Guide 6 - Digital minimalismDigital minimalism: make your phone feel like 1998
By the Focus98 team · Updated
Before smartphones, a computer was something you sat down at, used for a job, and left. Digital minimalism tries to get that back: fewer apps, less scrolling, more time for what matters.
What digital minimalism is
The idea was popularised by Cal Newport's 2019 book Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. It means using technology on purpose: keeping the few tools that really help you, and dropping the ones that just eat time and attention. It isn't about rejecting technology, but about deciding what it's for.
How people practise it
- A digital declutter: a break from optional apps for a few weeks, then adding back only what earns its place.
- A dumb phone or "dumb phone mode": calls, texts and little else.
- A minimalist launcher or grayscale screen, to make the phone less tempting.
- Phone-free times: meals, mornings, the first hour of work.
- Analog hobbies that fill the time scrolling used to take.
The 1998 way
Remember the family computer? You sat down, did the thing, and got up again. The internet was something you dialled into, not something that followed you around. Focus98 brings back that rhythm without asking you to give up your phone: it turns focus time into a 1998 PC on your screen. Start a session, get the work done, and the computer runs better for it. Scroll instead, and it slows down.
- Choose which apps stay usable while you work, and block the rest.
- See every session in the Activity Log, and your hours in Statistics.
- No ads, no feed, nothing to scroll.
Note You don't need a dumb phone to get most of the benefit. Limiting apps during work and study, and having somewhere better to put your attention, goes a long way.
Questions and answers
What is digital minimalism?
Using technology on purpose: keeping what helps you and cutting what just takes your time and attention. The term was popularised by Cal Newport's 2019 book.
Do I need a dumb phone?
No. Many people get most of the benefit by limiting apps during work and study, which is what Focus98 does.
What was life like before smartphones?
Computers were for sitting down and doing a job, and the internet was something you dialled into. Focus98 borrows that rhythm.
Sources
More guides
- Pomodoro timer
- App blocker for Android
- A Forest alternative
- Body doubling with friends
- Study timer
- Defrag, the game
- A 90s desktop on your phone
See also: all features
Guide 6 Digital minimalismFocus98 User's Guide