Digital Minimalism: On Living Better with Less Technology

by Cal Newport

Real conversation takes time, and the total number of people for which you can uphold this standard will be significantly less than the total number of people you can follow, retweet, “like,” and occasionally leave a comment for on social media, or ping with the occasional text.

“I don’t think we’re meant to keep in touch with so many people.”

Steve Jobs was famous for his long strolls around the tree-lined Silicon Valley neighborhood where he lived. If you were in his inner circle, you could expect invitations to join him for what was sure to be an intense conversation. Ironically for the inventor of the iPhone, Jobs was not the type of person who would be interested in maintaining important relationships through ongoing drips of digital pings.

When this six-week experiment ends, you won’t quite be ready to rebuild the engine on your Honda, but you’ll have achieved entry-level handy status.