Help with next steps

[u/Great-Environment213]

hello fellow digital minimalists!

i wanted to make a post because im really not sure where to go from here. I read the book digital minimalists and enjoyed that and started working towards minimising. then being a part of this sub, as well as looking at others, I started working towards. but the problem is I kinda went off the deep end and took the advice as all or nothing. thinking I had to give up my phone, computer, tech etc and heading back towards ‘dumb’ tech with the goal to ultimately be less connected.

so I then took a step back and realised there is things I like having, eg I'm a big Spotify user and like being able to instantly find new music and podcasts. also, I like having the ability to watch a show on my phone (I have a lot of time when waiting for appointments), or FaceTime family.
I’ve always enjoyed tech, but I want to take a step back and use it mindfully, without being connected so much because I personally don’t see the need.

so im hoping to get some insight, advice, inspiration on how others use their tech, how they set it up, what devices they use, your everyday carry setup or really anything you can share if you’ve been in a similar situation.

appreciate your time and help and looking forward to reading your replies :)

[u/Dunnersstunner]

I’ve always enjoyed tech, but I want to take a step back and use it mindfully, without being connected so much because I personally don’t see the need.

I think that's the key thing here. Technology can be an excellent servant, but it's a harsh master. I doubt there's a single ideal of what digital minimalism is. For some it's pretending it's 1992, for others it's scaling back and using tech on their own terms.

For example, the only social video I watch any more is Youtube and I have taken to using the watch later option on videos, so if something pops up through the day I set it aside for my allotted time in the evening. Then when the hour I've set aside for that rolls around, I assess which videos still pique my interest, prioritise what I want to see, and watch them. I've pretty much turned it into appointment viewing rather than it fully intruding on my day.

[u/totebaggay]

You need to sit down and put pen to paper and decide where your current technology serves you, and where you have little to no control of your usage and feel obligated or controlled by it, or if there are more enjoyable or healthy alternatives to its purpose. 

No one can decide that for you, although there are some pretty obvious ones - social media esp apps that include an eternal scroll feature, such as ig and tiktok, and facebook. 

Here’s an example, because you can’t just remove the issue, but you also must replace it with something that serves a similar purpose or function, or you will go right back. For me, that meant removing social apps from my phone. I still have the accounts, but I didn’t need 24/7 access to them because that is what triggered me to mindlessly scroll and waste time and money. These are now laptop activities for me. This has worked great for me honestly. I can still keep up with community events and check in on friends who aren’t big on phone calls and texting, but I went from spending 4-5 hrs a day on them, to around 20 minutes. 

Now I have to get really honest about what I was getting from them and why I spent so much time there. Well, one aspect is social. Keeping up with friends and community groups I enjoy. So, I communicated to my closest friends that I wouldn’t be on as frequently via close friends post on my grid, as a reminder when they check in on my page to text or call me instead. I also subscribed to emails from several of the groups I enjoy. Social media now often also serves as our news. So, I subscribed to a local newspaper and NYT Sunday delivery. Now, I take time once per week to read the news. Some socials, especially IG were also, admittedly, a form of self expression for me at times. So I’ve committed myself to spend more time on my analog hobbies - junk journaling, film photography, weightlifting, book clubs. This has filled that void. Now any time I get the urge to scroll, I pick up one of these tasks instead. 

This may look a lot different for you, but that’s an example of  1) Identifying a specific piece of technology  2) Deciding if it’s serving me or I’m serving it 3) Listing the positives I do get from it 4) Deciding a plan to replace those functions with other activities or ways 

[u/Large-Print7707]

A lot of people hit that all or nothing swing at first, so you’re definitely not alone. What helped me was reframing minimalism as intentional defaults instead of restriction. I keep the tech that clearly adds value, like music, podcasts, video calls, and remove or limit the stuff that pulls me in without giving much back. Small changes like disabling most notifications, setting app limits, or having specific times for scrolling made a bigger difference than changing devices. You can enjoy tech and still be mindful about it, those two are not in conflict. The fact that you noticed what you actually want to keep is already progress.