False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

The principles of digital minimalism are 
based on two economic hallmarks and the 
wisdom of the Amish.
Digital minimalism is based on three principles – 
clutter is costly, optimization is important and 
intentionality is satisfying.
The first principle relates to the New Economics 
famously promoted by Henry David Thoreau in 
his book Walden. Basically, New Economics 
includes life costs when calculating what 
something is really worth. For instance, if you 
want to buy a car to drive into town instead of 
walking, Thoreau would remind you that the 
price you pay for the car isn’t its only cost, it’s 
also the time, stress and effort it takes to earn 
this money and to keep the car secure and in 
working order. In the end, the cost may far 
exceed the healthy act of walking into town. This 
same scrutiny should go into every bit of digital 
media you let into your life. Ask yourself what 
you are really gaining from it, and what the time 
and attention costs are. Are you sure you can’t 
perform the same task in a different way?
The second principle relates to another 
economic hallmark. That is, the Law of 
Diminishing Returns, which explains why you 
can’t just keep adding stuff and expect continued 
improvements. 
For 
example, 
if 
you’re 
manufacturing cars, the first workers you add will 
increase your output. But you’ll eventually reach 
a point when the assembly line can’t handle 
anymore strain. Workers are bumping into each 
other, and things begin to slow down.
Let’s say, instead of making cars, you want to 
stay informed about current events. Going from 
zero to two news sites will be a big 
improvement. But if you’re cramming a social 
media feed with dozens of different sources, it’s 
bound 
to 
become 
a 
never-ending, 
incomprehensible distraction. Instead of adding 
sources, you need to optimize your tools. For 
example, maybe the Instapaper app would work 
better than social media. This app allows you to 
collect interesting pieces throughout the week 

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and read them over the weekend, without any 
ads!
For the third principle, let’s look at the Amish 
way of life. People often mistake the Amish for 
being anti-technology, but in reality, it’s not that 
simple. The Amish don’t reject technology 
without testing and questioning it first. 
Sometimes, as with a state-of-the-art milling 
machine, they’ll happily use it. However, if it 
doesn’t support their fundamental values of 
family and community, it’ll be banned. You 
should apply the same value-based approach to 
every tool you use. Does it really benefit and 
support your values and what you’re trying to do, 
or are you better off without it?