted you can isolate your exposure to a
small window of time use site blockers to keep yourself focused set alarms to manage your time
hey don't be afraid of boundaries and limitations they can save you from your own technology number
eight weigh the pros and cons it's hard to ignore all the new technology that you see
on a daily basis there's always some commercials showing off a new phone or software but instead of
getting overwhelmed by the excitement of something new force yourself to think logically when you're
infatuated by a new device just step back gain some perspective and weigh the pros and cons just
ask yourself what is this new technology actually do for me is it worth the money am i opening
myself up to a new stream of distractions more often than not you'll stop yourself from making
a bad decision now not everyone has the clarity to make logical arguments in the heat of the
moment if you know you're impulsive then try this anytime you want to buy something whether it costs
one dollar or a thousand dollars just wait 24 hours and at the end of that 24 hour period make
pros and cons list just like before when the dust settles your rational mind is your strongest ally
number 9 enjoy empty space millions of people around the world have the same bad habits all
right let's say you're sitting in a waiting room there's no one to talk to and nothing
to do so what do you do to pass the time most people reach into their pockets pull out their
phones and busy themselves with enough touching tapping and scrolling to numb their brains but
what are you actually accomplishing in those few minutes of sporadic browsing you're rarely
looking at anything you're simply searching for a distraction not only is this a complete waste
of time but it's a dangerous habit technology can become a mild addiction and over time it may
dramatically lower your attention span checking your technology becomes a compulsion every moment
of silence may compel you to whip out your phone and distract your anxious brain so keep your phone
inside your pocket your free time is better spent elsewhere number 10 relish your solitude when you
watch movies or YouTube videos are you alone when you scroll past profile after profile are
you alone even if you're sitting in a room by yourself you're not really by yourself you're
depending on technology to keep you company you need your devices to distract and Entertain You
and without them you may feel bored lonely and lost that's because many people have forgotten
how to truly be alone they don't know how to enjoy their time without technology to keep
them busy as you practice digital minimalism you release yourself from the shackles of
your devices you learn how to be alone and you begin to enjoy your own company hey thank you
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