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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